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A key responsibility of the MTA Diversity
Committee is to ensure that our
procurement and hiring processes are
inclusive. One of our goals over the past
several years has been to increase
contract awards to Minority, Women
and Disadvantaged Business
Enterprises (MWDBEs).
The MTA Small Business Development
Program (SBDP) is a groundbreaking
initiative that is a fundamental part of
this process. It provides small businesses,
including MWDBEs, the opportunity
to compete on a level playing field. In
2009, the MTA revamped its Department
of Diversity and Civil Rights under the
leadership of Michael J. Garner, the
MTA’s Chief Diversity Officer. One of the
Department’s key priorities is the creation
of small business development programs
that can assist the MTA in developing a
larger pool of diverse businesses that can
compete and complete our projects safely,
timely and within budget.
Today, the SBDP, along with its mentoring
initiatives, is establishing the benchmark
for small businesses to grow and serve
the MTA and the transportation industry.
Building on our successful models, we
launched the MTA Small Business Federal
Program (SBFP), which provides new
training and business opportunities for
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs)
and other small businesses to work on
federally-funded projects.
All of the MTA operating agencies are part
of the process to increase small business
inclusion and participation. Our collective
goal is to strengthen our agency-wide
efforts to help us eliminate those historical
impediments that have prevented
small businesses, including MWDBEs,
from entering the transportation and
construction industries. The SBDP and its
affiliate programs are key building blocks in
this effort.
Thomas F. Prendergast
Chairman and CEO
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
OUR DOORS
ARE OPEN
WIDER
TO SMALL
BUSINESSES
Honorable Fernando Ferrer
Vice Chairman
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The importance of our transportation
system to New York State’s growth and
preeminence regionally, nationally and
globally cannot be overstated. That
is why we are committed to positive
change at the MTA. We will continue to
reduce costs and advance the quality of
services we provide to over 14.6 million
customers annually.
The MTA has been transformative in the
way we approach small businesses, with
a focus on diversity inclusion and equal
opportunity. Small business inclusion is a
top priority at the MTA, and it is aligned
with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s
directive to increase contract awards to
New York State certified Minority and
Women Business Enterprises.
Our program goals are focused: to create
jobs within the small business community,
to develop a larger pool of qualified
contractors and ultimately to reduce costs.
We are working hard to change every
aspect of our business. One big part
of that is ensuring that the contractors
who partner with the MTA represent
the diversity of New York’s business
community and the region that we serve.
Our team at the MTA has made this
happen. Now, together, the MTA looks
forward to working with you to grow
our program and continue to increase
new contract opportunities for small
businesses in transportation.
Thomas F. Prendergast
Chairman and CEO
Honorable Fernando Ferrer
Vice Chairman
Michael J. Garner, MBA
Chief Diversity Officer
Craig F. Stewart
Senior Director, Capital Programs
MTA DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN
Honorable John J. Molloy
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Honorable John H. Banks III
Honorable Robert C. Bickford
Honorable Fernando Ferrer
Honorable SusanG. Metzger, Ph.D.
