Minority & Small Business Week
September 27. 2006
Page B5
Curiosity Leads to Work as Architect
Bill Hart
leads his own
company
C harity P rat er
for T he P orit . and O bserver
by
As a five year old boy. Bill
Hart’s dream of being an ar­
chitect was as grand as the
tree house’s he built with his
father and neighbors.
Perhaps because of simple
curiosity, Hart would gather
2x4s, which were readily avail­
able from his dad’s small con­
struction company, and cre­
atively manipulate the wood into
different structures in different
spaces.
“ Mom, I want to be an ar­
chitect,’’ he would tell her.
47 years later. Hart has ful­
filled his childhood dream. He
has been the principal of his
company, Carleton Hart Archi-
His firm specializes in cre­
ating buildings that work as a
place for people to gather
within the community.
One o f his m ost recent
projects is the redesign of the
University Park Community
Center, a Portland Parks and
Recreation facility that’s lo­
cated next door to the New
C olum bia neighborhood of
north Portland.
Hart particularly enjoy s see­
ing people of all ages able to
meet in com m unity centers
where they can enjoy educa­
tion and fitness.
University Park was a vic­
tim of low funding, deteriora­
tion, old equipment, poor light­
ing, petty am enities, and a
growing neighborhood until his
Carleton Hart Architects took
Michael Johnson
African
American
Business
Support
photo by C hari ty P rater /F or T he
P ortland O bserver
BUI Hart followed his childhood dream to becoming a leading architect in the city of Portland. His work includes
the redesign of the University Park Community Center (above) in north Portland.
on the project.
Hart has added his touch with
bright colors, wide doors, open
windows, andexcellent ventila­
tion to bring the outdoors in on
pleasant summer days.
The center is now stuffed
with machines, gyms, classes,
and people o f all ages since
the building's rejuvenation.
A future upgrade will trans­
form the current small gym in
a community room and audito­
rium with room to double as a
single court gymnasium. A
master plan also includes an
aquatics facility, pending fu­
ture funding.
Hart admits his love for his
community and his two dimen­
sional art is a perfect fit for
him and if he had to do it all
again he would, with no ques­
tion, “ Be an architect.”
Celebrating the success
o f A fric a n A m e ric a n -
owned small businesses -
grow ing four and a half
times faster than all small
businesses - Wells Fargo
and Turning Point M aga­
zine have awarded the 4th
a n n u a l L iv in g H isto ry
Maker Entrepreneur Award
to Michael Johnson, founder
and president of Em Johnson
Interest, Inc.
EJI is a leading San Fran­
cisco Bay Area real estate
development company dedi­
cated to the construction of
mixed-income and afford­
able housing projects, in­
cluding urban redevelop­
ment, new construction and
rehabilitation of m ixed-in­
come, and affordable rental
apartments.
A recent example of EJI’s
success is the Fillmore Heri-
coiitiinied
We Want To Do Business With You
W e are s triv in g to increase the num bers
of minority-owned, women-owned, and emerging small
businesses that provide goods and services to us.
We have opportunities for suppliers and consultants across a
range of professional services, including the technical, creative,
finance, and legal fields. We can help businesses and individuals
enter the construction industry with resources such as the
Sheltered Market, Technical Assistance, and Workforce Hiring
and Training programs.
Multnomah County,
Oregon
Contact our agencies at the numbers or websites listed below
for specific opportunities.
Housing Authority of Portland
Jerry Walker, 503.802.8509, www.hapdx.org
Multnomah County
Lisa Williams 503.988.5111 x 22596
www.multcopurch.org
Metro
Cinna’Mon Williams 503.797.1816
www.metro-region.org
City of Portland
Bureau of Purchases
Gregory J. Wolley, 503.823.6860
www.portlandonline.com/omf/purchases
M ETRO
PEOPLE PLACES
OPEN SPACES
Portland Water Bureau
Susan Bailey 503.823.1956
www.portlandonlme.com/water
Office of Transportation
Gayle Wallace, 503.823.6827
gayle.wallace@trans.ci.portland.us
I
on page HIO