LARGO, MD – The Clean Water Partnership (CWP), the community-based partnership between Prince George’s County, MD, and Corvias, has announced the graduation of 16 local, small, and/or minority-firms from its Mentor Protégé and Emerging Landscapers Programs.
The Mentor Protégé Program (MPP) now in its fourth year, focuses on mentoring and support to develop the local capacity of small businesses in stormwater management and green infrastructure projects. The program provides coaching, training, access to bid opportunities, capital, bonding, certification, and other supportive services. This year, the CWP created the Emerging Landscapers Program (ELP) to expand the pool of qualified landscaping firms capable of performing aesthetic and functional maintenance on stormwater best management practices (BMPs).
Since the mentorship program’s start in 2017, over 35 firms have completed the Mentor Protégé Program, including the 13 firms from the Emerging Landscapers Program this year.
“The Mentor Protégé and Emerging Landscapers Programs help to prepare and empower the cohort participants to be better equipped to bid and win stormwater projects that will grow their businesses,” said Keisha Brown, Corvias Partnership Liaison. “In a COVID environment that has impacted so many small businesses, we recognize the fortune and benefit of being categorized as an essential critical infrastructure workforce within the water sector and have been able to continue our operations and construction projects. The Clean Water Partnership is motivated to continue supporting these growing firms as we work together to complete stormwater management and green infrastructure projects across Prince George’s County.”
“We continue to build capacity and increase the competence of firms in green stormwater infrastructure construction. At the same time, we recognize that every project constructed has a 30-year maintenance requirement, which presents an opportunity for landscapers to develop a new line of business,” said Michael Burke, CWP Director, Business Inclusion and Capacity Development. “Green Infrastructure maintenance is a great entry point for small business with a clear growth path to construction.”
The Mentor Protégé Program’s performance to date includes contract awards to multiple firms with expertise in construction, landscaping, and maintenance in the amount of $23 million in expenditures. In addition:
- $154 million of the $210 million total program expenditures have been produced by target class firms;
- Over 50 percent of all hours worked on the program to date have been performed by County residents; and
- Of the 9,050 total work hours, 5,147 total work hours have been performed and paid to County residents
This year, the Mentor Protégé Program’s graduating firms include:
- C&M Construction Services, Lanham, MD
- Cleckley Development Corp., Upper Marlboro, MD
- CWI Solutions, Washington, D.C.
- Insight Engineering, Upper Marlboro, MD
- Millennium Concepts, Clinton, Md
- Minority Environment Solutions and Services, LLC, Bowie MD
- Sterling Enterprises, Mount Rainier, MD
From the Emerging Landscapers Program, the first cohort of graduating firms include:
- 1st Choice Facilities Maintenance, LaPlata, MD.
- AC Reliable, Mitchellville, MD
- Cavalla Construction, Baltimore, MD
- C&M Construction Services, Lanham, MD
- Daylilly Landscaping, LLC, Washington, D.C.
- Faulkner Lawn Care & Landscaping, Oxon Hill, MD
- Maroon Garden Concepts, Rockville, MD
- Millennium Concepts, Clinton, MD
- Minority Environmental Solutions & Services, Bowie, MD
- Sterling Enterprises, Mount Rainier, MD
- T&G Services, College Park, MD
- TCG Property Care, Inc., Washington, D.C
- The Georgetown Landscaping Company, Georgetown, D.C.
For more information about the Mentor Protégé and Emerging Landscapers Programs, please visit www.thecleanwaterpartnership.com.
