Portland observer., September 28, 1983, Page 21, Image 21

'I thought that I could do it better doing it my way'
vo lvem en i. A * far as the Surface
T ra n s p o rta tio n Assistance A c t goes,
there te no guideline regarding how
to im plem ent the la w . T h e State can
tw ist it and play games w ith it all
they w ant.**
C ra ig wants the b lack contractor
to be accepted on his o w n m erits.
W e the w illing led by the
u nknow ing
arc doing the Impossible
fo r the ung ratefu l.
W e have done so much
fo r so long w ith to little ,
w e arc not qualified
to do anything w ith n othin g.
“ Accept us on equal terms w ith ou t
shopping o ut bids and they should
by Lmile Duke
O n ts tro o i N e w t. M . I K — W hen
you w alk in to C o m p lete (hardening
Services that poem is the first thing
you read. T h e second item you no­
tice is the w it, h um or and candor o f
the p ro p rie to r, John M . C ra ig .
C ra ig started his gardening ser­
avoid ing and ignoring you. T h e y act
like they do not w an t to let you
(blacks) in to the m ainstream o f the
eco n o m y .”
H e calls the grants, loans, and as­
sistance acts very m isleading. “ By
the tim e those program s get to
O regon they are so m ilked d ow n to
w here it is too tim e-consum ing to
understand. A n d by the tim e you
understand it the benefits are just
ab o u t over. I f private industry really
w anted to help black businesses we
w o u ld n ’ t need the governm ent in-
this type of market to learn some­
thing. “ I f you can take advantage
o f this m arket you can get ahead. I f
you can save your pride you can
sneak in and ask the fo rem an to pay
you $7 an hour to tench you how to
”The attitude o f non­
minorities in Oregon says to us
that we are nothing. They act
like they do not want to let you
into the mainstream o f the
economy. ”
vice because he felt lim ited w hile
w o rk in g fo r someone else. “ I felt
that I could do it better d oing it my
w a y ."
Since 1970, C ria g has operated
w ith the m o th e r-w it and w isdom o f
the ages. H e does not b ite his tongue
when it comes to talk in g about
doing business in O reg on . “ T h e a t­
titu de o f n on -m ino rities in O regon
says to us that we are n othing. T hey
d o this by e lim in a tio n , suppression,
p u t the Unions; they d o n ’t have to
pay that big wage a n y m o re .’ *
C ra ig says he believes the youth
o f the ’«Os could take advantage o f
take in to consideration that m in o r­
ity businessmen and w om en w ill not
get the same type o f discounts as the
n o n -m in o rity . I f we are running
com petitive bids the m in o rity bid
w ill be fo u r or five percent higher
than the n o n -m in o rity .** H e states
this sorry fact o f life is due to years
o f d iscrim in atio n , overt and covert,
w hich puts the black businessperson
years behind in the system.
H o w does he evaluate today's
m arketplace? " I t is ab o u t the best
you can get to. W e are hungry. W e
are back to the 1930s. W e have to to
get o f f our backs. N o w they can b y­
SOLAR MECHANICAL INC.
• remodeling • service & repair
Jim Cason* plumbing & solar contractor*
(00 3 ) 2BB-W 1BZ2I
hang sheet-rock. T hey are paying
that other dude $14 an hour The
youth o f today needs to realize that
you have got to pay to learn. They
need to get some fat on their heads.
Y o u go w ith a guy fo r h a lf the price
and he w ill m ake you learn because
he is going to m ake you w o r k ."
T h e co m p etitio n am ong M B E s
w ho are contractors is silly, he
states. “ T h e re is a lack o f real
craftsm en in the business.** T h e
com petitio n is generated because
M B E s concentrate their e ffo rts in
P o rtla n d , O reg on . “ W e d o n ’t seek
Salem , Sandy or Coos B a y .”
John C ra ig sees a trend d evelo p ­
ing in the construction industry that
is aw ay fro m doing the d a y -to -d a y
w o rk . “ T h e A m erican m an is be­
com ing an a d m in is tra to r. H e is not
going to physically do the w o rk . H e
is going to be in a necktie and a
three-piece suit. O u r com pany is
going to w o rk w ith o u r hands and
we w ill m ake m oney because o f it. A
service type o f o peration is the kind
o f business that w ill m ake m oney to ­
m o rr o w .”
John Craig started C om plete Gardening Service
because he felt lim ited w o rkin g for someone else.
Craig sees fu tu re openings In Am erica for those
w h o can w o rk w ith their hands.
(Photo: Richard J. B rown)
Opportunity
knocks
for the
Minority Business
Enterprise.
BIG OR SMALL,
ALL OUR PROJECTS
ARE IMPORTANT
You've seen our projects. This past year, members of Associated General Con­
tractors completed the new 1-205 bridge connecting Oregon and Washington.
We built the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene. We dug channels
at Mount St. Helens to relieve flooding.
■
Medford has a new Fred
Meyer store and a new Rogue Valley M all. In Salem. AGC members built the
new Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs Office Building. The Red Lion
Hotel at Portland's Lloyd Center is an AGC project. We build beauty, conveni­
ence and strength.
■
You can be part of the AGC. even if you're not a
contractor. As an Associate Member, you can enjoy top-level participation with
contractors who lead the way nationwide. You'll be proud to be in the AGC.
At Rogers Cablesystems, there
are a lot of good opportunities for a
lot of good people. Like you.
We’d like to get the MBE
involved in cable television.
See us at our booth at the Civic
Auditorium on MBE day.
Contact Sandy Nless, Membership Coordinator
O r e g o n - ( ’. o liin ib ii! C h a p te r
Associated G en eral C ontractors o f A m eric a
O » Rogers Cablesystems
<>450 S W C o n im e n e C ir c le
W ils o n s ille . O K <>7070
« n n ju ii
(>H2*33(»3
f l e p r e i e n f i n g a l l o t O r e g o n a n d s ix c o u n tie s o f s o u th w e s t W a s h in g t o n
’ »k „•« • » •*•!« • . .
Portland Observer, September 28, 1983 Section II Page 7
a iw tW H .
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