The Enterprise Center in West Philadelphia has completed construction on a new community resource hub that was built entirely using the services of minority contractors.
The new three-story building, which had been in construction for over two years, is the result of a new approach taken by the Enterprise Center and the Pennsylvania MBDA (Minority Business Development Agency) Business Center centered on highlighting MBE (minority business enterprise) contractors that to the project receiving a $1.5 million grant from Wells Fargo.
“We set out with one singular goal when we first conceived of this project- make proof of concept around a holistic commitment to minority contracting. From the fully excavated basement to the tip of the roof, the Community Resource Hub project utilized 100% minority contractors of, by and for the community we are rebuilding here in West Philadelphia,” said Della Clark, president and CEO of The Enterprise Center.
“We are tired of empty promises and the unfulfilled potential we see around us. The thriving 52nd Street we see in the future will require more investment and innovative thinking to create a truly equitable growth environment. We welcome more partners who would like to learn and utilize best practices for minority contracting.”
Developed and constructed using a total of $2.5 million in public and philanthropic funding, the project used 16 different MBE contractors to create the hub that the Enterprise Center intends to use as offices for the Enterprise Center CDC as well as market rate housing for the local community.
In a statement, The Enterprise Center said it views the completed construction on the new resource hub as a “significant milestone” as it moves forward with a “larger strategic reinvestment plan for the historic 52nd Street commercial corridor.”
The participating MBEs were provided with mentorship from construction management firm LF Driscoll in completing the project, whose vice president, Mike Delaney, said he sees the completion of this project not as the end of the story but as the beginning of a potentially valuable partnership.
“We see this as but a small first step in what will prove to be an exponentially valuable partnership. Mentoring the next generation of minority tradesmen and women will fuel the future growth of our city, with benefits that will reach far into communities. We are excited to continue this work and further invest in our city’s workforce,” Delaney said.
