ON TRACK FOR BIG COMMUNITY IMPACT

ON TRACK FOR BIG COMMUNITY IMPACT

BY SHAWN CARLIN, SENIOR BUSINESS LEADER | GILBANE BUILDING COMPANY

A new era of passenger rail has officially launched in Philadelphia. In 2016, in partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust, Drexel University, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Amtrak developed a comprehensive vision to serve as a roadmap for the improvement and development of Gray 30th Street Station and the surrounding district. This project is part of the first phase of the District Plan.

Utilizing funding from both public and private sources, the project has an estimated capital construction value of $550 million, with major elements of the station restoration and renovation to include:

∙ modernizing and expanding station food & beverage and retail offerings,

∙ improving station operations and enhancing the customer experience,

∙ upgrading The Porch landscaping and community amenities,

∙ modernizing Amtrak corporate offices, and

∙ enhancing building infrastructure to achieve and maintain a state of good repair.

Led by a public-private partnership (P3) between Amtrak and Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP), which includes Plenary Americas, Vantage Airport Group, and Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI), with Gilbane Building Company and SOM as the designbuild team, the project will position the station for the next five decades of growth and transform the travel experience for millions of people every year.

Getting onboard the P3 express

P3s allow public and private entities to pool their resources, expertise, and funding to create essential infrastructure. They can also be leveraged to achieve local priorities and community investment opportunities. Whether it’s local hiring and job creation, diverse-owned and small business (DOSB) engagement, capacity building, or community benefit programs, the public entity can prioritize the programs important to its stakeholders. Then, they can work together with the private entity to develop the plan and implement it.

A project of this size will be transformational for the City of Philadelphia in more ways than one. In total, the project is anticipated to create over 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, many of which will be created from the economic multiplier effects of introducing a project of this magnitude into the local economy. That’s why PIP worked with Amtrak from day one to identify opportunities to develop a comprehensive community impact plan. The team started with a joint commitment to socioeconomically disadvantaged workers and neighborhoods in Philadelphia. This commitment has driven every step in the process since the project began in 2021.

Workforce Development and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Inclusion

PIP developed an inclusion plan for the project that outlines our approach and commitment to engaging Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBE”), community hiring, and workforce development strategies during all phases of the project. The implementation of that plan began during design and will be followed throughout construction. PIP has committed to a DBE participation goal of 35% and is well on its way to meeting that target.

One strategy to accomplish that goal was Gilbane Building Company’s Rising Contractor program. The Gilbane Rising Contractor program allows Gilbane’s diverse and disadvantaged trade partners to develop and broaden their industry skills and knowledge while gaining first-hand insight into working with Gilbane. Upon completing the program, participants enter a oneyear formal mentorship agreement with a senior-level Gilbane representative. During this process, participants prequalify with Gilbane in preparation for bid opportunities upon graduation.

"Participating in the Rising Contractors program has been an accelerator for our company,” said David Lopez from DL Metal Design, an ornamental metal contractor awarded a $4 million contract on the project. “The information we gained on what is important to a larger construction corporation has helped us refine our approach to how we market ourselves to big firms as we attempt to grow. I would say the biggest impacts came from the networking capabilities and the one-on-one mentorship program that helped us develop a relationship with the Gilbane team, allowing us the opportunity to bid on large projects, and ultimately, we were awarded a multi-million-dollar project."

Other strategies Gilbane is using to meet the 35% DBE goal include targeted outreach to minority trade contractor groups, development of smaller, unbundled sub-contractor bid packages to increase the pool of qualified bidders, monthly reports from B2G to track contract goals and actual participation, and remediation measures for contracts and program elements that are lagging against our set goals.

Hire30th STREET

Working with Amtrak, PIP developed Hire30th Street Advisory Collaborative, a network of community- and faithbased organizations that have longstanding commitments to economic and community development in the West Philadelphia/University City District area and throughout the greater Philadelphia region. The program’s primary objectives are to support PIP community investment efforts in an advisory capacity related to outreach, training, recruiting, and retaining local job seekers and businesses. Their support to PIP has been invaluable as Hire30thSt members have advised on recruiting qualified residents for construction positions with the PIP team, informing subcontractors about hiring goals, assisting them with recruiting and hiring local residents for skilled and unskilled construction jobs, and providing interested job seekers with timely and accurate information about training and employment opportunities.

Developing a skilled craft labor force through registered apprenticeship programs is paramount to PIP. To maximize opportunities for individuals seeking a career in construction, PIP established a Community Apprentice Program that focuses on the economically disadvantaged communities of Philadelphia. Our team has already begun to work with established groups to help promote and identify candidates, pre-screen individuals and develop a list of applicants seeking apprentice “career” opportunities.

Beyond Construction

The best part about this P3 is that our impact extends beyond construction. As the phases transition from construction to operations, JCI will pick up the work efforts of Gilbane. Qualified DBEs and minority and women business enterprises (M/WBEs) will be included in JCI’s supplier database, adding to the constantly expanding list of qualified vendors. Throughout the 50-year Operations and Maintenance (O&M) period, JCI will provide supplier diversity training for internal departments and prime contractors to create additional capacity in the supply chain, offer access to the JCI Institute for lower-tier suppliers, deliver targeted hiring for O&M jobs; and include concession operators in diverse supplier outreach and opportunity matching across the supply chain.

PIP equity sponsor, Plenary Americas, has invested $2.5 million into a community impact fund dedicated to supporting career development and small business growth aspirations of women, people of color, and individuals of under-represented groups in West Philadelphia and throughout the City. The first grants were awarded in the last quarter of 2023 to preapprenticeship training programs run by the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council (Samuel Staten Sr. PreApprenticeship Program) and Finishing Trades Institute of the Mid-Atlantic Region (WINC, Women in Non-traditional Careers) as well as to Everybody Builds that works with the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Union and Apprenticeship programs to increase the local skilled diverse workforce in the construction industry.

Additionally, The Enterprise Center will receive a grant to support its ongoing efforts to promote racial and economic equity by providing access to capital to small businesses. Grants will be made to other local small business advocates, including the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA/DE/NJ, Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council, and Women Business Enterprise Council East.