The Black Lives Matter movement has spurred corporate America into action, prompting donations, statements of solidarity and public reexaminations by some of the nation’s most recognizable companies.

The construction industry, however, has been noticeably quiet.

“It’s been shocking to me,” said Andrew Colas, president of Portland-based Colas Construction. “The CEO of Warner Bros. made statements. The CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have made statements. There’s just been complete silence on the local level, on the national level, in our industry.”

Colas Construction is the largest Black-owned construction firm in Oregon, and one of the largest on the West Coast. The company has tackled large public projects, including a sizable renovation of the Oregon Convention Center.

“Change is on all of us, and the chance to lead it comes in the choices we make every day,” Colas wrote in a statement posted to the company’s Instagram page on June 3. “Speak up, stand up and disrupt the cycle.”

Colas said he decided to say something after hearing little from others in the construction industry.

“A $650 billion industry has had nothing to say,” he added in a text message. “So we had to speak up.”

The death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis after he was held under the knee of a police officer for 7 minutes and 46 seconds has galvanized protests and forced a fast-moving reckoning of racism in American life. So far, there have been few immediate repercussions in the construction industry.

Some organizations connected to the building industry have embraced the Black Lives Matter movement. Prosper Portland posted a Black Lives Matter webpage. Several architecture firms have posted supportive statements. Lever Architecture, for instance, issued one that read in part, “It is incumbent on us as architects to engage communities of color and to listen with humility.” Lease Crutcher Lewis also posted a supportive statement to Instagram.

Statements are good, but require follow-through, said Nate McCoy, executive director of the National Association of Minority Contractors-Oregon.

“Statements mean nothing if there are no real efforts or change behind them,” he said.

As for Associated General Contractors‘ Oregon-Columbia chapter, it has taken a low-key approach to the moment.

“During this time, we have quietly chosen to continue the work we have started and been part of for many decades,” Executive Director Mike Salsgiver stated in an email message. “The AGC Oregon-Columbia Chapter condemns the murder of George Floyd – and the behaviors that led to his death and to the deaths of many others – in the strongest possible terms. We fully understand the deplorable and unacceptable effects these crimes against our fellow citizens have had, and continue to lead and support initiatives that will eliminate racism in our society and our industry.”

The local AGC chapter has worked for many years with NAMC-Oregon, the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, LatinoBuilt, the Professional Business Development Group and others, Salsgiver stated.

“We continue to stand with these and other organizations to ensure that this work will continue,” he added.

Locally, the construction industry remains overwhelmingly white in ownership as well as in executive and managerial roles, despite a diverse entry-level workforce. But public-sector work has helped Black-owned firms grow. Contracting preferences that favor minority-owned contractors have boosted companies including Colas Construction, Raimore Construction and O’Neill Construction Group in winning major contracts from local public agencies such as Prosper Portland, Metro and TriMet.

Colas Construction in 2017 landed the largest public contract awarded to a minority-owned firm in Oregon at that time: a $32 million deal to perform interior renovations at the Oregon Convention Center.

That was exceeded in March by with TriMet for the Division Transit Project in Southeast Portland. Raimore co-founder Jeff Moreland could not be reached for comment.

But contracting preferences haven’t done nearly enough to compensate for the advantages of white-owned firms that have decades of accumulated wealth and business relationships as well as large-scale bonding capacity, Colas said.

“It’s about economic development for Black people,” he said. “There are a lot of Black businesses out there that are fully capable, that do great work and just don’t get the opportunities others do.”

Portland should have many more successful Black-owned construction firms, according to Colas.

“Until we start seeing more Raimores, more City of Roses, more Colas’, you’re not going to see that (economic development) piece,” he said. “Can anybody tell me five Black-owned companies that have more than 50 employees? You can’t. It’s not working.”

McCoy echoed those sentiments.

“It’s shameful that it’s only Colas and Raimore that are getting contracts at the level that they’re at,” he said. “Why is that? I think there’s still a systemic problem.”

McCoy and others are pushing public agencies to move away from race-neutral policies to race-conscious policies that take into account historic discrimination.

Black-owned firms and other emerging contractors typically begin as subcontractors. More must be done to help them grow, said Daniel Drinkward, vice president of Hoffman Construction, a major general contractor.

