Minority- and women-owned contractors recognized at conclusion of six-week program teaching the business side of the construction trade

Minority- and women-owned contractors recognized at conclusion of six-week program teaching the business side of the construction tradeNovember 13, 2006Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Syracuse University and Turner Construction Co. will host a reception and dinner Tuesday, Nov. 14, as the culmination of a free, six-week program to educate small, minority- and women-owned contractors about the business side of the construction trade. Thirty-five program participants will be awarded certificates.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at SU’s South Side Innovation Center (SSIC), 2610 S. Salina St.

Speaking will be Louis G. Marcoccia, SU executive vice president and chief financial officer; Mark Breslin, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction; Steven Coker, president of the Minority Contractors Association; and Linda Terrell, president of the Upstate New York Regional Minority Purchasing Council Inc.

“Building Your Future: A Construction Management Training Program” began Oct. 3 with sessions 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the SSIC. Topics covered included 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.

Turner Construction and SU’s Office of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction; Office of Human Resources; Purchasing Department; and Business and Facilities Maintenance Services developed and hosted the training program.

“This program has provided the foundation on which other, more specific construction management training might be based,” says Allan Breese, SU director of business and facilities maintenance services. “Turner Construction and the University have already begun working with the Minority Contractors Association to develop the next level of classes. The knowledge transferred through these classes will provide the participants with many of the skills necessary to compete in the business of construction.”