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January 7, 2009

ULM grad leads workforce development project funded by $350 million grant

A University of Louisiana at Monroe graduate has contracted to lead a state-funded program in Maryland that will equip new minority business owners with the essentials of running a construction company.

ULM Class of ’82 graduate Matthew S. Stevens was recently named to lead the program known as “The Contractors Boot Camp.” It is funded by a $350,000,000 Workforce ONE Maryland project grant to address workforce development issues at Fort Meade, Md., following the federal Base Realignment and Closure Act.

Associated Builders and Contractors, a leading national organization, has partnered with a large private construction firm near Fort Meade to manage the training program, with Stevens at the helm.

Stevens, a graduate of ULM’s construction management program, brings years of experience to the assignment, having worked as a management consultant since 1994. He is president of Stevens Construction Institute Inc., a consulting firm for contractors.

ABC President Mike Henderson said while there is no shortage of people who can tell minority contractors where to go to get work, no one is helping the contractors understand which essential building blocks they will need to ensure they are still in business several years from now.

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