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In South Carolina, a gap exists between the business educational
needs of HUB contractors (Historically Underutilized Businesses)
and existing training programs that help build the capacity of
small companies. In early 2005, a consortium of institutions
of higher education, community organizations and companies
was assembled to both promote and accelerate the utilization
of HUBs on construction projects in SC. A 14-week “Contractor
Business Academy” was developed that exposes participants to
the essential skills necessary for managing a competitive business
in today’s ever-changing marketplace. Through sponsorships and
partnerships in the community, we have been able to offset some
of the financial requirements that may have presented barriers to
participants’ enrollment.
To enhance opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) to participate in construction projects throughout South
Carolina by providing education and training essential for managing a competitive construction company.
What we do
Through an open and targeted outreach effort, our goal is to
increase the number of minority businesses qualified to provide
goods and services to larger contractors in the region, and to
increase the level of economic activity and local employment in
the construction industry in the tri-county area. Our curriculum
includes topics such as: Pre-qualification and Strategic Planning,
“Green” Building (Earthcraft Standards), Operations and
Financial Management, Blueprint Reading, Project Scheduling,
Contract and Project Management, and Bidding and Estimating.
Instruction is provided by accredited trainers and veteran
construction professionals. |
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Future Goals
Our short term goal is to continue to refine our Academy to
provide real value and positive economic outcomes for an ever
expanding group of area participants. In the longer term, we
hope to provide a financially self-sustaining program that can be
replicated in other areas of South Carolina. In addition, we will
continue to support the efforts of our Alumni organization, the
SC HUB Guild, to encourage joint ventures to aid in procuring
larger contracts, increased networking opportunities, and the
recruitment of students for future HUB Academy classes.
Results & Achievements
To date, we have held 4 successful 14-week HUB Academy
Training Sessions, with 67 specialty contractors completing the
program. The Lowcountry HUB Academy’s Spring 2006 graduates
created an Alumni organization, the SC HUB Guild. This “for
profit” group’s purpose is to encourage joint ventures with other
Guild members in order to procure larger contracts, to actively
recruit students for future HUB Academy classes, and to provide
networking opportunities for contractors, specialty contractors
and potential clients. The Guild’s motto is “Small opportunities
are often the beginning of great enterprises.” ~Demonsthenes
Lowcountry HUB Business Academy
1360 Truxton Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-745-1722
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