MWBE's make move for downtown work.

Advocates have launched a powerful campaign to help incorporate minority and women-owned enterprises [MWBE's] into Lower Manhattan's burgeoning construction projects while responding to the pressing need for talented labor as union halls empty out.

The campaign is the result of a collaboration between Crescent Consulting, DGS Consulting, LLC, and Carol Garvin Associates, who recently won a contract from Opportunity Downtown--a program administered by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center to ensure women and minorities are included in the 59 projects centered in a one-mile cross area being rebuilt downtown.

"Because of all the construction going on, there is the fear that we will have to take people outside of Manhattan and of course we want to give New Yorkers the opportunity to work first. These kinds of programs will help to make sure that we do that," said Vincenza A. Restiano, director of Opportunity Downtown.

"What is unique for us is that there are so many projects going on, we are tied into the redevelopment of this area as a mission almost, and this is certainly a good place for us to base this program."

One of the means the group hopes to employ to level the playing field is the creation of a newsletter that will serve, among other functions, to incorporate minority and women owned business enterprises (MWBE's) into the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan by keeping them "in the loop" about projects going out to bid.

"Most of the time when small businesses find out about the opportunity, it is too late. Often, decisions about who is going to be contracted for a project are made early on, sometimes on an architectural level after the plans have been drafted, it's a done deal and we are not sitting at the table when that happens," said Carol Garvin, principal of Carol Garvin Associates.

"The newsletter will give them the opportunity to look ahead and see what work is coming down the pipeline, so they can be in the loop like everybody else," Garvin said.

The group also hopes to encourage more women and minorities to join the unions. Though historically women and minorities were forbidden entrance into the labor unions--a problem compounded for many years by nepotism--they are now doing phenomenally well in unions such as carpentry, masonry and laborers, Garvin said. Yet there are some unions, such as electrical and plumbing, where representation is not as strong as it could be, she said.

"Now, some of the children of members of the Local aren't interested in going into the business and soon the unions may not have enough people," Garvin said. "So, now is a good time for us to work together."

The partnership hopes to connect with union leaders simply through establishing communication between the two groups, and possibly establishing apprenticeship programs for workers to enter the unions.

"I think the unions are strong organizations and they are the best entities to train people to become construction workers, but they do have problems they need to address," said Rohan DeFreitas, who co-owns Crescent Consulting with Luis Segarra.

"They have to be a little more sensitive to the particular issues minorities and women face when it comes to trying to recruit them. If you are a minority or a woman and you walk into a room and see hundreds of Caucasian men sitting there, it may be difficult for you to find a way to trust them enough to be recruited."

Another way the group hopes to foster connections between women and minority owned businesses and some of the major players in the industry is through the creation of net-t working events.

"People do business with companies they know and trust. It is no different than any other business, once you get a track record with a client, and do well with that client, once you see a project through on time and on budget, then the company will call on you again when there is work," said Dickie Sykes, principal of DGS Consulting. "We want to give people the access to the major players so that they can be afforded the opportunity to get work."

In turn, they hope conferences may help women and minorities overcome some of the top problems small business owners face, such as bundling of contracts, which tie all subcontracts for a project into a single package and make it difficult for small business owners to bid. Possible solutions these conferences may inspire include larger companies giving out a small portion of their contracts to a MWBE, or to use the company on the project, or to cause smaller contractors to pool their resources to bid on a larger project, Skykes said.

It may help companies representing members from all walks of life to brainstorm for a better solution to problems like companies being short-changed on their bills by developers, and give contractors the opportunity to be introduced to the skilled labor pool out there they may not have tapped into yet, she added.

"When you bring people together, you establish some synergy, a dialogue on how to make the project work for everyone, but you don't have a chance to do that if you don't bring people together to start the dialogue," Sykes said.