Photo courtesy of the Port Authority
The Port Authority announced on Monday a historic milestone in the ongoing $19 billion transformation of JFK International Airport, where a record $2.3 billion in contracts have been awarded to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE).
The JFK redevelopment also demonstrates a significant focus on working with local contractors, awarding more than $950 million in contracts to Queens-based businesses to date.
“When we embarked on this historic, $19 billion public-private effort to transform JFK into a world-class international gateway, we pledged that the economic opportunities generated at the airport would flow fairly to the neighborhoods surrounding the airport,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “Working with our private partners at JFK and with our JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council, we have turned that pledge into economic reality for hundreds of MWBEs and local businesses.”
With Monday’s announcement, JFK surpassed the LaGuardia Airport redevelopment, which set the previous New York State record for MWBE participation in a public-private project with $2.2 billion in contracts awarded.
“The redevelopment of Kennedy Airport is about so much more than new gates and terminals. It’s about upward mobility and pathways to prosperity for thousands of Queens residents from historically marginalized communities who call the airport their workplace,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “Since ground was first broken, this project has been of, for and by Queens, and never has that been clearer than today, as we break MWBE participation records.”
Richards co-chairs the Community Advisory Council with Congressman Gregory Meeks.
“I understand the importance of creating wealth-building and entrepreneurial opportunities for individuals who have historically faced barriers,” Meeks said. “This more than $2.3 billion…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply