Accomplishment Report | 2009–2014
Table of Contents
2
Fulfilling a Need
3
4
Unparalleled Access to Industry Experts
5
6
Business Development and Networking
A Mission Accomplished
10
11
Customized, Sector-Specific Training
CMBD by the Numbers
8
9
Accelerating Development and Capacity
Collaborating for Community Advancement
Ongoing Support for Local Businesses
Advisory Board Members
Mirinda Jackson
Prince George’s County Council
Dr. Juanita Miller
NAACP
Leslie Williams
Delon Hampton
Roger Blunt
Essex Construction
Alonia Sharps
Prince George’s Community College,
Office of the President
Dr. Yvette Snowden
Prince George’s Community College,
Workforce Development &
Community Partnerships
Mary Ellen Slattery
The Peterson Companies
Shirley Blair
National Association of Minority
Contractors
Sharon Moore-Jackson
Prince George’s County Supplier
Development & Diversity Division
Jerome Countee
Prince George’s Community College,
Workforce Development &
Continuing Education
Monroe Harrison
Gaylord National Hotel & Resort
Rick Munford
Forrester Construction
Necola Shaw
WMATA
Maurice Glass
SunTrust Bank
Denise Medley
Turner Construction Company
Debra Schoonmaker
Associated Builders & Contractors
Washington Metro Chapter
Staff
June L.W. Evans
Interim Executive Director
Randar Lee
Executive Associate
Former Staff
Carl E. Brown, Jr.
Dennis Smith
Deborrah Banks
Katrina Mayo
Progressive Partnerships:
Building Up Minority Businesses
in Prince George’s County
Dear Friends,
The Center for Minority Business
Development (CMBD) at Prince George’s
Community College launched in 2008 with
an ambitious vision: to be recognized within
the National Capital region as the leader
in helping minority businesses achieve
growth and sustainability. The mission was
to accelerate the development of minority
businesses based in Prince George’s
County and to expand local minority
entrepreneurship. Designed initially to
build the capacity of businesses pursuing
contracts at National Harbor, the Center’s
programs also helped them compete
successfully for work on other projects.
The Center’s activities had a significant
and direct impact on local businesses and
economic development within the county and
region. Participants in CMBD’s cornerstone
initiative, the Accelerator Program, realized
a 41 percent growth in annual revenue
and 62 percent growth in employees. The
Entrepreneurial Development Program
served more than 700 local, small and
minority businesses through small business
development workshops and an Annual
Procurement Conference.
We are pleased to share with you
these and other achievements of the
CMBD and its partners and graduates.
This report highlights our continued
commitment to fostering partnerships
that respond to the diverse, evolving
community and workforce we serve.
For more than 50 years, Prince George’s
Community College has provided the
highest quality education and training
while maintaining affordability and access
for all. Encouraging entrepreneurship and
connecting businesses to the resources
and knowledge they require to succeed are
part of our larger mission.
We are proud to have served so many
minority firms over the lifetime of the
Center for Minority Business Development,
and hope that the future brings bigger and
brighter opportunities for each. We extend
a very heartfelt thank you to the Prince
George’s County Council, County Executive
Rushern L. Baker III and his executive staff,
the Peterson Companies, the National
Harbor, industry advisory councils and
expert consultants for their unwavering
support and dedication. Together, we will
continue to do great things.
Sincerely,
Dr. Charlene M. Dukes
President
Prince George’s Community College
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
1
Fulfilling a Need
T
he Center for Minority Business
Development originated during the
planning of National Harbor, a 350acre, mixed-use complex on the
Potomac River. The Peterson Companies,
one of the largest privately owned real estate
and development companies in the region,
entered into negotiations with the Prince
George’s County government for the active
participation of minority-owned businesses
in the building of National Harbor.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that
minority-owned enterprises are among the
fastest growing businesses nationally, yet
they still face challenges. Many minority-
owned construction companies lack the
infrastructure, capital and capacity to
perform the work demanded for largescale projects. Issues such as bonding
requirements on larger contracts can
also prevent minority-owned businesses
from competing.
To overcome these obstacles, the final
agreement between the Peterson Companies
and the Prince George’s County Council
included the establishment of a program
dedicated to helping minority businesses
obtain contracting work at the National
Harbor complex. The Peterson Companies
provided a $5 million grant and the Center
for Minority Business Development at Prince
George’s Community College was born.
The Minority Business Enterprise
Compliance Manager for Prince George’s
County Council, Mirinda Jackson, was
involved in the negotiations and served on
the CMBD’s Advisory Council. “In order
to be a serious business owner, certain
components must be in place,” she said. “Our
goal was to provide access to information,
access to opportunity, and access to success.
