The Business Diversity Institute (BDI) is a Portland-based non-profit serving Oregon and Southwest Washington that provides training and education to minority, women-owned and emerging small businesses in the region.

For over twenty years, the organization has led meetings, networking opportunities, seminars and training oriented toward improving diversity in employment.

The goal of the BDI program is to provide education, training and resources for diversity practitioners that support the growth of Oregon’s DMWESB business community. Raising awareness of diversity and inclusion issues in business has improved the climate for firms and agencies large and small to bring the idea of diversity to the forefront in their hiring and contracting practices.

Lee Fleming, chair of BDI speaks about what the organization does with enthusiasm.

“BDI has been here for over 20 years but has really taken off since 2014,” said Fleming.  “We took an idea that was originally Multnomah County’s and improved on it to be inclusive of all certifications available and not just in the county, but throughout the region. It needed to be larger than the county.”

The resulting Diversity Practitioners Summit became focused on broadening the scope and appeal of diversity training.

“We’ve brought in nationally recognized speakers and designed quarterly seminars that are not only instructive, but keep the subject in the forefront,” Fleming added.  “It’s a very rich and robust challenge. There is an emphasis on fairness and equity.  Something can be legal, but it may not be fair or equitable in practice. We examine the laws and push for reforms at the county and state legislature. We’ve been recognized for these efforts by national firms as an example. Asking how we can best impact legislation and change the dynamics of best practices is an evolution of sorts.  That’s why we’re important. We’re the only group that does this.”

Another popular program from BDI is their Breakthrough Breakfast series.

Ron White, owner of Probity Builders and a business coach and mentor re-tooled that program to make it more interesting, more relevant and more effective at addressing the needs of small businesses. By working with partners and small firms, they found out what they wanted, what they needed and organized the programs around those concepts.

“That was taking the pulse of the community and that’s why it has been a success,” said Fleming.

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Abdias Calixte grew up in Haiti and began to learn the trades by working alongside his father, a preacher who also worked on houses. Calixte held a job as a security guard before moving to the United States in 2003. While earning an associate’s degree in welding at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, he heard a presentation in which the students, especially minorities, were encouraged to explore careers in the trades.

“He told me that I could make $30 an hour within four years. I had never dreamed of making that kind of money in a lifetime and I wanted to investigate,” Calixte said. “He said it was all possible if I was willing to learn.”

The presenter assured Calixte that his English-speaking skills were strong enough to be successful, and encouraged him to do an apprenticeship with the local union.

“As an immigrant black male, I was lost. I wasn’t sure what to do or what to say, but I was welcomed and they helped me get started, true to their word,” he said.

Calixte launched his new career in 2006 and in 2012 started his company, Complete Fusion Welding LLC, which provides full-service structural steel and miscellaneous steel welding services. “The quality of my work represents who I am, and I wanted to be able to express myself through the quality of my work,” he said.

He has experienced his share of bumps along the way. He started his company with no bonding, a partial inventory of equipment and some administrative challenges. At one point, his truck – and all of his equipment – was stolen.

Calixte, who is a member of the Professional Business Development Group, credits mentors such as fellow Building Diversity award recipient Faye Burch and Bruce Reid at Turner Construction Co. with providing the knowledge, guidance and support that has helped him grow his company. He noted his gratitude for the 91��Ƶ’s recognition as well.

“I’ve never been more humbled to see the whole world is trying to help me out,” he said.

While he is firmly established in the Portland metro area, Calixte’s home country is never far from his mind. He used his own money to establish a small orphanage there.

“I’m not looking for funds and I’m not looking for help. I just wanted to do this because it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

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The idea for a park in North Portland’s Cully neighborhood goes back nearly 20 years. In early 2000, Portland Parks and Recreation acquired a 25 acre former landfill in the heart of the neighborhood.  The area has been primarily African American and ethnically mixed for decades and some questioned the idea of building a public park on a landfill.

