U. tops targets for hiring minorities, women on project

Women, minority and locally owned firms had a key role in Sansom Common construction. The University has exceeded its projections for hiring minorities, women and local residents in the construction of the Sansom Common retail complex, according to a Penn official. The Sansom Common Economic Opportunity Program is part of the University's five-point West Philadelphia Initiative. It seeks to secure the employment of three main population segments -- minorities, women and local residents -- in the Sansom Common construction work force. "At all levels of the project we have exceeded our initial projections, which were aggressively set at the beginning of the project," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. The University and the project's general contractor, Turner Construction, have made deals throughout the project with sub-contractors to either hire a target number of minority, women and local workers or to purchase materials and services from local, minority-owned and women-owned businesses. And the recently compiled results are surprisingly impressive, Shannon said. As of the end of January, a total of $10.2 million in contracts with minority-owned firms and an additional $5.4 million with women-owned companies had been awarded either directly by the University or its sub-contractors working on the $120 million Sansom Common retail and hotel complex. That represents over 40 percent of the total amount of contracts awarded so far, Shannon said. And the number of minority and female workers as of mid-January who filled a construction trade position totaled 26.8 percent of the positions filled on the project. The employment program's governing committee -- composed of Penn and public officials and local community leaders -- also tracks where the workers live. Shannon said that 114 workers came from West and Southwest Philadelphia out of a total of 531 Philadelphia residents. While the employment program was originally intended only for the construction of Sansom Common, its success led the University to use similar strategies for other construction contracts in the complex. Shannon said the committee estimates that over 55 percent of the $5 million in additional contracts in the hotel will go to minority and women-owned enterprises. "While impressive in and of itself, that number becomes even more impressive because it dramatically exceeds the figures generated for the Convention Center and Marriott projects in Center City," Shannon noted. Once construction ends, Shannon said, he hopes that the Inn at Penn will continue to use the same firms as suppliers. He said officials are currently talking to DoubleTree Hotels, which is running the Inn, about such a plan. Shannon said the project will soon be expanded to other University initiatives, including the Sundance Cinema project on 40th Street and the Civic Center renovations. "Given the success that we're enjoying on this project? we intend to replicate and expand the program to other projects throughout the campus in the future," Shannon said. The University and Turner Construction have also worked with the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition over the past two years to train employees for admission into area unions where they can continue work in their trade. These support programs, like one in which five workers passed union exams and joined a sheet metal union, will continue to support the University's economic plan for West Philadelphia, said Herb Young, director of community affairs for Turner Construction. "This relationship between [the union] and the University will continue to have a positive effect for West and Southwest Philadelphia for those interested in becoming a part of trade unions in the future," Young said.

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