“It’s got to go beyond hitting the contracting and workforce targets,” he said.

Hoffman mentors minority-owned contractors on business aspects such as insurance and accounting that sometimes prove challenging for new firms, Drinkward said.

“We spend a lot of time working with minority-owned firms to make sure that when they do get contracts on our projects that they are successful and that it helps build their business,” he said.

Hoffman Construction stands with its Black workers, Drinkward added.

“Hoffman is committed to providing an anti-racist and inclusive workplace,” he said. “The status quo is not acceptable and we have to do better.”

The widespread protests have generated some optimism in the fight against racism, Colas said.

“It has been heartening,” he said. “It’s nice to see all shades of people standing up and saying this isn’t working. What’s been happening the last 400 years is wrong, and we need to acknowledge it.

“You get to the point as a Black person where you just feel helpless,” he added. “Our struggles are serious and they’re real.”

McCoy said he’s had conversations in the industry where others say “all lives matter” as a counterpoint to the Black Lives Matter message. Such race-neutral language accomplishes nothing, he said.

“Absolutely all lives matter,” he said. “Black lives have to matter more, and have to be called out individually because things have to change.”

Correction: This story earlier referred to an incorrect timeline for the Minneapolis incident. Media reports have since indicated George Floyd was pinned by an officer’s knee for 7 minutes, 46 seconds, not 8 minutes, 46 seconds.

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Kurt McLaughlin, President and CEO of Portland Commercial Construction (PCC), is a leading force in COBID-oriented interactions in the construction community. The firm maintains an approach to ensure MWESB firms and subcontractors are included in their projects such that they meet or exceed requirements.

“We’re a small company,” said McLaughlin, “so we see a little more opportunity to use [MWESB] subcontractors.”

On a recent job, a new subcontractor with only two employees had years of concrete work experience, but underbid the job.  PCC knew what that particular job would cost, so they held that amount in reserve and essentially “bonused” the subcontractor to ensure that he was paid fairly, adjusting the final invoice to nearly double the original bid.

McLaughlin also worked with them to help them better understand the estimating and bidding process.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, McLaughlin has seen the improvements in diversity in the industry during those two decades, recognizing diversity as a beneficial element of how companies fill their ranks.

“It’s fun to watch those companies grow. Almost all companies start small and if we can help them avoid the kind of mistakes that could run them out of business, it’s the same kind of consideration that any small company can appreciate.”

PCC specializes in medical/dental specific construction, commercial construction, tenant improvements, maintenance and construction management.

“We’re a small company and we have a woman as Senior Project Manager and two others as Project Consultants. Between them, they have decades of experience. That’s a resource that any company would want to have. Angela Boyd, one of our Project Consultants was the one who picked up on the under bids. She called a meeting and we decided on what the right approach was for our client, our firm and the subcontractor.”

PCC is a member of OAME, supports the youth program and strives to have minority participation on projects. On a recent project, they achieved 90% MWESB participation.

Their inclusive ideology also extends to mentoring other small firms.

Ethan Liu of Watson Construction, one of PCC’s subcontractors, sees them as an example.

“They are the kind of company that business communities, not just in Oregon, but all over the world need to support each other, come together, thrive and to survive when economic conditions get tough,” Liu said of PCC.

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The Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs on Friday will host a networking event for qualified minority contractors at its headquarters, at 731 N. Hayden Meadows Drive, Portland.

The event, sponsored by Skanska USA Building, is called “Get Certified / Meet the Primes” and will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees will learn how to maximize small business opportunities with large, prime contractors on the projects they work.

Event leaders will demonstrate the process by which Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) certifies businesses owned by minorities and women to work on public capital projects. Certified subcontractors often are sought by prime contractors or others looking to fulfill state or federal diversity mandates for public projects.

Participants in Friday’s event will become prepared for current and future projects, understand how to streamline the certification process, maximize those certifications and understand how the process allows business growth.

Representatives from state agencies will be on hand and offer unique opportunities for certified firms.

For more information or to register, visit .

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John Downing has started his own business, worked in the public sector and now has returned to the private sector with Skanska USA Building.

