American DBE Magazine - National Small Business Leadership Summit

BTG to Host Virtual National Small Business Leadership Summit

DBEs across the country are hopeful and anxious to participate in business opportunities coming from a new infrastructure bill and other federal initiatives to address long-standing under-investment in highways, public transit, aviation and more critical needs. However, many diverse firms are not up-to-speed on industry trends, legislation and major projects that will offer significant contracting opportunities in the upcoming months and years. This need created the impetus for a virtual National Small Business Leadership Summit scheduled for Oct. 5-7, 2021, to provide timely information to diverse firms across the country that will position them to take advantage of the upcoming opportunities.

Hosted by Business Transformation Group (BTG), the upcoming summit will provide half-day sessions on three consecutive days using the Zoom platform with the goal of increasing the readiness and participation of diverse businesses in major infrastructure projects by providing information they need to know to be successful. “We want to make sure businesses have a broader national view of what’s happening regarding industry trends, federal legislation that will impact their business, and how major projects may offer new opportunities for business growth,” Joe Lewis, principal of Business Transformation Group, said.

Although the summit is an inaugural event, Lewis expects it will be a catalyst and platform for a continuing dialogue within the government, infrastructure development industry, and diverse business community. The focus is on delivering the best strategies and processes to increase equity and inclusion in major infrastructure projects planning, design and construction.

Industry Outlook and Trends

The first component of the summit will look at three emerging industry trends impacting the industry and creating new business opportunities - autonomous vehicles, innovative project procurement models, and digital project development

(E-Construction). Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater will kick off this session, sharing his expertise on the planned growth of autonomous vehicles in the country and the impacts on the design and development of future infrastructure systems. Slater is a partner at Squire Patton Boggs law firm based in Washington, D.C.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and law firm Squire Patton Boggs partner Rodney Slater will discuss the role electric vehicles and rail will play on the future of U.S. infrastructure development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the National Small Business Leadership Summit.

This session also will explore the growing use of new project procurement models such as preliminary development agreements (PDA) and progressive public-private partnerships (P3s). These new models are coming into play just as small and diverse firms begin to fully comprehend the impact of P3s and design-build procurement methods on their business operations. E-Construction is another trend that will soon impact small and diverse businesses as the use of computer software and internet-based tools will lead to a paperless process for the design and construction of major infrastructure projects from now on. The trend will require small firms to invest in computer hardware and software systems to participate effectively in the design and construction.

“All of these trends will have an impact on how small and DBE firms participate in major projects in the future,” Lewis said. “We want to help facilitate the exchange of the right information to business owners now, so they can begin to prepare and not be left behind when opportunities happen.”

Legislation with Opportunity for Diverse Firms

Participants in the summit will get updated information on legislation and presidential executive orders poised to create opportunities for diverse firms. A new infrastructure bill was recently passed in the Senate on Aug. 10 and advanced to the House of Representatives. With $550 billion in new federal spending, the measure would provide $65 billion to expand high-speed internet access; $110 billion for roads, bridges and other projects; and $25 billion for airports. The new package should provide the funding for an unprecedented level of spending to modernize transportation systems across the country and include a reauthorization of the federal DBE Program requiring that recipients of federal funding provide opportunities for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises to participate in the work.

The summit agenda plans to examine the implications of President Biden’s Justice 40 Initiative from Executive Order 14008 that requires recommendations from government agencies to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate change initiatives flow to disadvantaged communities. The components will focus on investments in the areas of clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure. A panel of experts will discuss strategies for diverse firms to be positioned to participate in the opportunities coming from this executive order.

Business Opportunities Through the Greenwood Project

Taking its name from the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, better known as “Black Wall Street,” the summit will explore steps to create a national network and database of diverse firms that are ready, willing and able to participate in large infrastructure development projects. The Greenwood Project will serve as a small business ecosystem where collaboration, engagement and growth potential merge on its own virtual platform.

The BTG-powered platform will help firms stay abreast of upcoming opportunities across the country, assess their capability to work on these projects, and connect with large contractors seeking partners to work with. “We are leveraging the lessons learned from more than a decade of work on major infrastructure projects valued at more than $30 billion to launch a new tool that can help DBEs connect the dots and effectively participate in upcoming major projects. During this time, we saw no one paying attention to those minority firms who need the marketing prowess to cross multiple states and successfully expand,” Lewis said.

Business Transformation Group (BTG) President & CEO Joe Lewis will lead a national discussion on the trends and opportunities for small and diverse companies in the transportation industry at the National Small Business Leadership Summit.

Data-Driven Information

According to Lewis, this platform creates a virtual place where diverse firms can periodically learn about national projects, timelines and potential needs of large design and construction firms pursuing the work. BTG leadership hopes this broader, nationwide focus creates greater opportunities for major infrastructure projects for diverse firms seeking a cost-effective way to grow. “We want DBEs to see the need to grow and develop so they are ready for these opportunities, so they can participate and grow their wealth – because that’s where the wealth is made, on these major projects,” Lewis said. This content is timely, also featuring future infrastructure projects such as the HireLAX Program, the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, and the Hitachi Rail Project.

BTG plans for the summit to use data analytics to accurately demonstrate the impacts and opportunities of the industry trends shared on Day 1 of the summit and show the full scope of industry projects that a new infrastructure bill will create for diverse firms. Lewis said: “The summit will go beyond presenting anecdotal information that is useful, but doesn’t give measurable data that businesses can use to plan for the future and make strategic investments. This summit will do that.” Registration for the BTG

Summit is open on the event website https:// summit.btgworks.com/. The first 50 registrants will receive a branded background image to upload and use on Zoom during the virtual half-day event.