CEAT/OMP Outreach Initiatives Minosca Alcantara and David Lange Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign In collaboration with Joseph Depa, OMP January 12, 2006

OMP Outreach Program Fostering Positive Attitudes about Engineering Encouraging Under-Represented Student Groups Transferring Technology within the Profession Encouraging MBE/WBE Contractors

Fostering Positive Attitudes About Engineering Pre-college/ high school students Mc4West Project – Chicago Students interested in Engineering Majors Bridge Building competition on June 21, 2005

Encouraging Under-Represented Student Groups CEAT Summer Interns 2005 Work with current OMP and FAA research projects Faculty and Graduate Student Mentors

FAA Outreach Project for Under-Represented Students HBCU Summer Internship Program - Summer Interns during 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, Supports students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) at UIUC - Goal is to increase the number of under-represented minorities obtaining advanced degrees in civil engineering - 3 former interns are in graduate studies at UIUC (2 Ph.D. & 1 M.S.)

Transferring Technology within the Profession Brown Bag Seminar Series at OMP Workshop on Airport Pavement Instrumentation and Analysis at UIUC on May 17, 2005 Professional Development Hours

Encouraging MBE/WBE Contractors OMP Contractor Open House January 12 and May 20, 2005 OMP Diversity Committee Meeting November 3, 2005 Minority Contractor Capacity Evaluation Compile information from other agencies Matrix of MBE/DBE/WBE contractors in Chicago Assess workload in future Programs to Help Achieve Diversity Goals OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint Committee Construction Partnering/Protégé/Mentoring Initiative Establishing an OMP Contractor Development/Training Center

What are the Strengths of Women Businesses in Illinois? As of 2004, there are an estimated 459,147 privately-held, 50% or more women-owned firms in Illinois, accounting for 50.1% of all privately held firms in the state* Women Businesses employ 917,908 people and generate nearly $112B in sales Construction Women Businesses employ 29,210 people and generate nearly $4.3B in sales Between 1997 and 2004, Women-Owned Firms in Illinois increased by 18.1%, employment grew by 22.9% and sales increased by 30.9% * Data extracted from: U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census, Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises and the Center for Woman’s Business Research, Women-Owned Businesses in Illinois, 2004, Fact Sheet.

What are the Strengths of Minority Businesses in Illinois? As of 1997, there are approx 110,340 minority privately-held firms in IL, accounting for 12.5% of all privately held firms in the state Minority-Owned Businesses employ 191,442 people and generate $24B in annual sales Construction Minority-Owned Businesses employ 7,854 workers and generate nearly $1.1B in annual sales Black-Owned Firms employ 35,034 workers and generate $4B Hispanic-Owned Firms employ 31,010 workers and generate nearly $5B Native American Firms employ 3,945 workers and $665M

Percent of Construction Industry Minority and Women Illinois Firms and Sales

Minorities and Women Contributions to the OMP Construction needs diversity to sustain and develop growth Provide General Contractors with a broader base to select competent suppliers and contractors MWBEs tend to employ more minorities and women, providing an economic infusion in the diverse communities Successful minority and women supplier and contractor development programs establish relationships, which allow the MWBEs to grow and increase their core business competencies Incorporating diversity practices into the OMP operation will increase community building profit and market share Diversity of ideas, talent and competency add to the competitive advantage

Programs to Help Achieve Diversity Goals OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint Committee Provide oversight, monitoring and enforcement of all EEO concerns Construction Partnering/Mentor/Protégé Initiative Create independent women and minority general contractors by creating partnerships between them and majority general contractors Prepare minority companies to eventually work as a stand alone prime contractor on large projects OMP Contractor Development/Training Center Assist firms with creating and enhancing technical & managerial skills Create networking opportunities

2006 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint Committee Responsibilities of the Committee: Provide oversight, monitoring and enforcement of all EEO concerns Be an ally to MWB/WBE/DBE firms working or desiring to work with OMP Assist the OMP in the adoption of guidelines for the EEO program Evaluate Contractor’s Minority Proposals to ensure minority/women targets are met Address issues from working capital for small contractors, to pay cycle issues, DBE/WBE/MBE recruitment, to employment reporting Promote Minority Business Participation in the OMP Program Selection of Committee Members: 11 members appointed by OMP Executive Director Two year terms Key members of the Minority Community Meet monthly to review EEO progress

OMP/CEAT/City of Chicago MBE/WBE/DBE Joint Committee Potential Committee Members: Rosemarie Andolino, O’Hare Modernization Program Joseph Depa, O’Hare Modernization Program David Lange, University of Illinois Richard Daley, City of Chicago Perry Nakachi, Association of Asian Construction Enterprises Florence Cox, Black Contractors United Tracye E. Smith, Chicago Minority Business Development Council Joan Archie, Chicago Urban League Gloria Bell, Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce Elizabeth Perino, Federation of Women Contractors Cesar Hernandez, Hispanic American Construction Industry Association D. Lorenzo Padron, Latin American Chamber of Commerce Juan Ochoa, IHCC Mexican American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois Debbie Gidley, National Association of Women Business Owners Hedy Ratner, Women's Business Development Center

Construction Partnering/ Mentor/ Protégé Initiative Work with OMP/ City of Chicago to launch program Need to Establish: General Policy Incentives for Mentor Participation Measurement of Program Success Mentor Firms qualified to participate Protégé firms qualified to participate Selection of Protégé Firms Mentor Requirements and Evaluation Reports Program Review Internal Controls Developmental Assistance Obligation Application and Agreement Process for Mentor Firms to participate

Contractor Development Center Small businesses need education, training, and capacity building opportunities Provide Training seminars, courses and workshops such as: OSHA Training, Estimating, Scheduling How to develop spreadsheets using Excel, enhance presentations by learning Power Point, read a Financial statement Technical/Cost Proposal Preparation Assist minority firms to successfully bid on OMP Projects: Access to Capital and Other Financing methodologies Bond Packaging and Insurance Business Planning (Business start-ups, Bank loan presentations, etc) A semi-annual Vendor Fair for vendors to learn about OMP contract award process The OMP/CEAT will leverage existing resources from the City of Chicago and minority organizations to offer these programs