All of those roles have prepared him well for his new position as director of outreach and diversity for Skanska’s Portland office, which is responsible for some of the largest construction projects in the metro area.

Oh, and Downing finished earning an MBA from Corban University in September while also learning to ride a unicycle, publishing several children’s books and helping raise his three children. It’s a busy life, and all in all, he’s glad to be back to work in Portland, where he already has deep roots.

“I was in the Portland community with (the Oregon Department of Transportation) for quite a while,” he said. “There were a lot of partnerships and collaboration efforts, and I’m getting plugged into those once again and really re-establishing myself in those communities.”

While Downing once ran Atlas Professional Services, a short-lived firm that worked with underground construction, public infrastructure and utility acceptance testing, he also made his mark in the ODOT civil rights division as its business programs manager. There, he worked to provide equitable contractor engagement throughout the state as he developed programs to connect small businesses with governmental agencies and their capital projects.

Now he’s back working in a familiar role, albeit in the private sector. In short, Downing is looking to find minority-owned businesses interested in partnering on projects with Skanska, much like he did for the state up until three years ago. This primarily has to do with Oregon’s Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity, or COBID. This program certifies qualified businesses or contractors owned by minorities or women. Using those certifications, prime contractors or others can fulfill state or federal diversity mandates required of public projects. These standards are also widely used in the private sector, which is where Downing comes in with Skanska, one of the largest prime contractors on the West Coast.

“It’s a lot of public-facing interaction,” he said. “I work with a lot with advocate groups for small businesses owned by minorities and women, and we talk about anything and everybody.”

Community building is a big part of this process, he said, noting he works with groups such as the Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Program, the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs and the National Association of Minority Contractors’ Oregon chapter.

“I interact with those groups that are trying to build their communities in different ways through construction, specifically,” he said. “And then I collaborate with a lot of public agencies, prime contractors and growing contractors to help those same communities.”

In the Northwest, Downing has found it difficult to find enough certified contractors for Skanska to partner with. The same was true when he worked for ODOT.

“We do these big projects with a lot of requirements, a lot safety involved,” he said. “So how does someone like Skanska work with an owner to help remove the barriers to make it more appealing for small companies? That’s a challenge … the reality is there are not enough out there, there’s too much work and not enough contractors to fill these goals.”

Trust issues also come into play.

“You have companies out there, and I was one of them, not really trusting the government,” Downing said. “There are some businesses out there that just won’t go down that road.”

Part of the issue could be the amount of financial and other confidential information required of applicants. But Downing doesn’t think that’s the entire story.

“It’s really not that invasive, but some people are overly cautious,” he said. “There are a fair amount of people who wouldn’t necessarily get certified, yet public agencies want us to use certified firms. So there’s this gap; how do you bridge that? It usually takes seeing other small businesses getting certified to break down those barriers.”

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Growing up in foster homes in the Detroit area, Reynelda Hayes struggled to overcome what she calls “you-can’t-make-it syndrome.” For years she was “afraid of success.”

But through a mix of hard work and help from others, Hayes managed to start a successful flagging company that has worked on a number of major public projects in Oregon.

“This is me right here; this is my baby,” Hayes, 53, said while in the nondescript All About Flagging office in Portland on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. “All my kids are grown. All my grandkids are basically grown. So it’s just me. This is my life right here.”

All About Flagging was founded in 2014 and today is a regular subcontractor for Carter & Company; it also has performed jobs for Wildish Construction and Raimore Construction. All About Flagging has 29 employees, two trucks and a company car, and last year cleared $100,000 in payroll.

Hayes started flagging about 20 years ago. She previously raised four kids, working as a dental assistant, a certified nursing assistant, a housekeeper and a chef’s assistant. She worked for a few flagging companies that “weren’t really making it,” and underpaid her. One – Affordable Safe and Professional Flagging – folded after being for violations.

It was at Affordable Safe and Professional Flagging that Hayes met Carmen Cammon, who now takes care of back-office affairs for All About Flagging. Experiences at “dramatic” companies like Affordable Safe and Professional Flagging showed the pair how not to run a business.

“I said, ‘I’m going to do the opposite of what they’re doing,’ ” Hayes said.

