The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is involved in hundreds of projects throughout the city. Considered Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, their goals are to create jobs, increase the city’s tax base, and improve the vitality of businesses, neighborhoods, and the city’s livability as a whole. Throughout its 71-year history they have constructed and rehabilitated tens of thousands of homes, reclaimed thousands of acres of contaminated brownfield and riverfront sites, and assisted hundreds of businesses in neighborhoods throughout its footprint.
One of the URA’s commitments is to provide equal opportunities for business growth and development to minority and female business owners. Through their Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) program, their obligation is to advance equitable development by working with developers and other stakeholders to connect minority- and women-owned firms to capacity-building opportunities designed to increase the sustainability and success of MWBEs in the region. Serving as the URA’s centralized liaison with businesses and the public at-large concerning MWBE program matters, the program’s mission is to monitor minority and women inclusionary participation in URA-affiliated projects.
“We are looking at how to improve and how to help groups become more competitive. Our plan is to do more listening and to host more informative events to hear from MWBE firms to get to know one another,” said Robert Rubinstein, URA executive director, during a recent meet-and-greet event officially introducing their newly-appointed MWBE program officer, Diamonte Walker. “We are delighted to have Diamonte on our team. She knows community development and is ready to hit the ground running.”
Walker, with a career span of over 15 years in the for-profit sector and having recently served as a business development program manager in the non-profit sector, working with existing and startup business owners says she understands the complex challenges we face as a region when trying to effectuate meaningful change in neighborhoods. “This is an exciting time in Pittsburgh and I am elated and ready to get to work.”
Emphasizing that the URA is committed to equitable development and equal opportunity, she said the focus of her department is on minority firms throughout the area that are MWBE-certified through the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program, which is inclusive of all federal, state and local government entities.
Walker said the URA has a six-point MWBE program outlook; a commitment to equitable development, inclusionary MWBE participation, MWBE certification assistance, increasing opportunity awareness, business development programming and networking and resource connection.
“Increasing opportunity and awareness is a number one priority for me. Making sure that people are aware of potential opportunities so that they can be adequately prepared for them. Especially when it’s happening in their neighborhood. Partnering with agencies that offer supportive services and assuring that the URA is a champion of those efforts and connecting MWBE firms to them is key,” she said. Concerned that many minority- and women-owned firms have an inability to connect to the larger networks, Walker said her goal is to leverage her office to ensure that entrepreneurs’ social and business networks are expanded. “That’s what’s going to inherently increase opportunity.”
In the program officer position since mid-June, Walker said she has developed a six-fold focus for the MWBE program; increase outreach efforts to build more timely awareness around existing and forthcoming URA projects, release a new and improved website with the projects, enhanced bidding capability, reference guides and handbooks, place targeted emphasis on clearly demonstrating good faith efforts that provide MWBEs with equal opportunity bid on URA affiliated projects, build strong partnerships with agencies and other stakeholders dedicated to creating an inclusionary and equitable economy, host frequent workshops, seminars and business development training for MWBEs working to become certified or more competitive in the market, and create a framework to enrich the social and business networks of MWBE contractors and suppliers.
A former entrepreneur and the knowledge she has gained working with businesses at all stages of development has given Walker an awareness of sensitivity to their needs. As a result, she said business owners can expect the following from her office; a MWBE policy and best practices guide book for project owners, a regional resource guide for MWBE firms, a centralized MWBE function at the URA with office hours, a culture that promotes impact and growth—not just goals, capacity building opportunities for MWBEs, robust expectations around “good faith effort,” more outreach and project information sessions, an enhanced and user-friendly technology platform, and a program that is continually learning and improving.
A Hill District native, Walker has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and is currently working towards the completion of a Master of Science in Management and Leadership. She is a mayoral appointee to Pittsburgh’s Land Bank Board, a 2016 New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40 Under 40” awardee, and currently sits on the board of StartUptown.
“I am committed to advancing equitable development by ensuring minority- and women-owned firms are equipped to face the new realities of Pittsburgh’s transforming economy,” said Walker. “I am excited and ready to get to work.”
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