Construction Company Owned By A Black Woman Has Been Awarded. Michigan and the only Black Woman Has Been Awarded the service contract that would allow them to replace the contaminated water pipes in the city. Did I mention that the company is now was owned by a black woman? All is not lost though, enter in WT Stevens Construction, a construction management and services firm based in Flint.
As much as I am happy to hear this story I think it is so sad that in the great United States of America there is a town that has been given national coverage for having contaminated water and we are still working out the kinks on how to fix it.
For those of you who have no idea when this all started if you check out the timeline the Flint water crisis it actually started before 2014.
Go figure!
According to The Network Journal WT Stevens is “one of just four companies recently contracted—under a court order—to replace more than 18,000 lead corroded pipes.”
The company was founded by W.T . Stevens in the late 1990s and when the founder died, Rhonda Grayer and her seven siblings joined together to continue the companies legacy.
According to The Hub Flint:
Black Woman Has Been Awarded, The company has hired about 20 staff, ranging from clerical and general laborers to plumbers and machine operators. There is also video staff, Grayer says, to film the piping being replaced and document its condition.
Black Woman Has Been Awarded
Among the added personnel are ex-offenders and youth, two segments of Flint’s population the company recognizes for unique training and experience needs.
Creating opportunities is one of the professional examples set by the company’s founder, long-time businessman W.T. Stevens. Known for mentoring in the north end, where the company remains, Grayer says her father’s imprint extended beyond the concrete demolition and excavation work, or the asphalt repair and replacement for which he gained a reputation.
“[My father] trained many people…This is the biggest project we’ve done,” Grayer said. “I will tell you that it is really exciting and the most important part of it is the opportunity to employ people who may not have had other opportunities.”
Project Manager Jeff Grayer, Rhonda’s husband said “This is a major project that will ensure public safety and start rebuilding trust between the city and the community…something that has been missing awhile,”
Grayer said the target is to have all 18,000 lead corroded residential pipes replaced by December 2019, with 6,000 being replaced by the end of the year.”
Hopefully, we can get this crisis squared away for good!
See Our latest Blog- Tina Knowles Lawson Received Community Commerce Impact Award
