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Corporate Advisory Council Reception

out on the farm at The Perdomo Compound. Our third event at this splendid outdoor property on the Potomac. Make sure you reserve the date for a beautiful evening under the stars. The notice is in this email. More details at a later date. Open to all of our membership

OSHA 30 in Spanish

"Si usted tiene trabajadores que necesitan tomar el entrenamiento OSHA 30 avisen de inmediato y vean el anuncio que sigue aqui."

Bendable concrete and other CO2-infused cement mixes could dramatically cut global emissions

 Bendable concrete created at the University of Michigan allows for thinner structures with less need for steel reinforcement.

Joseph Xu/University of Michigan College of Engineering

 

Lucca Henrion, University of Michigan; Duo Zhang, University of Michigan; Victor C. Li, University of Michigan, and Volker Sick, University of Michigan

 

One of the big contributors to climate change is right beneath your feet, and transforming it could be a powerful solution for keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

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With JPN Masonry & Otto Madrid The Sky's the Limit

He arrived in the United States on March 3rd, 2001 with a backpack full of dreams much like other Salvadoran immigrants. Until one day, four years later, in the corner of a Centreville apartment, JPN Masonry was born and the construction world opened a new array of possibilities for Otto Madrid, now President & CEO of JPN.

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How mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna work, why they're a breakthrough and why they need to be kept so cold

 Moderna’s new mRNA vaccine is almost 94.5% effective in large-scale trials.

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

 

Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University

 

As the weather cools, the number of infections of the COVID-19 pandemic are rising sharply. Hamstrung by pandemic fatigue, economic constraints and political discord, public health officials have struggled to control the surging pandemic. But now, a rush of interim analyses from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have spurred optimism that a novel type of vaccine made from messenger RNA, known as mRNA, can offer high levels of protection by preventing COVID-19 among people who are vaccinated.

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The Entrepreneur from Buenaventura

            Humberto Garces was sitting in a restaurant in Colombia with his father, Humberto Garces Angulo, a prominent union leader at the port of Buenaventura, when a series of shots rang out. His father was shot four times, one bullet piercing his heart, killing him instantaneously. Humberto was shot five times, leaving him immobilized and in convalescence for over a year before he could walk and become active again. During that time he was moved from town to town by family and friends fearing for his life.  

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Love avocados? Thank the toxodon

  Jeffrey Miller, Colorado State University

 Leer en español.

Given avocado’s popularity today, it’s hard to believe that we came close to not having them in our supermarkets at all.

 In my new book “Avocado: A Global History,” I explain how the avocado survived a series of ecological and cultural close calls that could have easily relegated them to extinction or niche delicacy. Instead, the avocado persevered, prospered – and became one of the most Instagrammed foods in the world.

Concentrated Wealth Is Worse Than You Think

Billionaires are currently a fixture of our political discourse. Billionaire and Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg entered the Democratic primary 11 weeks ago setting off a discussion on the ethics of money in politics and of the existence of billionaires. Bloomberg makes no secret of the fact of his wealth, it’s a central part of his electability argument. He doesn’t need to ask anyone else for money, he posits, and therefore he doesn’t need to engage in the corrupt horse trading that goes on in politics. His wealth makes him incorruptible. But the flip side is also true. Because he doesn’t need to ask the people for money, he’s also not accountable to anyone. What happens when President Bloomberg needs to raise taxes on the rich to fund the programs we sorely need to tackle the important issues of our time? Are we sure that he will tax his own nearly $60 billion in wealth to help us? And if he doesn’t, how can anyone keep this incorruptible man accountable?

The Quest for Greater Diversity in the Construction Industry

Pictured in the 'tableau' photo are (standing left to right) Jon Seavey, Gilbane Construction; Edith Yañez, MDCHCA; Russell Phillips, Cohn Reznick; Jessica Elias, Gilbane; Chris Kerns, Fort Myer Construction; Jim Christian, Consigli Construction; Billy Rocha, FH Paschen Construction; Luis Clavijo, First Citizens Bank; Stephen Courtien, Balt./Wash. Building Trades Unions, Mark Bellingham, Monarc Construction,
(Seated l to r) Edwin Villegas, Winmar Construction; Tyra Redus, Skanska Construction; Carlos Perdomo, Keystone Plus Construction and Carolyn Ellison, Turner Construction.

Jose Sueiro

Managing Director

Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Assoc.

            At the level of the construction site -those who actually build things- Hispanics are a dominant force in the construction industry in this country. We are the skilled trades people, the laborers, the small sub-contractors and the ones who clean up after it's done. But rarely, if ever, do we participate in the decision making process, in the mega-deals that get made every day or, most importantly, the enormous profits the industry produces.

