Twenty-five years ago when the new Pittsburgh International Airport opened it was considered a leading-edge facility. It has received numerous awards and accolades for its efficient and creative ways it assists travelers and it’s recognized as a travelers’ choice favorite for shopping. Just recently it was named the 2017 Airport of the Year by Air Transport World.
In August, Allegheny County Airport Authority officials announced an estimated $1.1 billion terminal modernization plan. The project, according to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, is expected to create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs and produce $1.66 billion in economic activity. It is also expected to generate more than $28 million in state and local income taxes.
[pullquote]“All of us working together can make Allegheny County, Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania the best place to do business and the best place to grow.”
RICH FITZGERALD
Allegheny County Executive[/pullquote]“It’s these types of activities that are going on within Western Pennsylvania and Allegheny County,” said Fitzgerald, also mentioning the $200 million BRT Port Authority Transit connecting corridor project and the work city and county officials are doing to recruit Amazon to the region. During his welcoming address to over 100 area MBE/WBEs he said that with all the spending and investments being made in the region, it’s important for city officials and everyone to be working together because of the benefits to the region.
“All of us working together can make Allegheny County, Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania the best place to do business and the best place to grow,” Fitzgerald added.
The BRT Port Authority Transit project Fitzgerald alluded to is the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system that will, in effect, get riders from Downtown to Oakland at a much faster rate by using a designated bus-only lane. From Oakland, the BRT system would have branches that take riders to Squirrel Hill, Highland Park and Wilkinsburg. This information, along with other updates, was shared during the annual County of Allegheny Department of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Open House. Ruth Byrd-Smith, director of the Allegheny County department of Women, Minority and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, stressed the fact that it is important for businesses to utilize the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program. The PAUCP provides “one-stop shopping” for firms seeking certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. The PAUCP makes certification decisions on behalf of all agencies and organizations in the Commonwealth with respect to participation in the DBE Program. Firms certified as a DBE with the PAUCP are eligible to participate in any Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funded contract as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
The MWDBE office serves as a certifying participant in the PAUCP. The office provides certification counseling sessions throughout the area including the Diversity Business Resource Center on the North Side, the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood and the Hill District Community Development Corporation.
The mission of the MWDBE department is to build the capacity of MWDBE-certified businesses, to monitor contracts to ensure compliance with Allegheny County goals and to provide outreach and technical assistance to the business community.
MWDBE achievement goals include reviewing subcontracting plans to determine the level of inclusion, and monitor all contracts to determine level of achievement to established goals. MWDBE contract inclusion goals are 13 percent for MBEs and 2 percent for WBEs.
One business, “A good story” according to Byrd-Smith, is E&S Parking and Transportation, Inc. operated by Edward Everett. E&S manages and operates the parking shuttle service at Pittsburgh International Airport. Retiring after 30 years Everett, providing old school wisdom, said when he first started his business he remembered something his mother taught him, to always have a rainy day fund, which he had by saving $20 a week in a shoe box and through a Christmas Club savings account.
“Being a small business owner managing the unknown, he said no matter what, having that shoe box can save you,” Everett said. Everett’s next piece of advice is to stay current and to “stay woke.”
He also stressed the importance of having good credit. “Do whatever it takes. Pay your bills on time and it takes sacrifices and hard work, but in the long run it pays off.”
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