Pioneer inspiring a new generation to compete.

Gwendolyn Colbert-Kushner, a pioneer member of Professional Women in Construction, is an inspiration to a generation of women, who by society's standards have already achieved an equal standing in the business arena.

But Gwen knows otherwise. "Women are becoming primary earners in families and not to be able to compete dollar wise is a problem," she said. "The whole process of getting involved is difficult. You are held to different scrutinizes in getting loans and bonding becomes a real problem."

Gwen established her own firm, GCK Consultants, in 2002 to provide technical and marketing assistance to woman- and minority-owned firms seeking government certification as W/MBEs (woman & minority business enterprise).

"Many small companies don't have the staff to sit around all day and fill out forms, but it is necessary to become certified to work for public agencies," Gwen said. "The lending process and the ability to get information is very difficult for women. Many of the opportunities that do exist are never known, it still is the good ol' boys network. I would say the biggest problem is capital."

To help women and minorities compete in the public construction contract arena, Gwen, a member of PWC's Board of Directors, helped to develop PWC's free W/MBE Technical Assistance Workshops that began in 2000. She continues to lead the popular sessions.

One of the milestones in her life came during the early 1980's when she was appointed as director of contract compliance programs for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She worked closely with then chairman, Richard Ravitch, and established the first W/MBE program for the agency.

"Gwen is one of those human beings who accomplishes her goals without sacrificing her relationships," said Ravitch, who is now a principal at Ravitch, Rice & Company and chair of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust. "I would work with her in any endeavor."

The program Gwen led integrated women/minority-owned firms into the procurement process; established procedures for authenticating W/MBE businesses; and developed agency-wide and contractual participation goals.

"We thought it was a great achievement, because up to that point nobody cared about women and minorities," Gwen said. "We developed ways to model contracts for smaller women and minority owned firms could participate in the program. It was just a new way to handle contracts."

The program that was created brought larger contractors to task, by requiring that a percentage of the subcontractors they used were owned by women or minorities. This could be anything from travel expenses to office equipment.

"The rolling stock (subway cars) was a huge concern, because there was no room for Joe Blow to compete," she said. "We thought how about subcontractors? We got people who couldn't participate to participate. Up to that point there were no contracts that included women and minorities in rolling stock."

As the recipient of $250,000 technical assistance grant from the US-DOT, Gwen developed a skills training program in the area of contract management and negotiation.

"I think this was the most dynamic and generally far-reaching effort an organization has made for women and minorities anywhere in the world," she said.

Even while working a full-time job at the MTA, Gwen found additional ways to help.

"When people came in to MTA and they were a woman or minority she asked them why they weren't a participating member of PWC or other minority organization," said PWC President Lenore Janis, "She was helping us to make it a serious organization."

After leaving the MTA, Gwen served as corporate director of EEO for the Health and Hospitals Corporation of the City of New York and assistant commissioner of program planning and development of the Community Development Agency of New York.

Gwen also organizes and implements the efforts of PWC in developing a greater financial base by obtaining more corporate and institutional sponsors and increasing the organization's general membership.

"I think PWC does more in the way of networking than any male organization," she said. "It has brought to the attention of a whole group of people the abilities and skills of women in an industry that had not had a place for women. Suddenly 'women in construction' is not a joke anymore."

Gwen has received numerous public service awards in recognition of her achievements. A former member of the faculty of City University of New York, she attended Marquette University and received her B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A diplomate of Bryn Mawr College's Summer Executive Training Program, Gwen completed post graduate studies at the New School and University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is member of Delta Sigma Theta.