In 2008, a master plan was created, but no funds were available to begin implementing the cleanup and construction. In 2005, Verde, a project started by Hacienda CDC to serve impoverished communities was started in Cully. Oriented to providing jobs and improving the neighborhood with an emphasis on environmental design, they launched letsbuildcullypark.org.

The organization was soon active in making the vision of a community park become a reality.

In 2012 a public/private partnership was approved by the Portland City Council and fundraising began. The park design included new access on Northeast 72^nd Avenue, parking, fitness trails, a dog park, athletic fields, stormwater management, bioswales, plantings, and the Native Gathering Garden. Among the issues they had to deal with was adherence to state and federal DEQ policies. Once that was achieved, people in the neighborhood saw the potential and were eager to participate.

Michael Martin, president of Northwest Infrastructure, served as the main lead of the group that worked to bring the $11.3 million project to fruition.

“I’ve been involved for about three years, but this is really a community project,” said Martin.

Maurice Rahming and Ali O’Neill of O’Neill Construction Group and James Faison of Faison Construction were also heavily involved. All are COBID-certified contractors.

“Instead of just one contractor, we kept the spirit of what Verde was doing and included several certified minority companies,” said Martin. “And people in the neighborhood got on board. They were a lot of the labor force that helped with the landscaping and built the community garden.”

A grand opening event was held on June 30th with Governor Kate Brown, Mayor Ted Wheeler, members of the various construction firms and landscape teams – and even the Portland Timbers – on hand to celebrate opening the park for public use.

Alan Hipolito, Verde’s outgoing executive director, said of the project, “Cully Park is a statement about the power of community, and I want to especially thank the hundreds of Cully adults, families and children who worked so hard for so long. My friends, you did it. You designed and built a park which everyone can enjoy and which will serve generations of Portlanders.”

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When Rebecca and Alan Oates decided to make some life changes, they went in full bore. They not only got married in 2004 but also started their own company that year. Rebecca Oates was teaching Spanish and English as a second language and was ready for a career change. Alan Oates, a union painter, had worked with his father in the petroleum and coatings industry as a teenager and moved on to industrial painting, but always had the entrepreneurial drive to start a business.

The pair co-founded Diverse Works and their services include commercial, architectural and light industrial painting and coatings; intumescent coatings; and in-house shop painting. Among their projects was the Edith Green –Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, in which their company’s scope of work grew from touch-up painting on the steel of the west façade and solar canopy frame to tenant improvement painting on several floors and painting the elevator doors.

The project allowed Diverse Works to bring back two employees during the recession and hire a woman who had experience installing wall-talker, dry erase boards. Diverse Works was also able to implement a new safety system for work on the building. The safety system includes static lines, ropes, fasteners and blocks that all fit into a backpack and helped make Diverse Works more competitive for future jobs, according to the U.S. General Services Administration.

Since its founding, Diverse Works has built a strong community of MWESB firms and frequently connects with them for advice and to share opportunities.

“We’ve gotten to know so many over the years and it feels like we’re all cheerleaders for each other. It’s great to get to work together on projects and showcase what certified firms can do,” Rebecca Oates said. “We are also mentors in the Port of Portland Mentor-Protégé Program. We participated as proteges about 10 years ago and hope we can help other certified firms as much as the program helped us.”

Environmentally friendly business operations and community service are key priorities for Diverse Works, which has donated work and materials for various projects that include local schools, the Princess Project and the Latino Network.

“We love to help out in ways that benefit kids because we have two young children and know how important a safe and beautiful environment is for children,” Rebecca Oates said.

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Faye Burch was working as the senior policy analyst for former Gov. Barbara Roberts and interacting with the state’s workers compensation, insurance and finance systems when she gained a greater understanding of some of the challenges small businesses face. She became an advocate and established her consulting firm, F M Burch and Associates, Inc., to help companies craft equity plans and execute them in the public and private sectors.

