The Federation of Women Contractors (FWC) presented Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Commissioner Patricia Horton with the Outstanding Program award for the MWRD’s Affirmative Action program during the FWC Women Rock 2012 Annual Awards Reception held at the House of Blues in Chicago on May 31, 2012.
The MWRD’s affirmative action program is designed to ensure that minority, women and small businesses are given an equitable opportunity to participate in construction and professional service contracts.
“We know that it is the success of minority, women and small business that translates to the success of our country and our city,” said Commissioner Horton. “We want small businesses to grow, and I am happy to report that many of the attendees in this room have grown from our program.”
The goals of MWRD’s program are to achieve 20% minority participation, 10% women-owned participation and 10% small business enterprise participation in the agency’s professional service and construction contracts.
“Our program has grown and developed considerably over the years,” Commissioner Horton said. “We currently have affirmative action goals on everything from biosolids hauling contracts to major tunneling and sewer projects. The contributions provided by women-owned businesses are tremendously valuable. We all benefit from diversity at work and in our communities.”
Commissioner Horton announced that new opportunities will be available through the MWRD’s construction fund. Projects will range from $50,000 to $5 million.
“These contracts should allow participation by minority and women-owned businesses as prime contractors, and our hope is that these contracts provide an opportunity to further stabilize women-owned businesses and grow them,” Commissioner Horton said.
Source: MWRD