| Amway Center tops in MWBE participation |
 The city of Orlando said Tuesday its Blueprint effort on the downtown venues has put it at the top in the state for including minority- and women-owned business enterprises in large public projects.About 34.5 percent of the companies involved in the construction of the venues — primarily the $480 million Amway Center currently under construction by Hunt Construction Group — are MWBEs, according to data released by Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office. The next largest was the $525 million Phase 5 of the Orange County Convention Center in 2000 (also a Hunt project), which had 28.3 percent MWBE participation, while the $22 million Florida A&M Law School, built in Orlando in 2007, included a 24 percent participation, the data said. About $79 million worth of contracts on the Amway Center have been awarded to MWBEs, including $64.4 million to minority-owned businesses and nearly $15.2 million to businesses owned by women. Dyer released the information at a press conference on Aug. 25. The city’s Blueprint initiative requires contractors on public projects to hire a minimum of 18 percent minority-owned and 6 percent for women-owned subcontractors. Additionally, the Blueprint’s workforce initiative creates jobs for the most underserved and underrepresented populations in Orlando: Parramore residents, ex-offenders and the homeless. |