I have been silent for a while so thought I would update everyone on a few upcoming events and some thoughts swirling around in my head. Not all of them, just the ones relating to diversity and inclusion in our beloved design and construction industry.

First, the second in a series of three or more classes to be held relating to discussion of the various chapters in my GUIDE TO BETTER BUSINESS book will be held at Hillsdale Fabricators on Thursday, April 5 from 4:00 to 5:30. This class will be titled ESTIMATING/BUDGETING/CONTROLLING. I would imagine the title will somewhat give away the subject matter but let me elaborate just a bit. This class will focus on the estimating process of a commercial construction project; some of the basic info you should know and be thinking about; some valuable tips to protect yourself; and the importance of getting your estimate right.

We will then continue to the BUDGETING part which will focus on how to use your finalized estimate as a BIBLE and a BUDGET which will then lead us into the CONTROLLING section which will focus on how to make sure the work you do in the field matches and checks back to your estimate and budget.

Anna’marie Baker of All Set, LLC will assist me with the budgeting and the controlling sections and she is worth listening to, for sure. You can decide later if my words of wisdom were worth your time but if you need a bit of guidance in your estimating skills, I think both of us will hit home on a point or two.

Come join us at Hillsdale—same room we have the PEOPLE meetings. No fee for the class but I would like to know if you are coming so shoot me an e mail at PEOPLEofconstruction@gmail.com and simply say…” Ron, I plan to attend the April 5 class.” To date we have six contractors that have sent me an e mail and it would be nice to see a dozen or so firms in attendance. I think we can all learn from each other.

The next piece of news is that we will have a regular PEOPLE meeting on Tuesday, May 8, same room, same time which will be 4:00 to 5:30PM. Hillsdale, for all you newcomers is located at 2150 Kienlen in Wellston area. Gated and secured parking to the rear on their well-lighted parking lot.

This meeting will focus primarily on some great opportunities coming up that I want to make sure everyone is following. I am working on a special guest speaker that may shed some inside light on some of these opportunities but have yet to make that connection. Who would you like to hear from?

And the last bit of news that I feel is important now as we prepare for the opportunities ahead of us relates to the CONTRACTOR LOAN FUND. We are still looking for qualified applicants to take advantage of the private money raised for the purpose of making capital available to the minority contracting community. We welcome your interest and your application for inclusion in the program.

There are two primary qualifications to get you in the first door and the first is to be certified as a MBE or WBE firm by the Lambert DBE office, the certifying agency for the City of St. Louis. The second qualification is to have an office and perform your work on projects within the greater St. Louis area. If you meet these two simple tests and want to go further, hop on the Contractor Loan Fund web site of WWW.Clfstl.org and read up on what the loan fund is all about. If you feel this program could well be for you, click on the Pre-Application button and download a form and return it by e mail to the address on the form.

This will get you in the game. The process is not all that different from obtaining a loan from a financial institution but we approach the financial and business information on a somewhat less than conventional basis and we are a friendly lot and there are some good people that will be available to guide you through the process. You may qualify for funds and you may not but we will get you to the point of knowing one way or another in a short period of time.

If you do not qualify—either for past or current credit issues or possibly some business issues in the past–there is help available to work with your company–if you would like such help–to get you in a better position to qualify later.

Please e mail me at PEOPLEofconstruction@gmail.com if you simply want to discuss or ask additional questions. It is that easy. I am working with Justine Petersen to manage the application process and will be a personal advocate for your firm.

One more thing…I will start my Capacity Building Mentoring Program in May and will discuss this program in greater detail at the PEOPLE meeting on May 8. Essentially, this will be a program to work one on one with minority firms to help to guide their business and get them meaningful engaged in the industry. If you feel this program would be of interest to you, e mail me and I will send you additional information.
See you soon.

Ron