Obama Presidential Center makes progress in building talent pipeline from South and West Side residents, report shows
CHICAGO — Mamon Powers, Jr. always envisioned being in business because that’s how he grew up, being surrounded by businessmen in the home and the community. But then again by the time he was 15, he was running his own carpentry crew on construction sites.
He always had this “can do anything” attitude and it’s something that he’s trying to do with his Powers & Sons Construction company. As one fifth of the Lakeside Alliance, the collective managing the construction of the Obama Presidential Center, he wants people of color to realize their potential.
Wednesday, the Obama Foundation released its annual workforce report citing the organization is on track to meet its workforce and diversity goals for construction with 52% of contracts already awarded to diverse vendors, with 32% of the workforce coming from the South and West Sides of the city.
The City of Chicago requires developers to award 32% of contracts to minority and women-owned businesses, while ensuring 50% of the workforce resides in the City of Chicago, but they do not distinguish between what neighborhoods the workforce will come from within city limits. The Obama
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