Turner Partners with Pace University to Support Growth of Women and Minority Owned Small Businesses
Turner Construction Company, in partnership with Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC), recently held a graduation ceremony for their annual Turner School of Construction Management program, which included courses taught by Turner employees as well as instructors from the Pace SBDC Minority- and Women-owned Small Business Contractor Bonding Preparedness Training & Technical Assistance program.
The six-week joint TSCM-SBDC program is free, and this year’s class included participants from approximately 40 minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) and other small businesses from the construction industry. Participants review the essentials of the construction management business, from how to read a request for a proposal and apply for access to capital, to managing insurance and bonding, to marketing, to safety and sustainability. Through the program, attendees also have the opportunity to network with peers, instructors and others construction industry leaders to develop strategies for landing new contract opportunities in the private and public sectors.
The Turner School of Construction Management is the Turner’s longest running community outreach program. Created in 1969 to hone the skills of industry M/WBE firms and increase the number of opportunities available to them, the program also offers Turner opportunities to develop strategic business relationships with growing minority and women-owned firms. Today, the Turner School of Construction Management is offered in more in more than 70 cities across the country and has seen close to 40,000 graduates.
“Turner’s community and citizenship programs are committed to helping women and small business owners for the betterment of our communities,” said Stephanie Burns, Turner’s regional director of Community and Citizenship. “The TSCM training program expands opportunities for minority and women owned firms and Turner’s network of M/WBE partners in New York City, which strengthens the entire local subcontracting industry.”
The Pace SBDC is part of a network of 24 regional centers located throughout New York State. Funded in part by the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the State of New York, the Pace SBDC combines the resources of Pace University, the private sector, and government to help small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs launch or grow their business.
“The Pace SBDC is thrilled to partner with Turner Construction Company on launching this program, as well as extend our free one-on-one business counseling to help the program’s MWBEs and other small business contractors build their capacity and identify growth opportunities,” said Andrew Flamm, director of the PACE SBDC. “We would also like to thank Empire State Development (ESD) for their support of this exciting program.”
