TheBurg

employees to help out with jobs, many of whom are in their 50s and 60s. His workforce illustrates another problem that Harrisburg will have to overcome if it wishes to create a pipeline of tradespeople. "ere's not that many younger people to hire with roofing skills," Carter said. "ese older guys have been doing it a long time, but I've learned the skill level is not there with the younger guys. ey're not happy with them." Johnson and Woolley both recognize that their efforts to empower DBEs will only succeed if they cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs and tradespeople through education, guidance and mentorship. Johnson said the city may look to Capital Region Water as an example. In 2016, CRW launched its diversity business partners program, which aims to diversify CRW's pool of vendors and encourage women and minorities to enter the trades and start businesses. According to Marc Kurowski, chairman of CRW's board, this means marketing Harrisburg and the surrounding region as a profitable business climate. "ere's going to be a lot of money flowing through the city pretty soon," Kurowski said. "Just from CRW projects alone, if someone wanted to start a business in the city, they could kill it." Kurowski was referring to the $315 million in sewer upgrades that CRW has planned for the next two decades, part of an effort to bring the system into compliance with federal environmental standards. It's one of many large-scale building projects expected to inject jobs and dollars into Harrisburg's economy in the coming years. e city is also slated to be the site of new federal courthouse and state Archives buildings. Harrisburg's own city government plans to spend millions in 2018 renovating Reservoir Park, repairing roofs on fire stations, paving roads, and installing ADA ramps on sidewalks. In the private sector, Harrisburg University has proposed building a $150 million downtown skyscraper. In short, Harrisburg has a string of promising investments on the horizon. According to Johnson, that makes it even more important for the city to build a diverse business network today. "We have a lot of money that will be spent locally, and, if we're not thinking about [DBEs] now, it'll be business as usual," Johnson said. "is is an issue where the city can be a leader." *City Engineer Wayne Martin pointed out that the 2 percent figure only included contracts that were committed at the start of the project, not potential contracts that were still in negotiation. As a result, the total participation of MBE/WBE businesses could be higher than 2 percent by the time the project is completed. Eight percent of funds disbursed to date have gone to MBE or WBEs, though Martin said that number could drop as the project continue. Employees from Dr. Roof roofing company at residential job sites in Harrisburg. Owner Dean Carter knows that his MBE status could qualify him for many jobs with the city, but says it's easier for his small business to take private, residential jobs instead. Photos provided by Dean Carter.

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