The Associated General Contractors of California and AGC Construction Education Foundation, in partnership with the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce and six general contractors, launched the Prime Pipeline Alliance (PPA), an eight-month mentorship program designed to support the growth and long-term success of small, local and diverse subcontractor firms.
Unlike traditional mentor-protege programs, which typically pair one contractor with one small business, the PPA brings six firms — Clark Construction, Hensel Phelps, PCL Construction, Skanska, Turner Construction and Webcor — together around one shared cohort and one shared curriculum.
The initiative is industry-initiated rather than contract-mandated and gives each participating subcontractor working relationships across all six companies rather than with a single sponsor.
Celebrating this unique approach during Construction Inclusion Week, an annual industrywide
The Prime Pipeline Alliance is the result of several years of collaboration between GLAAACC, AGC of California and the AGC CEF. This partnership brings together AGC of California member leaders to connect small and diverse businesses with resources, relationships and opportunities across the construction industry.
The inaugural PPA cohort, launched Sept. 24, 2026, brings together 12 subcontractors representing a range of construction trades and specialties.
Participating firms were nominated by AGC of California, GLAAACC's Construction Advisory Board, as well as industry capacity-building organizations and training programs as an extension of the small business pipeline in construction. Following nominations, firms completed an application and were reviewed and selected by participating PPA contractors.
For small construction businesses, establishing a foothold in the industry is only part of the challenge. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, roughly half of new construction businesses are no longer operating five years after they open. Building the relationships, business capacity and industry knowledge needed for long-term growth can be especially challenging for smaller and emerging firms.
The Prime Pipeline Alliance is designed to intentionally strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of participating subcontractors by connecting them directly with established prime contractors committed to investing their time, knowledge and expertise in the firms. They do this by using real-time contract and bidding opportunities from each participating general contractor.
The 12 businesses selected for the inaugural Prime Pipeline Alliance cohort are:
• EHEZ Electrical Contracting
• Energen Electric
• Fehoko Concrete Inc.
• Fixed Dimensions
• Flo Engineering Inc.
• High Note Technologies LLC
• Indeed Construction Cleaning
• JNA Builders Inc.
• JNR 2 Construction Inc.
• Pacific Coast Slurry & Striping Inc.
• Pad Elevators LLC
• RX Plumbing LLC
“Creating opportunities for small and underrepresented businesses is only the first step,” said Peter Tateishi, CEO of AGC of California. “For these companies to succeed long term, they need strong industry relationships, access to experienced partners and the tools to continue building their capacity. The Prime Pipeline Alliance brings our member contractors together, working shoulder to shoulder to deliver a program that raises the bar for all in our ecosystem strengthening the future of California's construction industry.”
