Courses Will Prepare Minority, Women-Owned, Small, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (MWSDBE) and Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOB) from Newark and Elizabeth to Compete in Prime and Subcontractor Opportunities Associated with Replacement of AirTrain Newark

 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced a new partnership with the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) to implement a training program for minority, women-owned, small, and disadvantaged business enterprises (MWSDBE) and service-disabled veteran owned business (SDVOB).

 

This program will prepare and position firms located primarily within the municipalities of Newark and Elizabeth, N.J., to compete for prime and subcontractor opportunities associated with the AirTrain Newark replacement program and other projects. The Port Authority will replace the existing AirTrain Newark system with a new 2.5-mile automated train system under a multi-phase procurement process.

 

In keeping with its commitment to communities surrounding its facilities, the Port Authority developed several programs designed to engage local communities in the areas of workforce development and job creation; diversity, equity and inclusion; and education.

 

“At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, we keep the region moving by air, land, rail and sea, so that the people and businesses of our region continue to thrive,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.  “As one of the largest economic generators in the region, we also have a commitment to an inclusionary contracting practice and to ensuring the economic benefits of our infrastructure projects are available to the communities surrounding our facilities, which includes job opportunities.”

 

“The Port Authority recognizes the value of a diverse workforce and supplier base that reflects our region,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “That diversity will help enhance and promote our operational effectiveness, our brand and our impact in the community, particularly as we are modernizing our facilities.”

 

“These times remind me of words that were expressed by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,’” said John E. Harmon Sr., the founder, president and CEO of AACCNJ.  “We are now in those times once again and the optimal outcomes can be realized when the rules of engagement are clearly defined, and the playing field is available to all to compete effectively with value being the declared goal. The AACCNJ applauds the Port Authority and its team of professionals in their support of our collaborative approach to identify talented businesses from communities near the proposed AirTrain Newark replacement program at a time when others are trepid about creditably engaging MWSDBE and SDVOB enterprises to compete for public and private sector opportunities.”

 

“This is a one-of-a-kind executive education, workforce development and bonding capacity building program. It will increase the readiness of small businesses to sign contracts. It leverages the Port Authority’s commitment to local contracting, the connections of AACCNJ, the research on minority business development of CUEED and expertise in procurement of Integrity Compliance Consulting,” said Lyneir Richardson, assistant professor of practice at Rutgers Business School and executive director of the Newark Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED).

 

Program participants will be connected directly to leaders in finance, law, accounting, information systems, procurement, supply chain, bonding, and human resources. The program sessions are held at Rutgers Business School in Newark, N.J.  The second cohort begins today with classes starting on Sept. 20. The Port Authority, with the AACCNJ, CUEED and Integrity Compliance Consulting (ICC) successfully launched the eight-week program consisting of classes with the following curriculum:

 

• marketing/branding/elevator pitch
• project and document management; construction management
• job cost
• bonding/general conditions for bidding/project labor agreements/prevailing wages
• work schedule/forecasting
• estimating/scheduling/change orders
• joint venture/contract law
• financials/bookkeeping/taxes

 

About AirTrain Newark

 

AirTrain Newark is a critical component of the operation of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The automated monorail system carries on average 33,000 passengers per day or approximately 12 million passengers per year. It provides access to the Northeast Corridor Rail Link station, connecting riders to NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak service, and provides customers and employees with the ability to transfer between terminals, parking lots and rental car facilities. The current AirTrain EWR, which has reached the end of its useful life, will be replaced with a new AirTrain system that will meet increasing passenger demands and enable world-class operations that provide for a 21^st century customer experience for airport visitors and employees.

 

About the AACCNJ

 

The AACCNJ performs an essential role in the economic viability of New Jersey. While providing a platform for New Jersey’s African American business leaders to speak with a collective voice, the AACCNJ advocates and promotes economic diversity fostering a climate of business growth through major initiatives centering on education and public policy. The chamber serves as a proactive advocacy group with a 501(c) 3 tax exemption, which is shared by the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

 

About CUEED

 

Rutgers University – Newark’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED) is the first center of its kind in the nation to integrate scholarly works with private capital, government, and non-profit sectors to develop citywide resources and bring renewed economic growth and vitality through urban entrepreneurship. It promotes and fosters a new generation of urban entrepreneurs who actively seek socially conscious urban renaissance. Its mission is to build a world-class research-driven, teaching and practitioner-oriented urban entrepreneurship and economic development program that will transform the economy of the city of Newark, New Jersey, and other urban centers; create wealth in urban communities; and be a model for all urban universities.