One of her first projects was to increase diversity in the team working on TriMet‘s Interstate MAX line. She was involved in several subsequent TriMet projects and, on the Portland-Milwaukie Orange Line, helped ensure that more than $100 million worth of work was awarded to minority subcontractors.

“I think we made major differences in building businesses and developing skills, moving them from mom and pop to training agents, perfecting their skills and establishing profits,” she said of the Interstate MAX project. “That led to many DBEs successfully participating in many of the light-rail projects.”

Burch noted that because of their involvement in such large projects, the subcontractors were able to buy homes, invest in their businesses’ infrastructure and contribute financially to projects that made their communities stronger, such as the Billy Webb Elks Lodge in Northeast Portland.

She credited general contractor Stacy and Witbeck and individuals such as Bruce Watts, Leanne Owens, Johnell Bell and Monika Johnson with creating a partnership that was “an extraordinary experience underscored with the realization that together we made a difference.”

Burch volunteers with MESO Microenterprise Services of Oregon, a program that provides SBA lending and business services to smaller companies. It served 500 people in 2017, and recently bought commercial property to build affordable housing and a permanent facility. In addition, Burch is a co-founder of several business and trade associations designed to support MBE/WBE businesses including Professional Business Development Group.

Prosper Portland noted that her political career was influenced by her parents, Fay Gordly and Beatrice Coleman Gordly, as well as her college activism at the University of Oregon and early involvement in the NAACP and the Urban League of Portland.

Burch began her political career with former Sen. Margaret Carter, the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. She also assisted Sen. Bill McCoy, the first African-American to serve in the Oregon Legislature, with the establishment of the Oregon Minority Women Emerging Small Business Program, according to Prosper Portland.

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General Sheet Metal (GSM) started in Portland in 1932. The firm grew steadily, weathered the storms of fluctuating economics and is now one of the largest, most comprehensive sheet metal contractors in the Pacific Northwest.

Carol Duncan, President and CEO, is the second generation at the helm. Following her father’s retirement, she recognized the advantages of COBID certification and qualified for certification and recognition as a MWESB firm in 2000.  Currently, of over 240 employees, 43 (17%) are women and 50 (20%) are minorities.

“We’re committed to diversity,” said Duncan. “We have been for decades. Recruiting, engaging with people at all levels and being aggressive in making a culture that strives for goals in diversity has become part of who we are.”

Duncan cites the company mission statement, “Successfully build through innovation, industry leadership and collaborative relationships,” as including COBID and diversity as integral parts of how the company functions.

In addition to having a number of employees, including management, who have graduated from COBID training, several employees regularly attend community outreach events as well as mentor other emerging COBID firms. Applicants for employment regularly express their appreciation for GSM commitment to those goals. GSM’s involvement in the community reflects their commitment to diversity as well.

The company has led tours for Oregon Tradeswomen and Portland Youth Builders, participated in the Portland Workforce Alliance career fair, worked with Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs on meetings and trade shows, serves on the board for Workforce Southwest Washington, Clackamas Workforce Partnership, several high school programs and job fairs and supports the ACE Mentorship Program.

Outside of industry groups, the company has actively mentored Fulcrum Construction, a COBID contractor, for the past three years. Duncan attributes their success to creating a culture where leadership and employees share a commitment to racial and gender diversity.

General Sheet Metal has been featured on Oregon Business’ 2018 list of 100 Best Workplaces and 100 Green Workplaces.

The company often hires WBE and COBID firms to support other businesses in building diverse workforces. In the past decade they’ve grown from $8 million annual revenue to over $50 million and at the same time has experience increases in the ratio of women and minorities in its growing workforce.

Their continued expansion has also grown in the services the firm offers. GSM has expanded into mechanical, HVAC, architectural services and fabrication, routinely working with a variety of materials including fiberglass, plastic, brass, aluminum, composites, steel, galvanized, stainless steel and coated materials.

