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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2011)
Page 16 % Minority & Small Business Week September 21, 2011 Minority Business Owner Leads by Example Maurice Rahming is advocate for creating opportunities A fter 13 years in business, tracting Forum and the Oregon De M aurice Rahming, president of partment of Transportation Indus O ’ Neill Electric, Inc., and immediate try Leadership Committee. He is on past President of the Oregon chap the Board of Directors for the Clean ter of the National Association of Energy Works; Portland and Clean Minority Contractors, continues to Energy Works; and is chair of the lead the charge for creating oppor CEWP Stakeholder Evaluation and tunities for minority contractors. Implementation Committee. O ’Neill Electric is a proud mem He helped draft the Portland De ber of the National Electrical Con velopm ent Com m ission N orth/ tractors Association, International Northeast Redevelopment Commu Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, nity Workforce Agreement. He also the District Council of Laborers, and recently worked with Multnomah the Pacific Northwest Regional County to set up a county-wide Council of Carpenters. legal summit on DBE utilization. The firm, started by Maurice and His leadership in this area has his wife Ali O ’Neill, has seen sub been recognized with his recent stantial growth since its inception, appointment by Gov. John Kitzhaber with sales in 2009 of over $9 million. as a Team Leader for Kitzhaber’s In 2004 and 2007, O ’Neill Electric, Energy Efficiency Team. In 2010, he Inc. was recognized by the Minority was recognized with the Daily Jour Business Opportunity Committee nal of Commerce “Newsmakers” as the Minority Construction Con award and was inducted to the Na tractor Award. tional Association of Minority Con Rahming has also been an out tractors Hall of Fame. spoken leader in advocating for “I would be quite a hypocrite if I greater utilization of MBE and DBE- did not back up these efforts with certified firms. minority utilization in my own com He sits on various committees pany,” says Rahming. O' Neill Elec prom oting m inority utilization tric, Inc. reports that, since 2007,34 throughout our city and our state, percent of its subcontracted work M aurice R ahm ing leads the charge fo r c re a tin g o p p o rtu n itie s fo r including the Mayor’s Fair Con- has gone to MBEs and DBEs. “Our m ino rity contractors. efforts to obtain MBE/DBE sub contractors and suppliers on every project are very aggressive. Be cause of our relationships through associations and mentoring, this happens naturally,” says Rahming. N A M C -O regon is proud of O ’Neill Electric’s efforts to ensure utilization of MBE and DBE certified firms and Maurice Rahming’s con tinued advocacy on those issues. "Maximizing the utilization of certi fied firms should be a goal for all owners and firms who contract, in cluding certified firms,” says Faye Burch, NAMC-Oregon vice-presi dent. “We must each do our part.” NAMC-Oregon is a nonprofit trade association that advocates for building the capacity of local minor ity construction and contracting businesses. Based in Portland, the organization works toward remov ing barriers for minority businesses, and finding solutions to the low percentage of Minority and Disad vantaged businesses participating in public projects. While membership is open to people of all races and ethnic back grounds, the organization's man date, “Building Bridges - Crossing Barriers,” focuses on construction industry concerns common to Afri can Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. Community Builders Partnership Formed rsurtb O’Neill Electric expands link with Walsh Construction O'Neill Electric, Inc. and Walsh Construction Co. have announced the formation of O ’Neill/Walsh Community Builders, LLC. The for mal partnership is the extension of an existing 10-year business rela tionship, which will build on both companies’ strengths and will pro vide opportunities to offer expanded services to new and existing clients. Maurice Rahming, President of O' Neill Electric, Inc., and Bob Walsh, President of Walsh Construction Co., will co-manage O'Neill/Walsh Community Builders, LLC. "O 'N eill/W alsh C om m unity Builders will be a leader in ensuring that the diversity in the construc tion industry will grow to reflect the diversity of the communities in which we build,” said Rahming. “We share a desire to continuously in cre ase d iv e rsity w ith in our workforces and our subcontractor pool, and to increase the capacity of diverse businesses.” O ’Neill and Walsh have joined forces on over 20 projects with a total construction value of $100 million. In the last seven years, O Neill,anMBE/DBEcertiiiedfirm in Oregon and Washington, has expanded its operations from an elec trical contractor to include general contracting work. W alsh's years of general con tracting experience will help O'Neill learn the skills to compete for and build larger general construction projects. At the same time, O ’Neill's strong ties in the minority contract- ing c o m m u n ity w ill in crease W alsh’s outreach capabilities and their access to diverse subcontrac tors, and will provide opportunities to improve their mentoring efforts. “The timing for a formal partner ship is perfect,” said Walsh. “This is the direct reflection of our own values and of what w e’ve heard from our clients; community involve ment on projects is important to owners. Building on the capacity of historically disadvantaged firms over the long term has become an integral part of building buildings. “ continued on page 27 F We nurture, uplift and empower the most vulnerable members o f our community. earn Volunteers of America Oregon changes lives by ▼ promoting self- Volunteers of America» determination, OREGON communities and building strong standing for social (503) 235-8655 | www.voaor.org justice.
