Airport Authority Prioritizes Access to Opportunities

Brandy N. Harris (Weatherspoon) is continuing a family legacy that dates back 34 years as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) contractor at Pittsburgh International Airport.

She established Weatherspoon & Williams in 2013 with her father Don Williams, whose previous companies worked on signs and structural steel for decades at PIT and Allegheny County Airport. When he died unexpectedly in 2021, she took over as president/CEO of the general supply contracting company.

“It’s great to have relationships that have expanded through the generations,” she says.

Harris, whose company has worked on everything from the Terminal Modernization Program to the state-of-the art childcare center at PIT, spoke at a DBE outreach event sponsored by the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) on Oct. 17 at Allegheny County Airport.

In opening remarks at the event, Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Authority, emphasized her commitment to “equal access to opportunity.” She added that not only is the authority meeting its federal requirements, “we are going above and beyond.”

 

 

Updates to DBE program

Changes made this year to the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs are creating a more diverse workforce at airports – and building generational wealth in the communities they serve.

On April 9, the Department of Transportation unveiled the DBE/ACDBE Final Rule, which updated provisions to the nearly 40-year-old program that helps small businesses owned and controlled by minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged individuals compete for federally assisted contracts. The objectives were to modernize the program to make it easier for firms to participate, to help businesses grow in capacity and wealth, and to improve the program’s data collection, integrity and visibility.

One goal of the modernization process that began in 2022 is to create generational wealth for business owners, their staff and their families – in part by increasing the personal net worth cap and excluding retirement assets.

“We know the entire country is better off when it realizes the talents and skills of those who were previously excluded,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on April 9.

Nationwide, 43,814 DBEs and 3,500 ACDBEs participate in the programs. In 2023, 98 different Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program DBE firms participated on ACAA projects, with 57 of those firms working on multiple projects. To be eligible as a DBE, business owners must be socially and economically disadvantaged and must own at least 51 percent interest in their company and control daily business operations.

Opening doors

The ACAA’s DBE goal for federal fiscal 2023-25 is 14.9 percent on federally funded projects, but “that’s the floor and not the ceiling,” said Virginia Culbreath, administrator for the ACAA’s DBE program. “You have to have a passion, and we are passionate to help small businesses.”

“We know that these changes will mean more growth, will mean more presents under the tree,” Buttigieg said. “They will mean businesses better able to create prosperity in the community. They will mean generational wealth being built in communities that were left out in the past.”

“Airports are powerful engines of economic growth for local communities, including the many minority and women-owned businesses that provide essential services and products to U.S. airports,” said Kevin M. Burke, Airports Council International – North America president and CEO, when the new rules were released. The trade association represents commercial service airports in the United States and Canada.

Harris said even though the certification process can be lengthy, “it’s worth it.”

She added that while the DBE program has opened doors and helped her family, six employees and a team of consultants, it’s only a starting point.

“We want to make sure we are good just because we are good… and by the way, we are minority certified,” she said.

In addition to the outreach session at the Allegheny County Airport, ACAA partners with the Riverside Center for Innovation on a six-week program to help small businesses understand the process of getting bonded and bidding on contracts.

“Government contracts are a way to grow your business,” Juan Garrett, Riverside’s executive director, told the audience at the event.

Workforce development strategy

The DBE and ACDBE programs are part of a larger effort by the ACAA to bolster workforce development and break down barriers to employment.

In its first year of operation, the free PIT2Work pre-apprenticeship training program has graduated 91 men and women, with the latest class completing its construction-related training on Nov. 1.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson told the graduates that the program is “a generational investment” that will impact not only them but their families.

By the conclusion of the five-week immersive program, graduates receive an OSHA 10-Hour safety certification, PennDOT Flagger certification, Pennsylvania Registered Pre-Apprenticeship certification and an environmental health and safety certification.

“We want to increase opportunities for access into the industry,” said Alicia Booker, ACAA’s director of workforce development.

The holistic approach may culminate with PIT2Work, but it begins as early as the second grade with the immersive educational experience Getting Ready for Takeoff and continues in middle school with Ready for Takeoff. These learning experiences give students a backstage view of the aviation industry and create a talent pipeline “to reflect the communities we serve,” Booker said.

The workplace development efforts have not gone unnoticed. PIT was recognized as a Fast Company Most Innovative Companies in Transportation winner and World Changing Ideas Awards honoree. The National Association of Workforce Boards awarded PIT with the W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award for its support of the Pittsburgh region’s workforce through PIT2Work.

Turner Construction’s shared goal

The honors extend to Turner Construction Co., the project manager for the new state-of-the art garage. The company was recognized by the Airports Council International – North America as a 2023 World Business Partner/Associate Inclusion Champion.

“Collaboration is the key,” said Patriece Thompson, Turner’s director, Community and Citizenship. She recruits underrepresented business enterprises to share in contract work.

“How do we find them? Being a Pittsburgher. Pittsburgh is all about community,” she said. “We are always building relationships.”

It’s not just about using minority-owned subcontractors, she added, but minority-owned caterers, suppliers and others.

“I want everyone to have upward mobility,” Thompson said, adding that it’s a goal she shares with ACAA. “Christina Cassotis stood on her word to make work at the airport inclusive.”

Giving small businesses an opportunity at the airport project has led to them getting access to work with Turner in Hazelwood Green and the University of Pittsburgh, she said.

“And a lot of our subcontractors also work with PJ Dick on the terminal,” Thompson said. “We share the same mission: to create a better Pittsburgh.”

She said the synergy of the many workforce development efforts benefit the entire region.

“The airport project showcases what Pittsburgh can be when it works together to build something beautiful,” she said.