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Monica Leal and Dana Beckwith, co-owners of Global Transportation Engineering (GTE), worked for over 35 years with other firms before deciding to open their own consulting engineering company. Both are professionally trained engineers.

Their small firm opened in October 2015 and has made an impression on the transportation construction industry in the Portland region.

GTE handles issues on road construction projects that include traffic signal control and design, roadway lighting, pedestrian facilities, signing, traffic impact and control, traffic management plans and master planning. Their company has been certified DBE, ESB, MBE and WBE in both Oregon and Washington.

Leal and Beckwith, along with seven other employees, have created a culture of diversity and acceptance in their workplace.

“It really is about bringing different cultures, races and people together on the job to gain a better perspective,” said Leal. “We have seen that it leads to job success. This is a place where everyone has a seat at the table.”

The owners value input from all of their employees, which leads to an organic working process.

“Our jobs have a lot of components,” said Beckwith.  “Someone could point out a piece of equipment that we need or a safety issue and that becomes a real consideration. Everyone has a voice that matters. That way we take advantage of the whole. Everything and everyone works together.

“In a small company that there is always ‘one more thing’ and encouraging open participation shows the value of diversity.”

Among the firm’s projects are Westside and Transit Improvements, Oregon Hwy 8 Corridor improvements, Oregon 224, SE Rusk Rd on I-205 and OR 281, Guignard, Orchard & Country Club, Barrett Drive, Primary Contractor on the OR 99E Railroad Tunnel Illumination and Intelligent Transportation System and the I-5 Denver Ave Tunnel Illumination projects.

Leal points out that their contracts are varied.

“About 60% of our jobs are public and 40% is for private developers,” Leal said.  “We work closely with clients, subcontractors and primary contractors, so they see our diversity first-hand. Our main priority is to do the best job that we can do and if other companies see how diversity is working for us and embrace it as we have, that’s all for the better.

“If we can show clients that we can get the job done and do it with a group that is inclusive, that’s a good professional example.”

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Shortly after Holst Architecture‘s transition to new partners in 2016, its four leaders – Kim Wilson, Kevin Valk, Dave Otte and Renée Strand – undertook a study of staff salaries to ensure no gaps existed between men and women at all experience levels. They also examined the gender parity among all office roles, and organized a series of in-house equity workshops that provided time and space for conversations about the progress made and work yet to be done.

The state’s largest WBE architecture firm, Holst worked with Multnomah County and Human Solutions pro bono to create a new women’s shelter. A temporary shelter was about to close, so an abbreviated design and construction schedule was needed to transition residents quickly and seamlessly. In just eight weeks, Holst completed the design and permitting for The Gresham Women’s Shelter, a renovation of a 1969 single-story office building. The extensive work needed on interior upgrades left no room in the budget to update the drab exterior.

Holst had the idea to update the exterior with a mural, executed by Holst staff volunteers using paint donated by Miller Paint. A small design team developed numerous configurations and color schemes and presented them to the clients. After the selection of a final design, 14 Holst staff members spent two days completing the colorful artwork.

In addition, the staff regularly cooks and serves dinner to residents of Doreen’s Place at Bud Clark Commons. They leveraged their recent participation in the Hood to Coast Washington relay to raise more than $2,000 for Transition Projects. Earlier this year they sponsored and presented at AIA Portland’s Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’s day-long symposium, “Future Vison: Voices in the Workplace.” The Holst team volunteers for Depave, Friends of Trees and We Care. They also participated in The Street Trust’s 2018 Bike More Challenge and served free donuts and coffee to fellow riders who passed by their office. In 2017, Holst staff committed more than 650 hours to office-sponsored pro-bono and volunteer efforts.

Holst’s MWESB project involvement percentages regularly exceed 70 percent. “We often break up scope on larger projects so that we can collaborate with smaller minority- and women-owned businesses. We often think of all the clients who took a chance on us as a young design studio and feel a responsibility to do the same for others,” the partners said in a statement.