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Latinos and OSHA for Construction

            It is common knowledge that the majority of work accidents on construction sites are suffered by Latinos. It's also true that the majority of the workers in the industry are Hispanic. The construction industry is dominated by the Latino community which gives it the dynamism and energy it is known for. Our community is young, ambitious and self taught. Many of our workers learned their skills in their home country and are attempting to get licensed and trained here. And yet in spite of this, Latinos in the construction industry are relegated to the work sites and building projects but are less often found in leadership positions or present when opportunities for profit and advancement are discussed. 

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Our OSHA 30 Training "en Español" Less Than 2 Weeks Away

            We are gearing up for our third annual OSHA 30 training in Spanish. It begins on January 31 at the DCI Training Center, 1419 Kenilworth Ave. NE. Led by the safety master, Jorge Otalora, this training provides vital safety information for those in the construction industry. Given that the majority of accidents on construction sites are suffered by Latinos, we feel this effort is crucial to keep our workers safe and secure.

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Census 2020: Emphasizing Diversity & Inclusion

           Today was an important date for the 2020 Census. Leaders from the Census Bureau, including the Director, Stephen Dillingham (see photo), gathered in Washington DC (at the beautiful Meade Center of Arena Stage) to lay out their public outreach strategy for the upcoming Census which formally launches April 1st, but has already begun.

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Joshua Lopez Joins Hispanic Contractors Assoc. Board of Directors

Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association, a 501c6 non-profit organization headquartered in the Nation's Capital, is proud to announce the selection of Joshua Lopez to the Board of Directors of our DC based business guild. Of Guatemalan heritage, Mr. Lopez is a product of the District public schools and attended UDC. He began his career in public service as an aide to Mayor Adrian Fenty and ran the operations for two successful District wide campaigns including Mayor Bowser's first run for Mayor. As one of the youngest persons ever to run for City Council, he was unsuccessful in his campaign for an At-Large position.
Nevertheless, Josh has excelled as an up and coming Developer/Advocate in DC. He is Founder and CEO at Olimpic Strategies, a digital media and business development firm and Lopez and Associates, a government relations firm based in Washington DC. As a liaison for artists, developers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, Joshua’s experience affords him a unique view of the intersection of urban politics, development, entertainment and community. A Native Washingtonian, Joshua is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia and has served many roles including ANC commissioner, mayoral appointee to various boards and commissions, and political strategist for local and national campaigns. 
We know Josh for the many good works he does within our small business community. He demonstrated his commitment on behalf of Latino owned construction firms during his brief tenure on the Housing Authority Board and again with his work on behalf of various important general contractors including Keystone Plus, the company of our Board Chair, Carlos Perdomo. Here is what Carlos has to say about him:

"Joshua Lopez has been a community based advocate for our small businesses for a very long time now. We look forward to creating a stronger, more prosperous Hispanic Contractors Association with him on our Board and sharing opportunities to create a broader based, more skilled, prosperous and sophisticated construction community. He is one of us. We have seen him grow and mature in our community. Having Joshua on our Board of Directors will enhance and improve our members standing and increase their opportunities. We enthusiastically welcome him to our business guild. Hopefully this will be a long and fruitful collaboration."

Empleate Ya/Get Hired Construction Job Fair, Oct. 19

The Construction industry is Booming in the Greater Washington DC region with cranes in the sky, footers in the ground and truckloads of materials navigating the bustling and busy streets.  However, despite the tremendous development, many construction-related companies have expressed concern about the challenge of finding qualified bi-lingual professionals to fill the myriad of jobs available.

Stephen Courtien: New Head of Baltimore/DC Building Trades Friend to Hispanic Construction Community

Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (MDCHCA) is proud to recognize the new CEO of the Baltimore/DC Building Trades Unions (BDCBT), Stephen Courtien, a close friend, brother and partner to our businesses. He has been a constant, steadfast supporter of diversity and the integration of minority, immigrant and Hispanic owned commercial construction firms into the industry. Stephen will now become the most important leader of the construction trades unions in the region. We've worked together with Mr. Courtien over the past decade. He's responsible for promoting and supporting our Contractors Association since the current regime began in 2013. He's largely responsible for our stability, growth and success.

Stephen has not only contributed to our growth, but has also supported projects such as Jose Ortiz Gaud's, 'Run Hope Work', workforce development program. He has fought for inclusion of our sub-contractors in public building projects and recommended our members to the larger General Contractors for work. He has guided many of our small businesses on how to grow and strengthen their companies. He has generously provided resources and consulting advice to those entrepreneurs we've referred to him over the years. Stephen Courtien is genuinely a good guy; honest, transparent, honorable and tough -a union leader his entire career.