We wanted to help businesses grow to the
next level so they could hire more people and
go after bigger jobs. Businesses have to have
the information to pursue the opportunity.”
T
he Program strengthened
our management skills
and helped us embrace
cutting-edge technologies.
­— Linwood P. Williams
Lendana Construction Company
Accelerating Development
and Capacity
C
entral to the CMBD’s efforts was
the Accelerator Program, a no
cost, one-year program offering
select
companies
industryspecific classroom instruction, specialized
training, and technical assistance designed
to boost their ability to compete for and
win substantial contracts. Among the
eligibility criteria were a minimum revenue
requirement and a proven track record as
an established business.
Businesses had to be minority-owned
and headquartered in Prince George’s
County. Once admitted, participants took
part in a series of educational modules
on topics such as business development,
procurement and purchasing, human
resources, finance and accounting,
customer service, technology and more.
The instruction was invaluable for firms
such as Lendana Construction Company,
owned and operated by the Williams
family. Linwood Williams, Sr. described the
training as comprehensive. “They provided
us with everything we needed to go out and
win construction bids.”
Particularly helpful was technical
training in accounting software, which
enabled Lendana to computerize their
business operations and increase efficiencies.
In 2013, the company was hired to work
on building the Tanger Outlet Center at
National Harbor.
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
3
Unparalleled Access to
Industry Experts
H
aving access to the information
needed to make a good decision
can help a business survive and
thrive. For many participants, the
personalized support they received from
industry experts was one of the most useful
components of the program. More than 60
CMBD consultants, executive coaches and
trainers provided one-on-one technical
assistance in a variety of areas, including
cost accounting, financial management,
strategic business planning, marketing
and sales, organizational development,
human resource management and job
costing. Consultants were experts in their
fields and provided participants with
training and knowledge relevant to their
specific needs.
Accelerator participant Norman
Brooks said that working with the team
was “an eye opener.” Their hands-on
expertise and knowledge, and their advice
on what pitfalls to avoid helped prepare me
to acquire million-dollar or multimilliondollar contracts.” His Bowie-based
company, NDB Services, LLC provides a
wide range of general contracting services
and provided carpentry services for the
Rosa Mexicano restaurant located at
National Harbor.
T
he training sessions
in estimating and
management were great
and helped me complete
larger projects.
­— Norman Brooks
NDB Services, LLC
T
he Program helped me
build a comprehensive
accounting infrastructure
and enhanced my
marketing acumen.
­— George Hockaday-Bey
G-11 Enterprises, Inc.
Customized, Sector-Specific
Training
B
usiness owner George HockadayBey’s company, G-11 Enterprises,
Inc., specializes in “out of the box”
solutions for electrical problems.
Despite his background in electrical work
and education, he said that when it comes to
entrepreneurship, he was similar to a lot of
contractors. “We are all good in the trades.
We can all do the work and obviously I was
good at the work, having instructed others.
But I needed a little help with the business
aspect of it.”
While most accelerator programs focus
on broad, generic skill sets, the CMBD’s
niche approach included industry-specific
training. The Center partnered with Turner
Construction and the Associated Builders and
Contractors Inc., to introduce more than 200
small businesses to general contracting and
entering into subcontracting relationships.
The resulting Contractor’s Academy and
Turner School of Construction Management
offered intensive training in areas such as
bonding and insurance, estimating and
bidding, and construction contracts.
When companies applied to be part of
the Accelerator Program, they underwent
a thorough assessment to examine their
strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
This enabled the center to customize training
and provide assistance in areas most in need
of improvement. This strategy produced
results, with 38 percent of Accelerator
participants securing contracts at National
Harbor, including 14 contracts awarded to
G-11 Enterprises.
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
5
CMBD by the numbers
41% of Accelerator
Program participants individually
grossed over
$1 million
in revenue
90% of Accelerator Program participants indicated that
training they received helped them build capacity
of Accelerator Program participants
reported that they were involved in
projects with other program participants
41%
Revenue Growth
from $93.5M to $229.6M
among Accelerator Program participants
6
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
62%
Staff
Growth
Training sponsored
by the Accelerator Program
allowed a participant
to win a contract
to service over
1,000
homes
in Prince George’s County,
making them more energy-efficient
$2.3
of Accelerator Program participants
reported increased gross revenue
34 700
Over
National Harbor contracts
million
joint venture project
with Tanger Outlets
local, small and minority
businesses served through
Small Business Development
Workshops and the Annual
Procurement Conference
totalling nearly $4M awarded to
Accelerator Program participants
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
7
Business Development
and Networking
T
raining provided business owners
and staff with the practical handson skills and knowledge required
to operate effectively. Finding work
was the next step. To that end, CMBD created
a business development team to focus solely
on identifying networking possibilities and
construction jobs at National Harbor and
throughout Prince George’s County. By
obtaining early information on upcoming
construction projects, the team helped
Accelerator participants win in excess of
30 contracts. In addition, the CMBD’s
annual Procurement Conference assisted
more than 400 local, small and minority
businesses with locating contracting
engagements and connecting them to
private, federal and state procurement
opportunities.
