WASHINGTON DC, WASHINGTON DC, US, July 1, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With more than two decades of experience in the construction industry, Wendell Stemley, President of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), an AMAC member organization, knows what it takes to build and maintain a successful construction company.He has shared that expertise freely with his colleagues in the industry and worked to help minority enterprises participate fairly in the bricks and mortar business.
Stemley is the owner of Black IPO, an engineering and construction management firm that he founded in 2000. The San Diego, Calif.-based company offers construction management, design phase management, cost control systems and contract administration for primes and general contractors across the country. In addition to his leadership of NAMC, his company has worked to establish and grow key business relationships between corporations and minority- and women-owned business enterprises for mega-construction projects nationwide, totaling more than $500 million so far.“It’s an ongoing challenge,” he says. “Even as construction opportunities are growing across the country, minority construction firms we are still in a battle that has not yet been won.”“In fact,” Stemley adds, “the fights are getting tougher.”With the construction projects in a growth mode as the country works to repair, expand or build new infrastructure, he notes that “some DBE boats are rising, but too many minorities are not.”“The collapse of the banking industry in 2008 wreaked havoc with minority businesses and many have not recovered,” he says. “Today, loan institutions are still skittish. Even if you come in with a great credit score, they are more willing to finance a car or a home loan than to put up money for a business.” And, he continues, while diversity within existing corporations is on the increase, diverse businesses ownership participation is not moving at the same pace. He stresses that businesses should focus on building strong relationships with current and potential clients. “The goal should not necessarily be on just winning the bid or being on the bid list, but on winning the trust and support of clients, and adding them to your client list,” he says. “You want to do the kind of job that builds repeat business.” But, there is still much to be done get DBEs into the game, he says. For that he sees strong synergy between NAMC and AMAC. He says he watched carefully as AMAC sought participation for minority businesses in the use of funds raised through airport’s Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) for infrastructure improvement. “There is no question that a portion of the money raised by the diverse airport travelers should be returned to support diverse businesses,” he says. “These are assertive measures we all need to recognize and pursue,” he says. “We need to work together with our creative thinking caps on to insure minorities the right to participate in this new economic growth.”

Doreen Littlejohn
National Association of Minority Contractors
202-209-1600
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