Turner School of Construction Management Launches 23rd Annual Training Program in Chicago

CHICAGO, Ill. — Turner Construction Company’s Chicago office will launch its 23rd annual Turner School of Construction Management training program beginning on June 14 for owners of minority- and women-business enterprises in the construction industry. The program is offered at no cost and provides an opportunity for participants to further develop and improve their skills, while networking with others in the construction industry.

The Turner School of Construction Management is designed to provide minority- and women-owned contracting companies with the tools necessary to pursue work in the private and public sectors.   Participants learn the essentials of managing a business, including how to develop a business plan, estimate and bid a larger job, obtain bonding, enforce safety principles and establish and manage credit, in order to become better equipped to compete for progressively larger contracts.   One goal of the program is to develop a pool of minority contractors with the necessary skills to perform work on future Turner projects.

Each class is devoted to a separate topic, including “Construction Law,” instructed by Michelle F. Kantor of McDonald Hopkins LLC; “Energy Efficient Buildings,” taught by Sandra Henry, Sr. Program Manager for ComEd; “MWBE & Small Business Concerns,” taught by Althea Taylor, President of Taylor Made Industries; and “Banking in Today’s Economy,” presented by Matthew Doucet, Vice President of the Construction and Engineering Department at Fifth Third Bank. This year’s sponsors of the TSCM program include :   The City of Chicago’s Department of Procurement, a sponsor since the early 1990’s, the Exelon Corporation, Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, the Federation of Women Contractors, as well as former participant of the Turner School of Construction Management, Mary Ann Lafler, president and owner of Construction Materials and Supply Resources.

Turner has a long and positive track record in the utilization of emerging, minority and women business enterprises on its projects. Turner was among the first companies in the industry to promote opportunities for M/WBEs and the first major builder to establish a formal community affairs department.   The Turner School of Construction Management is offered in more than 70 cities across the country and includes over 15,000 graduates.

The Turner School of Construction Management has been crucial in helping Turner achieve success in awarding over 56,000 contracts with a value in excess of $20 billion to minority- and women-owned business enterprises. For the past six years, Turner has surpassed the milestone of awarding more than $1 billion of contracts to M/WBE firms.

Turner has established an annual goal of 20 percent relative to the utilization of M/WBEs in the areas of construction, subcontracting, prime contracting, joint venture relationships/associations, and goods and services.

About Turner
Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in the major segments of the building construction field.   Turner annually completes $8 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company and one of the world’s leading international construction service providers. For more information, visit Turner’s website at www.turnerconstruction.com.