BDCBT is a force for what is best in the construction industry; attention to safety, respect for workers and opportunity for all. Stephen Courtien has been committed to those ideals since we met him. A straight talker and person of incomparable integrity in dealings with our organization. We salute Stephen and pledge our support for his future endeavors as head of Baltimore/DC Building Trades. We look forward to many years of hard, honest work in favor of our workers and small commercial construction firms. 'Amigo' Stephen, good fortune and much success in your new position!

The Buenos

It has given me great joy to once again share time, energy and affection with Daniel and Coco Bueno. For over 14 years as Publisher of El Latino, 'Danny' was my landlord, primary advertiser and contributor to the newspaper. He was also a great friend and mentor. Throughout my adult life I've had many an occasion to spend magical moments with them. I've known Daniel since he began his remarkable journey as the Latino community's premiere music impresario and businessman. As home grown as you can get, Daniel Bueno has risen from the guy who sold records out of boxes on the corner of Park Rd. & 14th St. and door to door to his neighbors, to becoming the foremost music promoter and in the history of DC's Latino community and a retail business owner with close to 8 'Zodiac' stores at one point. Every major Latino music artist of the era has performed or been friends with Daniel. The list of artists he's responsible for promoting and supporting is endless. However, what he and Coco are really famous for is their support and management of Salvadoran artists such as the iconic, "Hermanos Flores".

Washington DC's Iconic Latin Music Empresario

I first met 'Dani' selling albums outdoors on the corner of 14th & Park Road NW when there was a big empty lot there. Now it's the commercial center that includes Target, Best Buy, Marshalls, et. al. It was the early 70's and he was standing on the corner with a pencil in his ear and a clip board under his arm surrounded by a bunch of cardboard boxes with his merchandise. LP albums he had brought with him from New York City.

The 78 and Lincoln Yards will move the needle on minority hiring

 We can’t let a festering anti-developer atmosphere hold back Chicago’s minority- and women-owned businesses—and thus hold back the very neighborhoods that protesters want to protect.

Written by JORGE PEREZ
Hispanic American Construction Industry Association

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot has been critical of the way tax-increment financing money has been deployed throughout the city, and her concerns—plus the concerns of new City Council members and many Chicagoans—nearly kept two big projects from being approved. The 78 and Lincoln Yards have now gotten the green light to proceed, in part because they agreed to meet higher minority hiring standards than the city currently requires—30 percent minority-owned businesses and 10 percent women-owned businesses as opposed to 26 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Still, skepticism persists.

The Wizard from Walla Walla; A lifetime defending the Latino Press

            David Cortinas seems like he has spent his entire life in defense of small, family owned publishing businesses who make up the bulk of the Spanish language press in the United States. A four time Secretary on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Hispanic Publishers (NAHP), he served under Clara Padilla Andrews, perhaps the most successful President in the Association's history. He was President-Elect of the organization and refused to serve due to matters of process and principle. He is expert when it comes to by-laws and the rules and behavior that make for a successful non-profit organization.

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Gloria Rodriguez a Communications Dynamo and Industry Leader

Seated at her favorite table at ‘La Taberna del Alabardero’ restaurant in Washington DC, it is with great relish that Gloria Rodriguez tells the story of her 5 minute interview with Ronald Reagan, a seminal moment in the hugely successful career of this pioneering figure in the world of national Hispanic media, communications and public affairs. It happened in Tampa in the mid 80’s on a trip the President was making to address the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In her inimitable and courageous manner she found herself waiting for the President to exit his limousine and then corralled him directly to ask for support for the National Puerto Rican Forum which had seen it’s federal funding drastically reduced, ironically enough, by his administration.

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NAHP Hires Jose Sueiro as Executive Director

The National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) has entered into an agreement with Jose Sueiro to serve as the organization's Executive Director headquartered at the National Press Building in Washington DC.

5th Annual 'Diversity in Construction GALA' at the E&SA

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2019

 

5th Annual 'Diversity in Construction GALA' at the E&SA

            Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA) presents its traditional, 'Diversity in Construction GALA' for the fifth straight year, this time at the newly built Entertainment& Sports Arena (E&SA) in Southeast DC on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20th, 2019, at 6:30 pm.

Small Construction Businesses & Opportunities in the DC Market

    The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) and Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (MDCHCA) just completed the first phase of a process created to increase the share of construction business that accrues to small, locally based sub-contractors in the Washington DC region.

    The process began in a February 15th breakfast with a frank discussion among construction project owners, large general contractors and representatives of small businesses and construction workers. These parties gathered for a 2 hour roundtable debate on best practices, inefficiencies in the process, lack of CBE capacity and the deficiencies and scarcity of highly qualified firms along with a dearth of skilled workers.

