RTD hosts event to foster small businesses, honor outstanding firms

RTD and 12 community partners presented awards to three small businesses during an event Aug. 28 to highlight opportunities in winning contracts with public agencies. The award-winning small businesses were selected based on their quality work and on-time performance during 2021-2023.

The businesses and the category for which they were awarded include:

• Infinity Solutions, owned by Joseph Jimenez and awarded for Construction project
• Zann & Associates, owned by Suzanne Arkle and awarded for Consulting/Professional Services
• Top Notch, owned by Frank Gonzales and awarded for Operations/Maintenance contracts

RTD’s Small Business Opportunity Office, project managers, prime contractors, and 12 community organizations, including several chambers of commerce in the Denver metro area, participated in the award selection.

RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson shared opening remarks to kick off a panel discussion about increasing contracting opportunities for small, disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises.

“Let’s not mix words about what we are honoring today: Small business inclusion programs are about much more than meeting a project goal,” said General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “They provide opportunities and level the playing field for historically underutilized businesses to grow, build capacity and create generational wealth. The leaders in RTD’s Small Business Opportunity Office, within the Civil Rights Division, recognize the critical nature of these efforts.”

A Q&A session followed the panel discussion for small businesses to learn how they could successfully respond to public agency requests for invitation for bids (IFB) and requests for proposal (RFP) to win new business. Six public agency representatives also answered questions about how small businesses could increase contracting opportunities. Panelists were represented from the following public agencies:

• RTD
• City and County of Denver
• Denver International Airport
• Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
• Denver Public Schools
• Denver Housing Authority

Over 500 business professionals attended the event held from 8 to 11:30 a.m. today at the Police Protection Association (PPA) Event Center in Denver.

The following chambers of commerce and organizations also attended today’s event:

• Black Construction Group and Black Chamber of Commerce
• Hispanic Contractors Colorado
• Colorado Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• LGTBQ Chamber of Commerce
• African Chamber of Commerce of Colorado
• Aurora Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)
• Asian Chamber of Commerce
• Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce
• Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)
• Colorado Minority Business Office
• US DOT West Regional Office
• Women Transportation Seminars (WTS)

RTD has a long history of contracting with small businesses and has consistently attained 15% and 20% business participation with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) contractors respectively, for the last three years.