William D. Watley, Secretary of Commerce, Dan Kirton, Program Manager, SCC Office of Diversity and Emerging Business Markets, Gregory W. Adkins, Executive Director, NJ Urban Enterprise Zone Program, NJ Commerce

SCC Office of Diversity and Emerging Business Markets Honored by the
NJ Small Business Development Centers

Elizabeth, NJ (December 5, 2003) - Dan Kirton, the SCC's Program Manager for the Office of Diversity and Emerging Business Markets, was honored by the NJ Small Business Development Centers for his dedicated efforts toward ensuring minority, women and small-owned businesses have access to opportunities within the school construction program. Dan's mission of increasing accessibility to school construction contracts for these groups means working not only with other state agencies and departments, but with local officials, general contractors and project management firms. He is also intricately involved with local outreach efforts to recruit minority, women and small-owned businesses to become pre-qualified and bid on SCC managed projects.

Through the SCC's Office of Diversity and Emerging Business Markets, the SCC has taken the Governor's commitment to diversity very seriously. Under the Governor's leadership, Dan's group helped to roll out two new initiatives this Fall to increase the participation of small business contractors in school construction projects. The new programs are designed to increase awareness and provide technical assistance. The SCC worked not only with the Governor's office, but legislators, the construction industry and other state agencies, including the Department of Treasury and the Commerce and Economic Growth Commission, to make these initiatives a reality.

The Surety Bond and Working Capital Assistance Program is designed to enhance the ability of small, women-owned and minority-owned firms to compete for school construction contracts. The Marketing and Outreach Program will focus on small, women-owned and minority-owned firms in an effort to make them more aware of the resources available to them and the scheduled work that will be put out for bid. Another aspect of this initiative involves reaching out to minority members of communities where school projects are planned, in order to ensure that they are more fully aware of and involved in the planning and construction of school projects in their communities.

These programs address fundamental barriers that firms have historically encountered in accessing the bonding and lending resources needed to compete for and complete construction projects. The SCC believes the Surety Bond and Working Capital Assistance Program is the first of its kind in the country to be implemented on a statewide basis.

The SCC joins the Small Business Development Centers in applauding Dan for his efforts to help foster strong and viable small businesses enterprises for the school construction program.

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