MBAccelerator 2.5+ portfolio company lands $8.8M contract through joint venture

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Raymond Jackson Enterprises partners with Shook Construction
on Youngstown-area project  

Cleveland, Ohio—Raymond Jackson Enterprises, (RJE), a Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ portfolio company working in conjunction with its joint venture partner, Shook Construction, has been awarded an $8.8 million contract to build a Joint Services Lodging Facility at the Youngstown Air Force Reserve Station in Vienna, Ohio.

“This award is significant on a number of levels…one of which is that it represents the first Federal Market channel award for the Shook/RJE partnership,” said Shook Construction President William Whistler.

Shook Construction brings its 80+ years of experience in construction to the partnership. The relationship will enable RJE, to expand its services as a general contractor and construction manager and grow as a company while supported by the resources and experience that Shook brings to the team. RJE, which was founded in 1988, has offices in Akron, Dayton and Indianapolis.

The Shook/RJE joint venture was formed almost two years ago and was sanctioned by the Small Business Administration as an 8(a) Mentor/Protégé Joint Venture. Although the business plan for RJE and Shook was focused primarily on the federal projects, the companies’ first project award was a private, $9 million technology incubator building in Dayton, Ohio.

The Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+, an initiative of the Commission on Economic Inclusion, will support the joint venture by assisting RJE with some of the costs for training required to effectively execute federal work. The Accelerator also will help RJE with pre-construction and job startup consulting services, including assistance with scheduling, quality control preparation as well as accident prevention and environmental protection strategies.

“This is another example of how the Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ has been able to expand its footprint in Northeast Ohio and provide assistance to minority businesses beyond Cuyahoga County,” said Andrew Jackson, the Commission’s executive director. He noted that the Accelerator is continuing to expand its outreach efforts in Summit, Stark and Mahoning counties to build partnerships and identify business opportunities that will help high-potential African American and Hispanic MBEs in the region grow their companies and create jobs.

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The Minority Business Accelerator2.5+ is an initiative of the Commission on Economic Inclusion , a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Funded by the Fund for Our Economic Future and the Cleveland Foundation, the MBAccelerator2.5+ focuses on growing the size, scale and infrastructure of African American and Hispanic MBEs with annual revenues of at least $2.5 million in a 16-county area of Northeast Ohio. www.mbaccelerator2-5.com

The Commission on Economic Inclusion, a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), works to significantly improve the meaningful involvement of minority businesses and individuals in the economic engines that drive Northeast Ohio. www.commission-inclusion.com

The GCP mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create jobs and wealth and improve the economic vitality of the region. www.gcpartnership.com  

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