Big development in Prince George’s is creating a boon and the county’s recently held building capacity expo gave small and minority business owners the info they need to break into the action.
The expo, titled “Readiness for Success,” drew more than 300 participants to Camelot of Upper Marlboro. Attendees represented companies with little as 10 employees up to larger size small businesses.
Rendering of Konterra
“There are extraordinary economic opportunities taking place in Prince George’s County. Millions of dollars are being invested throughout this county, right now and well into the future,” said County Executive Jack Johnson in a statement. “It is critical for companies to focus on their preparedness and improve their ability to meet requirements for them to successfully compete in the market place.”
Even as the national economy continues to show signs of weakness in the housing sector combined with rising prices for fuel and food, the outlook county-wide remains bright.
The economic upswing in the county has largely been driven by massive development projects. Among them, National Harbor on the banks of the Potomac, Konterra in Laurel, University Town center in Hyattsville, the University of Maryland's M-Square Research Development Park, and East Campus, a new mixed use project in College Park that is two times the size of downtown Silver Spring.
During the event, some of the county’s leading developers explained in detail how small and minority firms could support large building projects. The expo also featured training workshops where businesses learned how to build capacity so they could be in the position to bid on development projects and win contracts. The workshops also covered financing, bonding and capitalization, joint ventures and partnering, and infrastructure development.
Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Governor’s Minority Affairs Office, Maryland Procurement Technical Assistant Program, and the Growth Coach were also on hand to offer further information to aid small and minority businesses.
During the luncheon, the Office of Central Services honored five business professionals and entrepreneurs in the small and minority business community. The Inaugural Trailblazer Award was presented to the following:
Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher, Washington Informer – The only African American newspaper distributed throughout the entire Washington Metro area that is printed in Prince George’s County.
Ralph B. Bazilio, president of Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, P.C. – The first ever African American auditor for the Prince George’s County Government.
Albertina Luis, owner/founder, M. Luis Construction Company – The only female, minority-owned highway/road construction company in Prince George’s County and the entire Washington Metro area.
Stephen W. Neal, president/CEO, K. Neal International Trucks, Inc. – The only African American truck dealership in the county.
Fitz G. Walker, Jr., president/CEO, Bartron Medical Imaging, Inc. – The first business awarded a cooperative research agreement by NASA to apply earth science imaging to medical imaging.
--PGS Staff
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