MINNEAPOLIS, January 22, 2010 — The University of Minnesota exceeded its own goals to employ significant  numbers of women- and minority-owned businesses in the renovation of the former Northside supermarket that now houses the University’s Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC). The building opened in late September.

University of Minnesota policies require that women- and minority-owned business enterprises (WMBE) represent at least 10 percent of all subcontracting firms and workforce members involved in construction of new buildings or renovation of existing buildings.

In renovating the building at 2001 Plymouth Avenue North during the past year to serve as the home for UROC, the University committed to 30 percent WMBE participation.

The final figures for the UROC project show that  26 WMBE firms participated in the renovation for a total of $1,462,202 in contracts—38 percent of total construction cost. Stahl Construction and MNBest were the University’s primary partners in the project.

The project also surpassed its female and minority workforce goals. The standard University goal for minority workforce involvement is 23 percent, remained 23 percent for this project, with 24.1 percent achieved; the standard goal for female representation is four percent, five percent set for this project, with 5.3 percent achieved.

In addition, the University provided community outreach funds for this project to hire three interns from the North Minneapolis Urban League construction program. Feedback from those students indicates the experience was "life changing" and provided them with valuable knowledge of the construction industry. 

The WMBE sub-contractors who worked on the UROC renovation are: Absolute Commercial Flooring, Anderson Iron, Boone Trucking, Casillas Glass, The Caulkers Company, Construction Engineering Services, D'Fence, DMJ Corporation, Electronic Office Environments, Elite Catering, EVS Engineering, Global Concepts Enterprise, JMAX Trucking, Setu Jones, Kaboom, Legacy Management, Metro Acoustics, MN Best Construction Company, Offisource, Inc., Rani Engineering, Rec Serv Office Installations, Shamrock Disposal, Trinity Building Services, Urban Design Perspectives, Vera Corporation , and Waterproofing by Experts.

Architects for the project were Urban Design Perspectives and Charles Levin Architects. Archie Givens, CEO and director of the Legacy Management and Development Corporation, served as the owner’s representative with responsibility for overseeing the UROC building renovation.