Clark Construction's 2019-2020 Strategic Partnership Program Promises New Wave Of Small Business Growth In San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 19th, Clark Construction Group launched its 2019-2020 San Francisco Strategic Partnership Program (SPP). The eight-month course, which is offered at no cost to local small business owners, provides comprehensive construction management and business skills training. This year, 24 local small business owners and executives are enrolled and taking the next step toward smart, sustainable growth.

"Clark understands that technical assistance is a critical component of small business development.  We strive to give San Francisco small businesses the support and training they need to take their firms to the next level, as well as present them with opportunities on our jobsites that will enable them to grow, hire additional employees, take on more complex jobs, and be in a position to give back to our community," said Marivic Bamba Chennault, Clark's director of community relations and small business development who oversees Strategic Partnership Program in San Francisco.

The Strategic Partnership Program is an intensive, executive MBA-style course targeted to local small business enterprises including minority-, women-, and veteran-owned firms. Since its launch in San Francisco in 2014, 77 entrepreneurs have completed the development program. The primary goal of the course is to grow the capabilities and business acumen of small, local firms to enable them to successfully compete for the best possible opportunities in their market.

Current class participants kicked off the 2019-2020 course with a half-day orientation that included a keynote address by Mara Rosales, commissioner of the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, and a presentation by Romulus Asenloo, director of the San Francisco Contract Monitoring Division. Program graduates Nick Colina, a board member of the San Francisco chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, and Tana Harris, president of Harris Hoisting, also spoke to the latest cohort, providing words of support and guidance.

The Strategic Partnership Program includes weekly interactive classes focused on a wide range of topics, such as finance and accounting, insurance and bonding, project management, contracts, and estimating and purchasing; it also includes business competencies, such as networking and presentation skills. Classes are taught by a team of seasoned Clark professionals and local industry experts.

Founded by Clark in Washington, DC, in 2006, SPP has more than 800 graduates nationwide. In addition to its San Francisco and DC classes, Clark has expanded the program to additional cities where it builds, including Chicago, IL, Irvine, CA, Kansas City, MO, Seattle, WA, and, most recently, Los Angeles, CA.

In San Francisco alone, Clark has awarded more than 50 contracts to SPP alumni. Program graduates also played a significant role in the construction of city's newest landmark – Chase Center. More than $20 million of construction subcontracts were awarded to program graduates on the sports and entertainment complex. Clark has awarded more than $1 billion of contracts to graduates of the program nationwide.

The Strategic Partnership Program was recently named a finalist in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2019 Corporate Citizenship Awards in the category of Best Economic Empowerment Program.

About Clark Construction Group

Clark Construction Group, LLC, is one of the nation's most experienced and respected providers of construction services. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland and American-owned and operated since 1906, Clark is consistently ranked by leading industry organizations as one of the largest general building and civil construction companies with annual revenues of approximately $5 billion.

SOURCE Clark Construction Group