MESA, AZ — Bringing small businesses on board for major transportation projects; the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to collaborate with minority-owned and other small companies.
ADOT held a conference on Tuesday aimed at helping local entrepreneurs learn how to get involved.
The scale of ADOT construction may be massive, but behind many projects are small businesses, like GJH Motors.
“We have mobile trucks, so they are on the job site,” Sylvia Smith, GJH Motors Founder and Owner, said. “Anything that could cause downtime for an operator, we are there to fix it.”
The equipment repair company, which is minority-owned and a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, is a subcontractor on ADOT’s I-10 Broadway Curve Project.
Smith calls the contract life-changing.
“Without that ADOT initiative, my company would have been one of the, I should say, the COVID-19 casualties, which means that we wouldn't have been able to survive the impact of COVID-19,” Smith said.
She is just one DBE owner to make her way to the ADOT 2024 DBE Small Business Conference in Mesa on Tuesday, which focuses on getting disadvantaged and small businesses involved in their work.
The conference theme is “Think Big.” The goal: to get many of the 200 small business owners contracted for transportation projects.
“The hope is these businesses can take the knowledge and the education that they get here, and go out and compete successfully for transportation contracts,” Steve Elliott, ADOT spokesperson, said. “It's a great way to add diversity to our contracting and really help empower Arizona's economy.
The owner of a creative startup, Taxi Karaoke, also attended.
“You can sing your way to work, or wherever you want to go. The airport, you name it!” Juan Gonzalez, Taxi Karaoke owner, said.
Gonzalez is looking for contacts to grow his family-owned company.
“It was informational, educational. I have more information, like where to start now,” he said.
Smith seeks more contracts, like the Broadway Curve subcontract she was awarded two years ago. She says for her six employees and herself, these kind of projects make all the difference.
“This particular project, as a DBE, really saved my business and gave us the edge,” Smith said. “These projects really go beyond the roads. It provides for families. It puts food on the table. You have to look at it from a bigger perspective.”
Any small business owner who missed the conference and is interested in getting involved in the transportation industry can contact ADOT at AZDOT.gov/dbe.