Greg Skaggs and Kevin Jackson met with Calvin Williams, the Chairman for the Committee on Construction at the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce. The discussion centered around strategies for the Bristol Place Demolition Policy that would allow the greatest opportunities for MBE/WBE businesses to participate. Mr. Williams was briefed on the discussions that NSD staff have had and how we have determined that our recommended approach would be to conduct demolitions in single home packages as they became available for demolition. This would allow for a contractor to pick and choose which demolitions they would be interested in based on their capacity. Mr. Williams suggested that we consider inviting known demolition contractors to a pre-bid meeting and introduce them to smaller minority companies. The purpose of this event would be for contractors to develop a “joint venture” partnership that would have the MBE have a greater share in the “ownership” of the demolition project. As opposed to having a prime or general demolition contractor and a MBE as a subcontractor, a joint venture would allow the MBE to share in any profits of the contract. In a typical prime/sub contractor arrangement the sub is given a set amount of work from the prime contractor. Once that piece is completed the sub is paid and the prime contractor continues with the rest of the contract. A joint venture would keep the relationship whole throughout the length of the contract. This would give the MBE an opportunity to grow their business by being involved in all aspects of the demolition contract. This will be discussed by NSD staff to determine the feasibility of making this a requirement for the Demolition Policy.