Chair Russ Speaks at Annual Conference of Minority Contractors

NYCHA Chair Greg Russ was among the featured speakers at the National Association of Minority Contractors’ (NAMC) 52nd Annual Conference in Queens on October 14-15.  

The conference, hosted by the NAMC New York Tri-State Chapter at Terrace on the Park, covered key issues affecting Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) construction contractors, general contractors, and various specialty trades.  

This summer, NYCHA began implementing a policy requiring that all vendors who want to bid on a NYCHA contract must subcontract 30 percent of the work to City-certified M/WBEs (15 percent to minority and 15 percent to women-owned businesses). The requirement is part of NYCHA’s efforts to maximize the participation of M/WBEs in the Authority’s procurement.  

“NYCHA is committed to increasing M/WBE participation,” Chair Russ said. “One of the most effective measures of achieving this is the increased M/WBE participation policy as part of our Transformation Plan goals.”  

The Authority is currently the third largest contributor for contract awards to M/WBEs in the city and has awarded more than $2.8 billion of its contracts to M/WBEs. Panelists at the NAMC conference included leaders from across the country in industries such as healthcare, finance, and technology.