Women Builders Council - Business Information For Women Builders

New York Times Profiles one of the Women Business Council Members

5/11/2009 - Source: New York Times

The big sign on the side of the building on 11th Avenue at 45th Street says it all: "Behind this wall is the office of Mac Felder Plumbing, the first and only union-affiliated, certified woman-owned licensed plumbing contractor in New York City." In that office, since 2002, in rented space owned by another plumbing company — one founded by her grandfather in 1929 — sits Amy Breslaw, 31.

Wake County's High Rate of Minority Involvement on School Construction

5/11/2009 - Source: WCPSS.net

Minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) participation on school construction projects has jumped 10 percent over a two year period. With the recent completion of the new River Bend Elementary School, MWBE participation was 39 percent - a record for WCPSS school construction projects.

African-American Women in Worst Credit Position

5/12/2009 - Source: Small Business Informer

African-American women entrepreneurs are the most credit-starved of the minority and women business owner population, according to the results of a national study conducted by Biz2Credit in the first quarter of 2009.

Rochester, NY, Development Uses Minority and Women Business Enterprises

5/11/2009 - Source: Democrat and Chronicle.com

Workshops will be held to help women- and minority-owned businesses qualify to work on Renaissance Square. Dates for the workshops have not yet been scheduled.

The workshops are the first of their kind to be held in Rochester, said Beverly Jackson, president of RMBDC, a consulting company that works on public projects to ensure compliance with hiring requirements. The project's scale "presents far-reaching opportunities" for small disadvantaged businesses, Jackson said.

Renaissance Square includes a community college and a bus terminal at the corner of East Main Street and North Clinton Avenue.

San Francisco is still Better than NYC When It Comes to Use of Women and Minority Businesses

5/11/2009 - Source: SFBG Politics

At Monday's Land Use and Economic Development Committee hearing, Human Rights Commission Executive Director Chris Iglesias reported on how many locally owned San Francisco businesses benefit from city-issued contracts. The Guardian spotlighted this issue recently.

Virginia is also Doing Better than NYC

5/12/2009 - Source: Virginia Review

Supplier diversity in the Commonwealth is gaining strength .

In August 2006, Governor Kaine issued Executive Order 33 to enhance state contracting opportunities for small, women- and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses with an aggressive goal of spending 40% of the Commonwealth's approximately $5 billion annual discretionary budget purchases with small businesses. Race and gender-neutral strategies were implemented to accomplish this goal and have been in use over the last three years. The Commonwealth simplified its certification process as well as made registration with eVA, the state's online procurement system, almost seamless.

Port Authority Considers World Trade Center 5 as Hotel and Residential Building

5/12/2009 - Source: New York Post

With a glut of commercial office space and the financial industry in meltdown, the Port Authority is actively looking to develop World Trade Center Tower 5 as a luxury hotel and residential building.

Developers Seek Government Backed Loans

5/12/2009 - Source: Crain's New York

Owners rush to sign on with Federal Housing Authority-backed mortgage program, considered by some to be the best deal in town because it offers 96.5% financing.

New York City developers are seeking to help buyers qualify for federal government-backed loans that allow them to put down less cash, just 3.5%, on a unit.

New York Times Story About Slow Start of the Federal Stimulus Spending

5/12/2009 - Source: New York Times

Nearly three months after President Obama approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package, intended to create or save jobs, the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states.

Forest City Ratner Development in Brooklyn Runs into Additional Legal Hurdles

5/16/2009 - Source: Crain's New York

Two New York state appeals court rulings could put a wrench in Forest City Ratner Cos.'s plans to build its sprawling Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn.

The recent rulings give Henry Weinstein, a developer who owns almost an acre within the proposed Atlantic Yards footprint, the right to evict the property's tenant, Brooklyn developer Jeshayahu Boymelgreen and Forest City.

Congressional Advocates Press for "Trickle up" Concept for Minority Capital Access

5/12/2009 - Source: Virtualization

Members of Congress and the Administration, minority and small business owners, and leaders in venture capital and private equity advocated a "trickle up theory" to jumpstart the economy during a gathering in Washington this week to discuss access to capital for minority and small businesses. The National Capital Access Forum, presented by the U.S. Commerce Department's Minority Business Development Agency, Capital Access Forum, LLC, and George Washington University addressed strategies to improve the collective and individual economic circumstances of minorities.

Silverstein Facing Uphill Battle at WTC Site

5/14/2009 - Source: Crain's New York

The Port Authority is demanding that developer Larry Silverstein give it one of the plots for his three planned towers at the World Trade Center site in exchange for helping to finance construction of one of his buildings, sources say. To win its aid, the agency is also telling Mr. Silverstein to exercise a lease option that would lock New York City into renting 600,000 square feet in the building that it may back or alternatively, to find another tenant.

Governor Paterson Pushes for Solar Energy Project

4/15/2009 - Source: Business Review

To help New York meet energy needs and foster solar development technologies, Gov. David Paterson on Friday shared plans for a 100-megawatt photovoltaic project, geared toward helping implement his clean-energy agenda.

Forest City Wins Key Legal Battle

5/15/2009 - Source: Crain's New York

Forest City Ratner Cos. won another victory for its huge Atlantic Yards development project in downtown Brooklyn from the courts Friday. The New York state appellate court unanimously ruled in favor of Forest City and against nine Brooklyn homeowners and businsessowners, upholding the state’s right to use eminent domain to seize the remaining parcels on the project site.

Pennsylvania Moves to Include Women and Minorities in Stimulus Programs

5/14/2009 - Source: Central Penn Business Journal

The federal economic stimulus package is spurring new local and statewide efforts to help minority- and women-owned businesses win public contracts.

A patchwork system of local, state and federal rules encourages participation in government contracting by such firms, also known as minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women's business enterprises (WBEs). But officials are trying to plug gaps in the system and to make it work better.

Bruce Ratner Says Forest City Will Break Gground this Fall After Winning Major Llegal Battle

5/16/2009 - Source: New York Post

After scoring a huge court victory yesterday, developer Bruce Ratner says he'll break ground on Brooklyn's embattled Atlantic Yards project this September -- and may even have the Nets playing there by the 2011-12 season.

New Worker Safety Campaign

Source: NYC Buildings

Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri joined Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Guillermo Linares, representatives from the city’s leading construction firms, industry unions and worker advocacy groups to announce the launch of a citywide worker safety campaign to encourage construction workers to properly wear their safety harnesses at all times while working at a construction site. Thousands of posters, banners and brochures - in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Hindi and Urdu - are being distributed throughout the city, including high-rise construction sites, designated worker centers, union halls, community centers, telephone kiosks, and the Buildings Department’s five borough offices.

OGS Announces Upcoming Construction Opportunities

Source: New York State Office of General Services

New York State Office of General Services Commissioner John C. Egan today announced the bidding for 22 construction contracts representing more than $5.9 million in construction, providing work in nine counties of New York.

Make the Connection. The World Trade Center Business Resource Center is where M/W/SBEs can access an array of valuable business services, including critical information on upcoming contract opportunities with WTC redevelopment projects.

WHEN:
Open Monday through Friday
From 9:00am - 5:00pm

WHERE:
115 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10006

See Current Bid Opportunities from DASNY