Luis Reyes: Entrepreneur as Revolutionary

Lauriol plaza, in Washington, D.C., is one of those restaurants where it's hard to hear your voice over the din by 6 p.m. Salsa music blares. Waiters yell out to one another as they hoist platters of sizzling fajitas over their heads. The bar is packed with revelers armed with table beepers and margaritas the size of small fishbowls.

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#IBS 2018 by NAHB

            This year for the first time ever, leadership from Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (MDCHCA) was invited to attend the International Builder's Show (#IBS) celebrated and sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) from January 9th to 11th, 2018. One of the largest, most important construction related events in the country, it was filled with over 1 million square feet of exhibition space throughout various convention halls in Orlando, Florida. Attendance was somewhere in the range of 100,000 participants. The guest keynote speaker was the ebullient and always funny ex- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw.

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Fort Myer Construction Corp: Business Icon

       Off the beaten path, hidden from most uninformed citizens deep in Ward 5 in Northeast Washington, D.C., is one of the region’s business behemoth. Some people have referred to Fort Myer Construction Corporation as an icon. Its story is a version of “The Little Engine That Could.” Co-founders and partners, Jose Rodriguez and Lewis Shrensky, bootstrap a small concrete company that initially had no administrative offices or staff, into a corporation with an annual income of more than $250 million and a payroll of nearly 900 workers, the majority of whom are minorities.

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At the Rosario School:

     Fifty aspiring entrepreneurs attended ten hours of instruction on how to set up a construction or commercial contracting company and how to become a construction sub-contractor in the District of Columbia. The pilot program was sponsored by Turner Construction as part of their famous Construction Management Certificate program with the assistance of the Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Assoc. (MDCHCA) and the Carlos Rosario International Charter School (CRICS).

Construye-DC: Latinos Thriving in Construction Initiative

Employment of construction laborers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to a 2015 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add to this that DC is experiencing the most - construction activity in more than five decades according to the Washington, DC Economic Partnership.

Employment of construction laborers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to a 2015 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add to this that DC is experiencing the most - construction activity in more than five decades according to the Washington, DC Economic Partnership.    

A Historic Series of Construction Training Programs

For the first time in its long and fabled history, the Carlos Rosario International Charter School (CRICS) is presenting a series of workshops, seminars and trainings related to construction. In collaboration with DC Metro Hispanic Contractors Association (MDCHCA), Turner Construction and the Latino Safety Professionals Association (LSP), DC's nationally acclaimed Adult Education Center with a large minority and Hispanic student population has agreed to host the following programs:

Free Workshop Sponsored by Metro DCHC & the Rosario School

On Tuesday, June 13th at 6:30 pm, onstage in the Auditorium at the Carlos Rosario International Charter School (CRICC), 1100 Harvard St. NW, an extraordinary workshop will be held to support construction entrepreneurs and workers in their efforts to build successful, prosperous and well run construction firms. Free and open to the public, this forum features four highly successful panelists who will share their knowledge of the industry and provide important information regarding the challenges facing the construction industry.

How to Build a Successful Construction Company

Saturday, March 4, 2017, a quartet of Latino business leaders conducted an outstanding 'how to' seminar on entrepreneurship and building a construction firm at the VFW Hall in Manassas Va. The opening speaker was Walter Tejada, leader of the Latino community in N. Va., a former Chair of the Arlington County Board and current member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Board of Directors. Walter was both inspirational and cautious with his message. He acknowledged the tough times Hispanic businesspersons are experiencing all over the region, but he was optimistic about the opportunities facing our businesses as long as they can qualify for projects by having the proper licenses, insurance and bonding. He spoke if issues relating to capacity building and the threat to our community given the current political climate.

Tejada, Perdomo, Address Hispanic Owned Small Businesses in Manassas

Walter Tejada, newly appointed Board Member of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and Carlos Perdomo, Chairman of DC Metro Hispanic Contractors Association (DCMHCA) and owner of Keystone Plus Construction will address a group of construction company owners at VFW Post 7589 in Manassas, Saturday, March 4th at 9:30 am. The purpose of the workshop is to support the development of small, Hispanic, minority and immigrant owned construction and commercial contracting companies in Northern Virginia and optimize their opportunities for growth and success.

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The Many Sides of Jorge Pardo

I first heard him play at one of those smoky, intimate jazz clubs in Madrid in the late 90's, not sure which, but it was either Cafe Central or Clamores. He was associated at that point with Paco de Lucia. Paco, the progenitor of the music that is the mixture of flamenco and jazz, used him precisely to highlight that fusion. He performed either on flute or sax imbuing the music with a unique blend of sounds. But in the beginning for Pardo there was the influence of Camarón de la Isla, the Ray Charles of flamenco music and its most famous singer. From Camarón he would come to understand the rich flamenco heritage of Andalucía. Subsequently Lucia and Camarón would feature Pardo on their groundbreaking album "Viviré" in 2005.

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