“You are the backbone of the economy, the engines that make the State run” said state Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, guest of honor at the Opportunity Fair held Sept. 14 by Professional Women in Construction at the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen in New York City. The senator was addressing the highly receptive crowd of W/M/SBEs (woman, minority-owned and small business enterprises) and noted that the role of government must be to “remove, not create, barriers” and to “help those who need to be helped.”

Hassell-Thompson applauded PWC President Lenore Janis for having worked to “even the playing field” since the founding of PWC in 1980, and recalled the days when she and Janis met with then Gov. Mario Cuomo to appeal for Article 15A mandating participation by women and minorities in state contracts.

Workshop leader Carl Peters, business analyst with the Port Authority of NY & NJ, outlined the steps required for certification as a W/M/S/DBE, and spoke of the agency’s certification program success in generating almost $2B in economic regional activities over the past five years

Larry Turk, CEO of SOMAQ International, urged qualified workshop participants to get certified, then noted, “Your success as a profitable business will be measured by three performance standards: Quality, Innovation, Preparation — develop a solid business model, including a means of identifying problems before they occur.”

The event co-chairs were Flora Ramos of Tishman Construction Corp. and Andis Woodlief of CxA Services, a W/DBE.

Sponsors included: Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP; Dragados USA Inc./ Schiavone Construction Co. LLC /John P. Picone Inc.; Kiewit Infrastructure; SEW: (JV) Skanska/ ECCO/White; Tishman Construction Corporation; SOMAQ International; DASNY; NYCDEP; NYCHA; NYCSCA; PANYNJ; and the U.S. SBA.

For more information, call 212/486-7745 or visit www.pwcusa.org/ny.

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