With support from Kaiser Permanente, The Home Depot, Intuit, PG&E, Abell Foundation, Rich Dennis/Essence Ventures, Frieze Family Foundation, and Susan Schiro and Peter Manus, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) invites Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)- and woman-owned construction contractors from across the country to apply for the 2023 Building for Growth (BFG) program, with a West Coast-focused cohort starting April.
BFG is a tuition-free, online executive education program that assists BIPOC and woman-owned construction contractors in developing capacity and long-term growth strategies that position their companies to win contracts and increase revenues and profits. The BFG program began in 2022, with 54 construction companies from 19 states participating. More than 90% of the businesses in the inaugural cohort were owned by people of color, and more than half were owned by women.
“The BFG program gave me the essential tools and connections to help grow my revenue and expand my team. Through the program, I connected pro bono with construction lawyers who helped me add and refine clauses in my contracts to minimize risk. Building meaningful, lifelong relationships with the fellow BIPOC and woman entrepreneurs in my cohort was invaluable, and I would strongly encourage growing construction firms to apply for the program and become part of the BFG family,” said Mākhers Studio CEO & Founder and 2022 BFG program alumna Wanona Satcher.
Steve Lamar, Founder and CEO of Forward Planning & Solutions, leads the BFG program and has over 20 years of experience in supplier diversity, construction, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“What makes Building for Growth unique are the connections that BIPOC and woman contractors will build, not just with their peers but with real-world experts. Participants gain access to partnerships with industry leaders, peer-to-peer networking, invaluable experience from construction industry experts and practitioners, and technical assistance to apply practical solutions and growth strategies to their businesses with tangible and, in many cases, immediate results,” said ICIC CEO Steve Grossman.
Both cohorts are now accepting applications at BFG. The West Coast-focused cohort's application deadline is Friday, March 10, with classes beginning on Tuesday, April 25. The National cohort application deadline is Friday, June 9, with classes beginning on Tuesday, July 25. Applications will be accepted until all seats are filled on a rolling basis. ICIC also invites those who know of businesses that would benefit from participation in the program to nominate them.
Download a two-page guide to BFG, contact bfg@icic.org , schedule an interest call with the BFG team, watch testimonials from BFG alumni, and visit ICIC’s website for additional details about the program including eligibility criteria and applications, https://icic.org/urban-business-initiatives/building-for-growth/ .
In 1994, renowned Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter founded the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) as a research and strategy organization that is now widely recognized as the preeminent authority on the economies of underserved communities. Through innovative research and programs that generate jobs, income, and wealth for local residents, ICIC promotes inclusive economic prosperity in underserved communities.
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