Groundbreak Carolinas

GroundBreak Carolinas

Your source for construction industry news in the Carolinas

Business

North Carolina MWBE Coordinators’ Network: 30 Years of Making a Difference

by Joan Krause, GroundBreak Carolinas on

The North Carolina Minority and Women Business Enterprise (NC MWBE) Coordinators’ Network recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Network started out as a “think tank” with seven members sharing strategies and ideas on administering minority business programs. Today, the group enjoys a membership comprised of diversity professionals from across North Carolina who represent an array of state agencies, universities, community colleges, municipalities and private organizations throughout North Carolina.

Pamela Gales, HUB Program Manager — Facilities Design & Construction — for the Wake County Public School System, is the current President of the NC MWBE Coordinators Network, which is based in Raleigh. “When the Network was founded in 1987, few municipalities had legally established inclusion programs for commodity purchases or construction projects,” said Gales. “Over the past 30 years, our membership has collectively worked to ensure that all segments of North Carolina’s communities have an equitable opportunity to participate in professional service contracts, procurement contracts, and construction projects — both public and private.”

The NC MWBE Coordinators Network meets quarterly at different venues around the state.

Gales noted that the Network accomplishes its mission through the efforts of dedicated and skilled members who have a passion for public service. “We continually strive through our respective organizations and programs to advocate issues and concerns of importance to the communities we serve,” she said.

“My hope for 2017-2018 is to continue to provide education, support, and resources to our members and the business community as we have done in the past, but with increased member participation to help us create an even brighter future,” said Gales.”There are a number of benefits to being a member.”

The NC MWBE Coordinators’ Network gets together quarterly at different locations around the state to share their knowledge and resources with each other. This includes an annual meeting held each November. The 2017 annual meeting is scheduled for November 3 in Wilmington, N.C.

Pamela Gales (at podium).

The Network’s most recent quarterly meeting was held in Greenville, N.C., in March. The one-day meeting was coordinated by Ferdinand Rouse, MWBE Coordinator for the City of Greenville, and the venue was the Greenville Museum of Art. As part of the program, Grady Mullis, Director of the museum, gave a personal tour of a current exhibit, Perceptions + Recognitions, a new body of work by internationally recognized photographer, Burk Uzzle, commissioned by the Greenville Museum of Art. The exhibition, which ran from February through April of this year, featured 25 original pictures of residents in eastern North Carolina. The display was designed to offer individuals, families, and organizations a way to experience their neighbors, whether familiar or unknown.

The NC MWBE Network’s next quarterly meeting will be held in the western part of the state on Friday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The July meeting is being hosted by the City of Asheville at the U.S. Cellular Center Banquet Hall located downtown. Find out more by visiting www.mwbenetwork.org/ or click here to register.

More about the NC MWBE

For a complete list of member organizations, visit https://www.mwbenetwork.org/membership.html. To view profiles on the entire Network leadership team and committee chairs, visit https://www.mwbenetwork.org/aboutus.html.