The State of Minority- and Women- Owned ... - Cleveland.com

Anecdotal Evidence of Disparities in the City of Cleveland’s Market Area
It’s hard to tell in services when discrimination is happening. Because when you go in
and you try to get some work, you know, it’s not blatant. But when you’re in construction
and you’re a female it’s blatant so you can see it much better.
[Discrimination is] very obvious when you’re dealing with hardcore construction guys
who come on the job and you’re a lady and I was young then. So, you’re a young lady
and you’re talking about you do trucking. So their reaction to you is blatant.… The guys
just are very chauvinist. You know, it’s not as bad as it used to be.… It was constant
every day, the chauvinism. Why are you in this industry? I go to buy tires for my truck.
What do you need these tires for?… And after ten years it kind of just wore me down.
The perception is that we are looked at as an entitlement, as a premium … as liability.
The perception of minority companies over the years has been, we don’t take care of
business, we don’t get our bills in on time, so they already have that fear. And you’re
asking me to cover them under my bond, you know what I mean? So, it’s a tricky thing
because I really understand where generals are coming from. Because this is my job.
You’re going to come in and tell me I got to give 30 percent of my job to somebody I
don’t know?
When a minority may perform on a job in many cases, many cases, you’re eliminated
because of someone else’s performance. Instead of saying X company did a bad job or
didn’t perform or was. They will say, a Black company.… There are some prime
contractors out here that if you do the job, if you provide your paperwork, if you perform
like they don’t think you’re going to perform … [they] will continue to utilize your
service.
When we did the preconstruction meeting, I was called into the job trailer and the
construction manager blatantly said, well, you know, you’re here because you’re an FBE
but we expect you to perform as a normal contractor. And I said, excuse me? I said I’ve
been in business for twenty years, I am a normal contractor. That’s their expectation.
There are some prime contractors out here that if you do the job, if you provide your
paperwork, if you perform like they don’t think you’re going to perform … [they] will
continue to utilize your service.… It’s different [for Blacks] … they won’t say, Midtown
Trucking truckers, driver of truck number twenty did this. What they’re going to say is,
the black truckers.
2. Exclusion from Industry and Information Networks
Minorities and women from across the spectrum of industries recounted their exclusion from the
industry and information networks necessary for success. Both discrimination and the longstanding
nature of industry networks operate to the disadvantage of groups historically excluded
from business opportunities.
Construction is a very male dominated world.
NERA Economic Consulting 284