SU, Turner Construction Co. provide free educational program to help minority- and women-owned contractors

SU, Turner Construction Co. provide free educational program to help minority- and women-owned contractorsOctober 03, 2006Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Syracuse University and Turner Construction Co. — a national building services firm with construction volume of $7.4 billion in 2005 — are partnering to offer a free, six-week program to educate small, minority- and women-owned contractors about the business side of the construction trade.

“Building Your Future: A Construction Management Training Program” begins with an overview Oct. 3 and runs through graduation Nov. 14. Sessions will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-9 p.m. at SU’s South Side Innovation Center, 2610 S. Salina St. in Syracuse.

Topics covered during the 11 instructional sessions include fundamentals of estimating, practices and procedures of purchasing, financial management and accounting principles, bonding and insurance, OSHA requirements and construction safety, marketing concepts and strategies, and accounting and financial controls.

Graduates of the program will receive a certificate.

“This program is another Syracuse University initiative to reach out to the minority contractor community,” says Allan Breese, director of business and facilities maintenance services at SU. “The program will supplement the business skills of the contractors to assist them in competing in the business of construction.”

SU and Turner sent a mailing about the program to more than 65 local minority- and women-owned firms. A few seats remain for the sessions. Those interested in reserving a seat may contact Diane DiPino at (315) 443-1957 or djdipino@syr.edu.

SU’s Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction; Office of Human Resources; Purchasing Department; and Business and Facilities Maintenance Services have worked with Turner to develop and host the training program.

In 2005, Turner Construction Co. (www.turnerconstruction.com) awarded more than $1 billion worth of construction contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses. The company maintains a nationwide network of offices with more than 5,500 employees working on some 1,500 projects per year.

On Sept. 20, Turner was awarded the construction contract for the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Other projects awarded recently to Turner include a $120 million contract for Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J.; The Signature Tower, a 65-story residential landmark tower in Nashville; 10 Rittenhouse Square, a 33-story luxury condominium complex in Philadelphia; and a $31-million football facility for the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.