Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 05, 2013

Turner Construction Company held its largest graduation ceremony yesterday for the Turner School of Construction Management in DC at Howard Universitys Blackburn University Center. The 2013 Turner School of Construction Management (TSCM) was hosted by the DC Small Business Development Center at Howard University where Council member Muriel Bowser attended as the keynote speaker. Turner Senior Vice President of Community Affairs, Hilton Smith, Associate Dean of Howard University, and Ann-Marie Waterman were among other dignitaries and University officials present. TSCM is an 8-week curriculum developed by Turner to provide management training and certification to potential subcontractors. Beginning on March 13 and running through May 1, the Turner School provided educational opportunities to over 150 companies in the Greater Washington, DC area.

In the most moving part of the ceremony, class appointed speakers engaged the room with their poignant stories and lessons learned. The most prevalent theme surrounded the value of relationships propelling business success. One speaker reminded the class of a lesson from the first session, presented by Ken Jones, Vice President and General Manager of Turner Construction Company. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married? She reminded graduates that when partnering with service providers and working with clients, you have to think ahead and be mindful of consequences affecting relationships.

Since 1969, the Turner School of Construction Management has strived to expand the opportunities available to growing businesses. For this years program, Turner partnered with the DC Small Business Development Center –a collaborative initiative of Howard University, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and District of Columbia small business community stakeholders– to increase the prospects of growth for small, local and disadvantaged contractors by teaching them how to successfully bid, propose to, and work with a company the size of Turner. The hope is for the TSCM to better prepare the subcontractor market to win and successfully conduct work in the Washington, DC area.

Each course topic in the TSCM program was taught by Turner staff and select industry partners who have spent years in the field and are regarded as subject-matter experts. This years topics included project management, accounting & banking, construction estimating & scheduling, safety, and sales & marketing.

Since its inception, the program has helped participants build networks, form long-term business relationships, and establish successful joint ventures to win contracts with Turner and other industry leaders. The TSCM mission is aligned with the DC Small Business Development Center Network which continues to provide no-cost technical assistance to the attendees. The Turner School provides us with a great opportunity to partner with clients and industry professionals to continue to grow the capacity of our emerging and minority owned businesses, said Ken Jones, Vice President and General Manager of Turner Construction Company.

Turner has awarded more than $ 1 billion in contracts a year to minority-owned businesses for the past 8 years running and awarded over $ 1 billion to MBE contractors in 2012. Many graduates of the Turner School of Construction Management become eligible for and perform work on Turner projects and joint-ventures. Last year, the District of Columbia SBDC provided training and resources to over 400 small businesses throughout the city with recent clients receiving almost $ 4 million in capital formation. With collaborations like that with the Turner School of Construction Management, the Center has increased its positive impact on our local economy.

Turner established TSCM to effectively give back to the community through the sharing of knowledge, promoting the empowerment of small businesses in the construction arena. Turner has previously held smaller TSCM programs in Prince Georges County, MD, Richmond, VA, and Washington, DC regionally, as well as many more across the nation. This was the second largest graduating class in the history of TSCM. 272 graduates completed the TSCM program in Atlanta, GA in 1983.

About Turner Construction Company

Turner is a North America-based, international construction services company. Founded in 1902 in New York City, Turner has 5,200 employees worldwide and works on 1200 projects each year, for an annual construction volume of $ 8 billion. As the largest general builder in the United States, Turner ranks first or second in the major market segments of the building construction field, including healthcare, education, sports, commercial, telecommunications, and green building. The firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company, and one of the worlds leading international construction service providers.

For more information please visit http://www.turnerconstruction.com.

About DC Small Business Development Center

The DC Small Business Development Center (DC SBDC) Network is a collaborative initiative of Howard University, the US Small Business Administration (SBA), and District of Columbia small business community stakeholders. The DCSBDC Network provides free management and technical assistance and affordable training in all phases of business development to small business owners. The District of Columbia SBDC trained and skilled business consultants provide confidential, one-on-one management assistance educating small business owners and potential owners on how to successfully start, operate, expand or buy and sell small businesses.

Through the Networks established relationships with lenders, DC SBDC helped small businesses get approved for millions in financing. Last year, the District of Columbia SBDC served over 400 small businesses throughout the city; recent clients have received almost $ 4 million in capital formation. The DC SBDC Network is a member of the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC).

For more information please visit http://www.dcsbdc.org.

About HOCHTIEF

HOCHTIEF is one of the leading international providers of construction-related services. With more than 80,000 employees and a sales volume of EUR 23.28 billion in FY 2011, the company is represented in all the worlds major markets. With its core competencies in development, building and operation, the Group delivers services for the entire life cycle of infrastructure projects, real estate and facilities. The focus of the related business activities is on four strategic areas: energy infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, major cities, and resources. With its subsidiary Leighton (HOCHTIEF share around 54 percent), the Group is market leader in Australia. In the USA, the biggest construction market in the world, HOCHTIEF is the No. 1 general builder via its subsidiary Turner and, with Group company Flatiron, ranks among the most important players in the field of transportation infrastructure construction. Because of its engagement for sustainability, HOCHTIEF has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2006. Further information is available at http://www.hochtief.com/press.

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