Boston – Suffolk Construction will be launching its fifth annual Trades Partnership Series to assist disadvantaged, minority, women, and veteran-owned trade partner firms in fostering long-term relationships with Suffolk. Provided at no cost to selected participants, the eight-session program begins Thursday, September 8.
The Trades Partnership Series is part of Suffolk’s award-winning Learning + Development program that continues to set the industry standard for construction training initiatives. The series will be offered exclusively to union and nonunion trade partners that are certified by the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), or Veteran Owned Business Enterprise (VBE). Firms must also have been in business for a minimum of two years.
Each 2-hour course will be presented in an interactive format and led by Suffolk executives and local industry experts. Classes will take place every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Suffolk’s headquarters in Roxbury. Attendance will be mandatory at all eight sessions for each selected trade partner. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive a graduation certificate and have one-on-one access to Suffolk subject matter experts.
The application deadline is Friday, August 12 at 5 p.m.
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“We’re excited about the opportunities we have created for dozens of trade partners over the past five years. Our graduates have developed solid partnerships and have gained access to nurturing mentor/mentee relationships that have significantly grown their volume of work. We are also thrilled to have the consistent support from the City of Boston and Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office for our Trades Partnership Series since we launched this innovative program,” said Brian McPherson, director of diversity and workforce compliance at Suffolk Construction. “In the last five years alone, Suffolk has awarded over $700 million in projects to DBE, MBE, WBE and VBE firms, and fifty percent of those contracts have been provided to graduates of the Trades Partnership Series.”
Participants of the Trades Partnership Series (formerly titled the Subcontractor Development Series) will learn firsthand about Suffolk’s “build smart” approach to construction management, including how Lean Construction principles are applied to projects and innovative, web-based collaboration tools result in an efficient document management process for all project stakeholders. The program will also feature a class designed to discuss the importance of developing strong relationships with union affiliations in order to gain greater access to Suffolk’s projects.
“The success of our business’ continued growth can be directly attributed to the opportunities we have built through Suffolk’s Trades Partnership Series,” said Leroy Alexander, owner of General Air Conditioning & Heating. “Suffolk essentially shared some of their most advantageous business strategies five years ago and we have been utilizing those strategies successfully ever since. We have generated over $20 million in revenue over the past five years for our business and built a solid relationship with our mentor. We meet regularly to gain insight on how to effectively work with Suffolk on present and potential future projects.”
