Minority, Women Workers Network For Chunk Of $10B JFK Redesign

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- Dozens of minority and women entrepreneurs showed up to a vendor fair in Jamaica to network for contracts with the likes of JFK and LaGuardia and learn how they could carve out business opportunities from the multibillion dollar investments in store for the airports.

New York State Senator James Sanders Jr., D-South O-Zone Park, hosted a Minority And Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Procurement Fair at the Raddison Hotel in Jamaica on Wednesday to connect MWBE entrepreneurs with prominent vendors looking to contract out their work.

"Today we are doing what probably has never been done," Sanders told Patch. "On one hand you're having the very companies who are putting out the contracts meeting with the people trying to get them."

The fair's most notable vendors included companies responsible for the renovations of LaGuardia and JFK airports, Sanders said. LaGuardia is in the midst of a $4 billion revamp that began in June 2016 and is slated to finish by 2021, and JFK is slated to undergo a $10 billion overhaul.

Both projects had contract opportunities on display at the MWBE Procurement Fair.

"There are people who are going to make contracts today to build and develop and take their part of the LaGuardia redesign or other major projects that are taking place," Sanders said.

Representatives from LaGuardia Gateway Partners and Skanska-Walsh, the airport's general contractor, manned booths at the fair advertising contract opportunities for the airport's Terminal B redesign currently underway.

Skanska-Walsh representatives arrived at the fair in search of MWBE subcontractors, vendors and consultants for construction, concession, sustainability and terminal maintenance work.

"People think that since we're a contractor, we're only looking for subcontractors, but we think outside the box," said Justin Deebrah, compliance manager for Skanska-Walsh. "Anything we can do to engage a MWBE firm, we'll do. That's the first priority."

The sentiment fit with Sanders' goal for the event, which was to make sure minority and women entrepreneurs had the opportunity to participate in the region's upcoming business opportunities.

Aside from networking, the daylong fair offered workshops on topics like contracting, accessing capitol and maintaining personal business accounts. Several banks also held tables at the fair to discuss financing options available to entrepreneurs who were prepared to enter into contracts.

"At the end of the day, this was designed to ensure that everybody is on an even playing field," Sanders said.

Lead image via the Office of New York State Senator James Sanders Jr.