Among the beneficiaries was Richie
Mohammed and Rich Moe Enterprises
(RME). An Upper Marlboro company
providing construction, renovation, and
subcontracting services, RME was involved
in the original construction of the Gaylord
National Resort & Convention Center,
but had not been back since. The CMBD’s
partnership with the Peterson Companies
made it possible for Mohammed to
reintroduce Peterson representatives to
his company for consideration on new
contracts. RME was subsequently hired to
provide general contracting services on the
MGM Resorts International office build out
at National Harbor.
Accelerator graduates cited building
relationships and networking as prime
benefits of participation. For architect
Kathy Dixon, “Networking with the other
craftsmen was very good. I expanded my
network by meeting these new folks and
got to know people in the county and what
their positions are. I’ve since teamed with
some of them on projects or tried to go after
work jointly.” Networking produced results
when her firm was hired by the Peterson
Companies to transform an empty 2,700
square foot space at National Harbor into
the Galina Perova Fine Art Gallery. K.
Dixon Architecture is headquartered at
National Harbor.
This experience was not unique. Half
of all Accelerator participants reported
being involved in joint projects with their
colleagues in the program. Through such
strategic alliances, they improved their
competitive positioning, gained entry
to new markets, supplemented critical
skills and shared the risk or cost of
construction projects.
M
y employees received
valuable skills and
resources that have resulted
in several new contracts.
­— Richie Mohammed
Rich Moe Enterprises, LLC
T
he CMBD helped
us establish the
infrastructure needed
to compete and manage
the growth we are
experiencing today.
­— Tisa Clark
J.D. Clark Professional Services, LLC
A Mission Accomplished
T
he Peterson Companies’ initial
investment of $5 million in the
CMBD has had a meaningful,
positive long-term impact on the
local business community. For the 62
companies that took part in the Accelerator
Program, as well as all those who attended
CMBD events and training, success has
come in the form of increased revenue,
new hires, expanded capacity, and signed
contracts. Ninety percent of participants
reported that the intensive training and
development helped them to build capacity;
the same number said they were well
prepared to implement what they learned.
The Center’s assistance to entrepreneurs
like Tisa Clark, whose company, J.D.
Clark Professional Services, specializes in
property preservation, maintenance and
improvement services, was transformative.
She attributes her company’s renewed
vision to CMBD, saying, “I can’t articulate
everything they have done for us, in terms
of giving us technical support, confidence,
knowledge and information and someone
to run ideas by. They have people with the
expertise and industry know-how as well
as the connections to guide and mentor
you so you can take your business to the
next step.”
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
9
Collaborating for
Community Advancement
I
n February 2014, eight Accelerator
participants accepted an invitation from
Prince George’s Community College to
join the Business Leadership Council
(BLC). The BLC works in partnership
with the college to support the growth of
the county by promoting philanthropy
10
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
for higher education and workforce
development. The BLC is made up of
local CEOs who serve Prince George’s
Community College as ambassadors while
supporting its mission and vision.
BLC members provide insight
on industry trends, technology, and
advancements that can be incorporated
into existing course curricula with
the goal of preparing students for
successful careers. They will also serve
as guest speakers and engage with the
college community at internal and
external events.
Ongoing Support for
Local Businesses
B
uilding on the momentum created
by the CMBD, Prince George’s
Community College will continue
efforts to help local, small and
minority business enterprises build
capacity. In fall 2014, the college’s new
Center for Entrepreneurial Development
(CED) opens its doors. By collaborating
with key partners, the CED will provide
training and development to entrepreneurs
in multiple industries at various stages of
growth. In turn, local businesses will help
to stimulate economic development in the
region and provide jobs for area residents.
Ashante Abubakar, director of the Center
for Business & Industry Solutions at Prince
George’s Community College, reiterated the
institution’s commitment. “I’m excited about
our next level of growth and expansion. We’re
moving into entrepreneurial development
for small, local, and minority businesses
in Prince George’s County with a broader
scope, from hospitality, transportation and
distribution, and culinary arts to technology,
while still including the successfully proven
construction track.”
Maximizing the potential of the local
business community requires a proactive
and collaborative strategy. Through
the CED, Prince George’s Community
College will remain a leading force for
entrepreneurship development, training
and opportunity in Prince George’s County.
Advancing Local, Small, and Minority Business
Enterprises in Prince George’s County
Center for Minority Business Development
Prince George’s Community COllege
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