At the corner of South Paca and West Streets today, Baltimore City Department of Public Works Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E., visited a worksite where a small business owner and graduate of DPW’s 2016 Small Business Development Program (SBDP) cleaned a City sewer line. Christopher Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Grace Management and Construction LLC, was one of the first in his small business development class to secure a subcontract on a DPW project.

Director Chow encourages new businesses to follow in Mr. Williams’ footsteps by participating in the 2018 ‘Growth by Design’ Small Business Development Program, which begins its third year on September 6. The deadline to apply is August 24.

Since the program’s inception in 2016, contract-ready SBDP alumni have generated over $2.5 million in revenue through Baltimore City contracts and related services. Of the 81 businesses represented by 103 alumni from the 2016 and 2017 programs, 46 have become Baltimore City MWBE certified and 24 are pre-qualified to bid on City contracts ranging from $50K - $1.5 million. Additionally, 76 program participants are now OSHA-certified.

 “`Growth by Design’ is a 10-week SBDP program. The program was created to help businesses become contract ready and strategically positioned to compete for over $3 Billion of utility construction work,” said Director Chow. “That work includes Consent Decree sewer rehabilitation/replacement and related capital improvements under drinking water, stormwater and wastewater projects.”

Paul E. Taylor, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business, and Anwer Hasan, P.E., senior vice president of Louis Berger, joined Director Chow on the worksite visit to observe Grace Management and Construction in action. 

“The Pugh Administration champions small business and our Mayor believes normative diversity is what we should be doing,” said Mr. Taylor. “’Growth by Design’ is an excellent way to learn how to do business with the City of Baltimore, and how we develop, create and expand opportunities for individuals to grow into bigger, stronger companies.” 

Grace Management is a subcontractor to Midas Utilities, one of several prime contractors making improvements to the sanitary sewer system under Baltimore’s Wet Weather Consent Decree Program.

‘Growth by Design’ small business program is open to certified and certifiable minority/women owned businesses interested in Consent Decree work, specializing in: concrete construction, construction program/project management, excavating, landscaping, pipeline installation, post-construction clean-up, scheduling, sediment and erosion control, sewer construction, site work, traffic control and underground utilities.

Classes will be held at the Montebello Pumping Station and Maintenance Building, 3501 Hillen Road.  Enrollment is $199 and includes all training materials and meals.  For more information or to enroll, call 410-433-2400, email sbd@baltimorecity.gov, or log on to publicworks.baltimorecity.gov/smallbusinessdevelopment.