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Denver International Airport's Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation to Foster DBE Growth
Denver International Airport's Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation to Foster DBE Growth
Denver International Airport (DEN) is establishing itself as a diversity, equity, and inclusion leader in the transportation industry. The agency is demonstrating its leadership by designing and building the nation’s first airport facility wholly dedicated to the growth and development of businesses and the aviation industry's workforce.
DEN’s Center for Equity & Excellence in Aviation (CEEA) will accelerate economic and workforce development by increasing access for underserved communities and diverse businesses. The goal is to build generational wealth through industry opportunities. The CEEA positions the Denver airport as a hub for businesses seeking aviation talent. The center’s programs include a Career Pathways program, a Business Development Training Academy, and a Research and Innovation Lab.
The Career Pathways program concentrates on workforce development, providing graduated entry points to create a robust aviation talent pipeline. Emphasizing inclusivity, CEEA seeks to deepen equity impacts for marginalized communities, showcasing benefits through leadership development and fostering innovation. So far, the impact in the Denver region is evident, introducing students to aviation careers via workshops, tours, and school partnerships. Further community collaborations are planned for 2024.
The CEEA is an extension of Denver Airport CEO Phil Washington’s commitment to increase inclusion, leading the airport to be the first agency to sign the Equity in Infrastructure Pledge in 2022. The pledge demonstrates the airport’s intention to expand wealth-building opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). Washington was a leader in creating the Equity in Infrastructure Project to encourage government agencies and private sector corporations to commit to offering more opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms to access prime contracts on infrastructure projects, increasing the capacity of these firms and fostering wealth-building for diverse business owners.
The CEEA initiative also aligns with DEN’s Vision 100 strategic plan to prepare for and reach 100 million annual passengers. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are guiding principles of the agency’s actions in completing the strategic plan. The new facility provides a valuable resource for offering programs and services to business owners, employees, and the community to achieve the vision.
DEN selected Sky Blue Builders as the center's general contractor. Sky Blue Builders is an award-winning minority-owned contractor founded by President and CEO Mowa Haile. Haile grew up in Colorado after immigrating to the U.S. from Eritrea. He founded Sky Blue Builders in 2007 after a tenured career in the technology industry. After starting with just two employees, Haile has guided the company from $80K in revenue to a multimillion-dollar business, completing large projects for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.
“We are extremely honored to be selected as the general contractor for such an iconic project that will serve our community for decades to come,” Haile said in a press release “DEN has been instrumental in Sky Blue’s success over the last ten years, and we are proud to be part of CEEA, which will continue to provide training opportunities for other MWBE firms to grow and succeed at DEN.”
Home of the Business Development Training Academy (BDTA)
CEEA will serve as the permanent home of the DEN Business Development Training Academy. The BDTA’s mission is to support Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) during their business lifecycle at DEN by providing training at all transitional points of
the business. HUBs include companies participating in the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE) Program and the Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Program. The training curriculum helps companies create a systematic approach to entering DEN as a subcontractor in construction, professional services, goods and services, and airport concessions.
The BDTA selects participants through an application process that identifies firms seeking to learn how to do business at DEN. The program provides a learning experience that prepares businesses to bid on competitive contract opportunities successfully.
One of the goals of BDTA is to increase the pool of certified firms that are ready, willing, and able to do work and succeed at DEN. The program launched in 2022, and 57 businesses have graduated from the program so far. Seven graduating firms have successfully bid on over $60 million in contracts as prime contractors on DEN projects. The airport expects interest in the BDTA to continue growing, with plans for additional cohorts, including a new BDTA track for airport concessions. “Businesses have the increased knowledge to competitively bid and are better able to market themselves to prime contractors and DEN, with the ultimate goal of increasing generational wealth,” DEN CEO Phil Washington said.
BDTA consists of a three-l e v el training program that moves participants from entry-level contracting in the airport industry to an advanced level. DEN launched the Concourse 100 series of courses to introduce new businesses to the airport industry. Concourse 100 is a nine-week session with courses including Navigating DEN, DEN Procurement Process, DEN Contract Documents, and DEN Prime Partnerships. Once participants complete the Concourse 100 curriculum, they are eligible to select courses from the Concourse 200 and Concourse 300 series to advance their education in working at DEN.
Creating Results
Denver International Airport (DEN) recently announced it made payments of $742.3 million to HUBs and Small Business Enterprises since 2021, an increase of 105% compared to the three years prior from 2018-2021.
Washington was appointed DEN CEO in July 2021 and has advocated for increasing opportunities for HUBs throughout his tenure. “We are proud of the work we have been doing to reduce barriers for small, women and minority-owned businesses,” Washington said. “The numbers show that our work is making a difference, and that DEN is providing opportunities for more businesses to share in our success while contributing to the economic health of our region.”
In the federal fiscal year 2022, DEN exceeded its DBE goal of 27.6%. Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE) achieved 31.95% of airport concession revenues. In addition, ACDBE concessions business revenue has reached its highest amount in six years, reaching more than $200 million in 2023.
The successful participation of HUB and DBE firms in DEN contracting has also created exceptional results for the Great Hall terminal renovation project. The airport set significant goals for prime contractors and consultants working on the project and displays results on a project dashboard on DEN’s Great
Hall Program website. As of October 2023, the Great Hall design team Stantec has achieved 34% participation on its 35% goal. The LS|Gallegos project management team has reached 56% of its 56% MWBE goal. The Jacobs project management team has achieved 27% of its 20% MWBE goal, and the Hensel Phelps contracting team has reached 25% of its MWBE goal.
Washington is excited about the progress DEN is making to increase equity and expand opportunities for HUB firms and expects the new CEEA to create greater results. “At DEN, we value equity, diversity, inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability in all aspects of our business, including through contracting with the business community,” Washington added. “As such, it is critical to the success of the city, the airport and the business community that we not only promote the use of small businesses and historically marginalized groups of people, but also make impactful changes to our procedures that will increase access to city contracting opportunities for all businesses.”
