SFO Awarded for Helping Disadvantaged Businesses

Written by Doug Yakel:

The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the winner of the 2013 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Advocate and Partner Award. 

The award, issued by the Office of Civil Rights, recognizes SFO for its strategies to promote small disadvantaged business participation in construction, professional services, and concession leases. The national award will be presented to the Airport  today at the Fourth Annual National Civil Rights Training Conference for Airports, held in Arlington, Virginia.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized by the FAA for our efforts to increase small business participation at SFO,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “For more than 30 years, we have dedicated ourselves to improving opportunities for disadvantaged enterprises. This award reflects our commitment to create an accessible environment to small business owners in our communities.”

SFO first established a small business outreach program in place in 1982. Since then, the Airport has successfully developed strategies to remove barriers to small business participation. 

SFO has established an annual 30 percent goal for small business participation in all phases of contracting and concession leasing.  For the past three years, SFO has awarded over 30 percent of contract dollars to LBEs and DBEs, and Airport DBEs now account for over 50 percent of concession leases at the Airport, generating over $73 million in revenues annually.

Concession awards to DBE during the past fiscal year include the following:

• Fraiche Yogurt, operated by Life is Good LLC, located in Terminal 3, generating over $750,000 in annual revenue
• A specialty and jewelry store, operated by Avila Retail Development & Management, located in Terminal 3, generating over $500,000 in annual revenue
• Three Twins Ice Cream, operated by Rylo Management LLC, located in Terminal 1, generating over $500,000 in annual revenue

For more about SFO’s efforts to support small business, visit: http://www.flysfo.com/business-at-sfo/small-business-affairs-office.