Journey Steel Ranks High in Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses
Minority and Women-Owned Construction Business Ranks 21 in top 100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses for Growth and Community Involvement
Washington, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Journey Steel Ranks High in Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses
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Minority and Women-Owned Construction Business Ranks 21 in top 100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses for Growth and Community Involvement
Washington – Journey Steel, a certified minority and women-owned construction company based in Cincinnati ranked 21st in the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City's (ICIC) top 100 Fastest-Growing Inner City Businesses. It is the company’s second year in a row ranking high in the list.
Journey Steel’s story is one of perseverance, determination and giving back to the community. President of Journey Steel Barb Smith embraced her entrepreneurial spirit and established the self-performing steel fabrication and erection company with long-time friend Tom Garten following a tough journey as a woman in the construction industry. Journey Steel is one of the fastest-growing inner city companies with a 511 percent growth rate in the past five years.
Journey Steel gives back to the community by helping urban youth break the chain of chronic poverty. The company works with inner city high schools to help underprivileged students realize their dreams. Journey Steel’s non-profit arm Journey Soaring Impact launched a vocational program to train “at-risk” inner city high school seniors for lucrative careers in the construction industry. The vocational program works in collaboration with the Iron Workers (IW) Local 44 in Cincinnati to introduce students to the ironworking trade. In addition to the vocational program, Journey Steel invests 10 percent of all profits in other community impact programs.
“The bottom line is important but doing what you can to change the world for the better is just as important,” said Tom.
Recently, the company introduced its first female program graduate, Kamara Cobb to the 4-year apprenticeship program at the IW Local 44. Kamara is an aspiring construction business owner and considers Barbara her mentor. She is currently attending Cincinnati State College to make it a reality.
“Challenges I faced along the way in the construction industry made giving back and making a positive impact in the community my passion,” said Barb. “I wanted to be that agent of positive change.”
Staying true to its slogan “we build and support dreams,” Journey Steel continues to give back. The company is in the process of adding a partnership with a DC-based foundation helping low-income families become homeowners to its vocational program.
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Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) is a partnership designed to identify and expand work opportunities for ironworkers and their employers. IMPACT offers its ironworker members and partner contractors a wide range of training and resources to maintain their competitive edge in the industry.
Sara Schuttloffel Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust 2023834885 SSchuttloffel@impact-net.org
