January 3, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Beginning in February, Vanderbilt University will host the Turner Construction Management Training Institute on campus to teach technical and managerial skills to leaders of minority- and women-owned construction businesses. The 16-week program will help participants improve profitability and build a reputation of efficiently managing construction contracts.
Organizers say that the goal of the training institute is for graduates to gain the skills necessary to strengthen their businesses in size and quality, putting them in a position to take advantage of business opportunities with large organizations such as Vanderbilt, Turner Universal Construction and Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
The program is made possible by the Nashville BusinessLINC Coalition, a partnership between the University’s Vendor Diversity program, Union Planters Bank, Turner Universal Construction, Woodbine Community Organization and the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development. The Nashville BusinessLINC Coalition also administers a Community Development Loan Fund, which was funded by Union Planters Bank, National Bank of Commerce, the Bank of Nashville and First Tennessee Bank.
Classes will be taught primarily by representatives of Turner Universal Construction, with some classes taught by Vanderbilt faculty, representatives of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and local participating coalition members.
“The classes are targeted to general and subcontractors, construction managers, construction consultants and individuals who work closely with construction firms,” according to Oliver Dent, local project director for the BusinessLINC Coalition, a national initiative of the SBA and the U.S. Department of Treasury.
According to the SBA website, BusinessLINC started in 1998 “to encourage more private sector business-to-business linkages that enhance the economic vitality and competitive capacity of small businesses, particularly those located in economically distressed urban and rural areas.” The “LINC” acronym stands for learning, investment, networking and collaboration.
“We not only provide education and funding, but also promote business-to-business partnerships that improve the competitiveness of disadvantaged firms,” Dent added.
The model for this institute is the construction management training program developed and piloted 15 years ago by Turner Construction. The program to be taught in Nashville differs from the model, however, in that it includes classes on “Getting Online: The Value of the Internet for Your Business” and “Bonding and Insurance.”
Classes, for which enrollment began in October, will meet for several hours one night per week for four months. Participants will pay a nominal fee to take the classes, and class size will be limited. The local BusinessLINC office is handling applications for the classes.
Classes will address such topics as “Refining Your Business Plan for Continued Growth,” “Banking in Today’s Economy,” “Risk Management,” “Estimating: the True Value” and “How to Win Bids, Perform and Get Paid.”
Graduates of the program will have access to capital to finance their businesses’ expansion, made possible through funding by the banks participating in the Community Development Loan Fund and administered by the BusinessLINC Coalition.
"Vanderbilt is in the business of education," said Lauren Brisky, Vanderbilt’s vice chancellor for administration and chief financial officer. “We take special pride in being able to provide a platform for continuing education for minority and women business owners in our community so that they may enrich their professional lives. After all, that is what education is all about."
The Metro mayor’s office has endorsed this training program. "We are pleased to join Vanderbilt University in supporting the efforts of the Nashville BusinessLINC Coalition Construction Management Training Course," said Tom Jurkovich, director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development.
"Advanced training opportunities will open new doors for contracting and contribute directly to increase jobs and economic development for the participants. Our hope is that this program creates enhanced opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses and provides access to training that will benefit the entire community."
Turner Universal is a subsidiary of The Turner Corporation, recognized as the leading general builder in the United States, ranking first or second in major segments of the building construction field. During 2001, through Turner Universal, Turner Construction and other construction subsidiaries, The Turner Corporation completed $6.3 billion of construction.
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Media contact: Susanne Loftis, susanne.loftis@vanderbilt.edu, 615-322-NEWS