There is more to flagging than just holding a sign, Hayes said. The business needs certification and the proper equipment. Flaggers need to use sunblock, wear comfortable shoes and drink plenty of water (but not too much). But most important is safety.

“(Hayes) is hard on them about that,” Cammon said.

Hayes credits many people and organizations with helping her enter the subcontracting world. The Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) provided initial support, including a few loans. Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) helped her get insurance, and the Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Partnership (MCIP) taught her bidding and estimating. Hays has been mentored by Regina Gilbert of Raimore Construction and Tracy Edwards of Turner School of Construction Management. She got an extended line of credit from Albina Opportunities Corp. for $75,000, and then another.

But amassing the initial resources is often a barrier for entry. Starting as a subcontractor often requires hefty investments in machinery and certification. But overall, to learn and cheaper to get into than other specialties, said Amy James Neel, construction instructor with Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.

“It’s a really good pathway to the construction field because it is so accessible,” she said.

Pre-apprenticeship work like flagging also looks good on a resume, Neel said. And it’s a good way to bide one’s time until an apprenticeship opportunity opens up, she added.

And a plus for Hayes is that the city of Portland and other governmental agencies in the area have goals for hiring women- and minority-owned firms for work on public projects. Nevertheless, construction startups often undercut other bidders to ensure they win work, said Chris Cross, MCIP’s construction development manager. Hayes acknowledged that starting out, she had to bid projects pretty tight. Now that she has a good reputation, she can make a little more money.

“We say your price gets you your first job; your performance gets you your second,” Cross said.

In addition to public contracts, Hayes pursues private ones even though they aren’t as lucrative for flagging companies. She is quick to introduce herself on the street or pull over to hand a business card to a utility worker.

Hayes has even found ways to diversify her business. She runs a little safety supply store out of her office, offering full $200 kits for new employees so they don’t have to run around to different stores. She purchased a number of light plants for night work and rents them out. She writes traffic control plans, teaches flagging instruction, and even works as a flagger for other companies in her spare time. The money she pockets goes into her own business.

For flexibility, Hayes sometimes shares employees with other firms.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth,” said Mark Millage, co-owner of one of those companies, J&M Flagging. “But as well, she’s helped our company a lot. She gave us a lot of insight. And she’s a good person to work for.”

To take All About Flagging to the “next level,” Hayes is using an Individual Development Account to branch into thermal plastics. She says her business would be the area’s first minority-owned one to perform striping. All About Flagging will have a space at the MCIP Subcontractor Trade Show on Feb. 18 at the Oregon Convention Center.

Cammon said she has been inspired by Hayes’ work ethic.

“The success of her business is really important to me, and I’m really proud of her,” Cammon said.

Hayes says she loves being the boss because she likes to help people. She likes seeing their faces when she tells them they’re hired, and knowing that their paychecks are helping them feed their families.

“I don’t just hire people so they can work for me,” she said. “I love working, and I don’t like working in an office.”

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Multnomah County is looking for subcontractors for the upcoming $250 million Central Courthouse project.

The project team on Friday will hold an outreach event from 9 a.m. to noon at Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs‘ office, at 731 N. Hayden Meadows Drive. Officials representing the county, design firm SRG Partnership and general contractor Hoffman Construction will be present.

The project was launched in 2013 and is in the design phase. Structural problems with the century-old courthouse building, located at 1021 S.W. Fourth Ave., helped kick-start the replacement effort. The facility’s unreinforced masonry walls do not meet current seismic codes, according to the county. Another issue is inadequate lobby space, which regularly leads to long lines extending outside of the building.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017, with a functional courthouse expected to open by 2020. The building will be constructed on county-owned land at either the Hawthorne bridgehead south site block (the county’s preference), or Block 128 between KOIN Tower and a Marriott hotel.

The future of the current building is uncertain. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its demolition has drawn opposition from preservationists.

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“I started a staffing company in 1981 and through the course of business saw both a need and an opportunity,” said Samuel Brooks, chairman of the board for the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME).

Formed in 1987, OAME works to eliminate discrimination and racism, and improve opportunities for minority-owned, women-owned and emerging small businesses. Since its creation, the Portland-based organization has grown to more than 850 members and bills itself as the largest organization of its type in the Pacific Northwest.

