Crossing the Century Mark: KCI New Terminal Project Team Grows to Include More Than 100 Minority- and Women-Owned Firms

New Terminal Project at KCI Spurs Economic Growth and Capacity Building Among Diverse Local Businesses

A diverse group of minority- and women-owned businesses are leaving their mark on Kansas City’s largest single infrastructure project, and gaining valuable experience that will help build capacity for future growth and success. Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate and its design-build partner, Clark | Weitz | Clarkson, have added more than 100 Kansas City-certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) to their New Terminal project roster since the start of procurement in 2018.

The project has provided a significant capital infusion in the small business community, especially during this period of economic downturn, when many firms are struggling to remain open.

Thus far, MBE and WBE firms have been awarded more than $220 million in contracts on the New Terminal project. Additional construction contacts, totaling nearly $50 million, are currently pending as the team works to secure final letters of intent. Procurement on the New Terminal will conclude in late fall. Approximately $60 million of work on the project remains to be awarded in scopes that are anticipated to yield high levels of small business participation. In total, the project includes $950 million of subcontracted work.

“Our workforce represents Kansas Citians from all backgrounds and all walks of life,” said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. “I am extra proud to see us recognizing, building, and supporting Kansas City’s many women- and minority-owned businesses that have been essential in bringing us a new airport terminal and providing hundreds of high-paying jobs in labor to Kansas City. The people of Kansas City and the flying public of Missouri and Kansas should be proud that the contractors highlighted today have helped construction of our state-of-the-art new terminal remain on time, on budget, and one of its kind. Thank you to all working hard each day in these challenging times to Build KCI for our residents and visitors from all over the world.”

"I absolutely believe that the KCI New Terminal Project is a transformative project for us. We are on our way to creating a legacy business for our four sons,” said Fahteema Parrish, owner of Parrish & Sons Construction, a certified M/WBE that has been awarded more than one contract to work on the project. “I truly value being able to provide employment opportunities in the communities that I serve and grew up in. We are 100 strong and growing."

The Edgemoor Team set the ambitious goal of 35-percent M/WBE participation across professional and construction services in support of making the New Terminal Project transformational for the local community. That breaks down to 20-percent MBE participation and 15-percent WBE participation. The project remains on course to meet the MBE and WBE goals.

Edgemoor and design-builder Clark | Weitz | Clarkson (CWC) have worked in collaboration with the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s Human Relations Department (HRD) to reach this historic and transformative level of diversity within its project team.

At the outset of the project, Edgemoor put a variety of programs in place to remove barriers that typically impact small, disadvantaged, minority and women-owned businesses from securing contracts to work on projects of this magnitude. Two of these programs are targeted at providing timely cash payments and financing support. Edgemoor and CWC set up a Pay Without Delay program to ensure those firms are paid within 14 days for their completed work. As of August 31, more than two-thirds of MBE and WBE firms on the project have enrolled in the program. In addition, Edgemoor worked with partner Lead Bank to provide low-interest loans to help MBE and WBE firms acquire equipment and working capital. Since the program’s inception, more than $4 Million has been loaned out to MBE and WBE firms.

The Edgemoor Team also offers an executive MBA-style program for WBE, MBE, veteran-owned and disadvantaged businesses, free of charge, called the Strategic Partnership Program (KC SPP). Investments that focus on capacity building, especially in times of economic uncertainty, are critical. The program focuses on business and project management fundamentals and is designed to grow the confidence, capacity and capabilities of participating small businesses. In the three classes that have graduated so far, 84 local businesses have been represented. Of those, 12 small, local businesses have been awarded contracts to work on the New Terminal Project. The fourth SPP class started on September 10 with 18 local firms on the roster.

“We are extremely proud to have such a diverse group of project partners who have been instrumental in every aspect of the New Terminal Project, from the design phase, through demolition, moving into construction and many supporting roles along the way,” said Geoff Stricker, Edgemoor Senior Managing Director. “We are grateful for their contributions, dedication and commitment to making this project a success.”

“This historic mile marker is a moment worth celebrating, but our work isn’t done. Through these programs, we are investing in small businesses’ potential,” said Mark Goodwin, Vice President, Clark | Weitz | Clarkson. “We’ll continue to determine ways that minority- and women-owned firms can contribute to the construction effort in a meaningful way, and ensure the New Terminal has a lasting, positive impact on both Kansas City and the small business community.”

Follow the progress of the New Terminal Project at BuildKCI.com.