2009 Best in Class: Supplier Diversity - For profit


Turner maintains a nationwide network of offices, including its Cleveland office, performing work on over 1,600 projects each year. The company's commitment to working with minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) is long-standing both nationally and locally. In 2009, with a construction volume of $6 billion, Turner spent $592 million (10 percent of its total budget), and $9 million (16 percent of its regional spend), with minority-owned companies. Such success is a result of a set of best practices perfected over several years. Effective strategies include:

  • The Turner School of Construction Management (TSCM), a nationally recognized program, teaches how to do business in the construction industry with major corporations. The TSCM was founded in 1969, in partnership with the City of Cleveland, under the leadership of Cleveland Mayor Carl B. Stokes and Case Western Reserve University. It provides minority, women, disadvantaged and small-business owners with courses on topics such as green building, developing business plans, financial planning, estimating, construction law, bonding and insurance.

  • TSCM has been held in more than 70 cities across the country and is offered annually in major cities across Ohio, including Akron and Cleveland. To date, the program has graduated nearly 32,000, yielding successful long-term relationships with MBEs and women-owned businesses (WBEs), generating more than 48,800 contracts valued at $17.6 billion.
  • Monitoring is placed directly into the contract with a 20 percent goal established in the contract with the prime contractor. The prime must identify the second-tier MBEs, who must be written into the contract. Copies of the second-tier contracts and/or purchase orders must be provided with a certified payroll as a requirement.
  • Turner conducts outreach and networking by organizing, sponsoring, and participating in meet and greets, MBE conferences, and construction-related events. Turner actively assists MBEs to network with, and market to, potential business customers and partners.

  • The company routinely provides constructive criticism guiding unsuccessful bidders to improve their proposals, presentations and pricing. Turner provides feedback, enabling MBEs to successfully bid on future projects.
  • “The utilization of MBEs and WBEs throughout the company will continue to have high priority within our affirmative action programs. The company continues to lead the industry in utilizing minority- and women-owned business enterprises to the fullest extent possible in all geographical locations. Our purchasing efforts must be responsive to this commitment.” (Excerpted from Turner’s EEO policy)

“Since 1968, Turner’s goal is to be an outstanding corporate citizen and to maintain its position as the leading general builder. Our MBE program is one of the cornerstones of the company, as it allows us to empower, embody and to give back to the community. Turner’s goal is to lead by example.”

Mark Dent
Vice President and General Manager
Turner