The group made headlines last year for its move to new headquarters in the Delta Park area, after it sold its longtime home on North Vancouver Avenue to a developer that planned to turn the property into a mix of apartment units and retail space.

These days, OAME’s members can pick and choose between a list of networking opportunities, luncheons and educational sessions. The organization’s brown bag lunches and “access to capital” meetings easily attract 140 people at a time. OAME’s annual trade show draws more than 3,000 attendees.

The organization’s success didn’t happen overnight.

When Brooks became the first African-American member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce in 1986, he noticed that minorities and women were poorly represented at functions, indicating to Brooks that there was room for improvement in the local business community.

As he worked tirelessly at his staffing company, S. Brooks and Associates, and with OAME over the years, he began to see positive changes.

While OAME has helped reshape the face of business in general in Portland, one of its most noticeable areas of accomplishment has been in the building industry.

“We’ve made a big impact in construction,” Brooks said. “Thirteen of the 15 largest contractors in Oregon are members. They come to us and ask, ‘How can we better serve (MWESB) businesses?’

“Federal programs that require a portion of the subcontracts go to MWSEB firms have helped by giving incentives, but we’d like to see a day when there’s no need for incentives and businesses give everyone a fair shake because it’s the right thing to do. We’re all in this together, and it’s good for all of us.”

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Portland Parks & Recreation officials are preparing to hire design teams and seek general contractors for two new parks in east Portland.

Requests for proposals from general contractors will likely be issued by early next month for Gateway Park & Plaza off of Northeast Halsey Street between 104th and 106th avenues and Beech Park near the intersection of Northeast 126th Avenue and Beech Street.

Today, Portland Parks & Recreation will host a fair for contractors interested in learning more about the projects. The fair will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. at Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs offices, at 731 N. Hayden Meadows Drive in Portland.

City officials are especially interested in hiring general contractors that will partner with minority-owned, woman-owned or emerging small businesses.

Contracts are being finalized for 2.ink Studio to design Beech Park and for PLACE Studio to design Gateway Park & Plaza, according to parks officials.

The 3.2-acre Gateway Park & Plaza will become the outdoor “living room” for the neighborhood, said George Lozovoy, a landscape architect and project manager with Portland Parks & Recreation. Plans call for a plaza that can accommodate farmers markets, festivals and other events; a picnic area; and a playground accessible to children with disabilities.

“It’s an urban plaza and a neighborhood park,” he said.

The 16-acre Beech Park will be adjacent to the Parkrose School District’s Shaver Elementary School in the Argay neighborhood. It will feature views of the Columbia River, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood; a sports field and a basketball court; playground and picnic areas; a community garden; and an off-leash dog park, said Britta Herwig, Portland Parks & Recreation capital project manager.

The aim is for both projects to fill a void in a part of Portland where residents are underserved, Herwig said.

“East Portland is not park-rich right now,” she said.

Construction is scheduled to start in early 2016; both parks are expected to open in spring 2017.

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The Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs held its 25^th annual trade show and luncheon May 9 at the Oregon Convention Center. The event featured displays by over 120 businesses, government agencies, and business development services, as well as a luncheon and awards ceremony.

During the luncheon Sam Brooks, chairman of OAME‘s board of directors, handed out awards recognizing companies and individuals for outstanding commitment to helping minority businesses throughout the state. In addition to awards recognizing efforts during the past year, the organization handed out legacy awards to honor companies that had show outstanding commitment over the past 25 years.

Cooper Zietz Engineer was named Minority Business of the Year; Island Landscape received the legacy award in that category.

Skanska received the Construction Company of the Year award while Hoffman Construction received the legacy award in the category.

Corporate Award of the Year honors went to Legacy Health; Pacific Power received the legacy award.

Three agencies — City of Portland – Procurement Services, Portland Development Commission, and the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services — received legacy awards in the Public Agency category. Multnomah County was named the winner of the Public Agency of the Year award.

The Chairman’s Award was presented to Home Forward.

Loretta Young, with the city of Portland Procurement Services, and J&J Leather Refinishing’s Cindy Cole received special recognition awards.

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