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Jaimé Viramontes Sr., PE, started thinking about running his own company after joining a group called Movimiento Unido de Latinos en Accion, which supports minority businesses, soon after graduating from the Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls in 1995.

“It was the first time I recognized there were organizations helping Hispanic and minority businesses,” he said. “Now I have the same opportunity to help MWESB businesses in the construction industry. Knowing the public works process, I volunteered to help several contractors obtain their COBID certification prior to forming my company.”

Viramontes and his wife, Cynthia, established J2J Civil Consulting Inc., a COBID-certified DBE firm that specializes in project management, construction inspection, surveying and engineering services for public works projects. The company also offers OSHA 10/30 training, safety plans, quality control plans, fall hazard awareness in Spanish, certified payroll compliance, MWESB and workforce monitoring and reporting, estimating, bidding and scheduling.

Noting that J2J Civil Consulting is committed to the environment and social equity, Viramontes said the company strives to provide opportunities for people who come from underserved areas and offers internships for minority young women and men attending college.

“I enjoy creating opportunities for small or minority companies and then mentoring the companies to successfully complete projects,” he said. “In the end, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing company owners will be able to enhance their families’ lives through growing and succeeding in the construction industry.”

Through the city of Portland’s Prime Contractors Development Program, J2J helps other MWESB companies with estimating, bidding, project management, change management and documentation requirements on private and public projects. In addition, it helps contractors and owners resolve disputes regarding interpretation of contract specifications and plans.

When he’s not working, Viramontes volunteers as a soccer coach for a competitive boy’s club comprised of high school students, with 75 percent being minority players. The team won the Oregon Soccer Premier League State Championship in 2015 and traveled to Indiana to compete in a national tournament.

“This was an experience of a lifetime for most of the minority boys. The boys understood the value of hard work, and all of the boys understood the dedication required to succeed,” he said. “All of the boys have now graduated high school, with several gaining soccer scholarships to attend college as the only means to pay for a higher education. Two boys decided to study civil engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology and Chemeketa/Oregon State University.”

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Daniel Miranda grew up working in his father’s sheet metal shop in Mexico, and swore he wasn’t going to do the same work for a living when he was older. But when he moved to the United States, he joined the apprenticeship program with the Sheet Metal Worker’s International Association Local 16 and now owns Just Right Heating and Cooling with his wife, Jodie Marion.

The company specializes in commercial and industrial HVAC projects in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In its newly opened shop, the company fabricates ductwork and architectural sheet metal, which its crew installs along with HVAC equipment. Just Right Heating and Cooling also services HVAC systems. It partners with architects, engineers, owners, plant managers, contractors and suppliers and other project team members.

Its portfolio of projects includes Portland 5, the city of Vancouver Operations Center, and the Oregon Zoo and its AfriCafe. The company is now partnering with General Sheet Metal and Hoffman Construction Co. on the Multnomah County Central Courthouse project and the Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters. It also will replace the HVAC equipment at the Gresham Library later this season.

Just Right Heating and Cooling, a member of Professional Business Development Group, hires MWESB businesses as subcontractors and “we share our story and insights as much as possible and listen to theirs – that’s how we learn from each other,” Miranda said.

“We value the traditions and experiences of being a Local 16 signatory, and we combine that strength with diverse outlooks, experiences, and behaviors to drive innovation and efficiency,” the company states on its website. “We know the best way to build trust and long-term relationships is to treat our partners fairly, perform above expectations, and work together to solve problems.”

Miranda and Marion believe that environmental stewardship is their duty and consistently look for ways to “green it up.” Just Right volunteers to drive trees for Friends of Trees as participants in plantings. The company will raise money for pancreatic cancer research this fall in the PurpleStride 5K. In addition, the company and many of its field crew provide pro bono work for people who lose heat and have no means to pay for repairs.

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