Beck School Of Construction Expands to Austin
- Jul 19, 2022
The Beck Group is proud to announce it has expanded the Beck School of Construction, its program to grow capacity for Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs), to Austin. Six firms from the Austin area are participating in the program, which started July 14.
“We are excited to expand The Beck School of Construction to Austin. At Beck, we have the unique opportunity to deliver outstanding projects while building the people and companies where we do business. It’s just how we do business,” Gradlin Franks, Beck’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion.
Helping Businesses Increase Knowledge
The program features a series of six training sessions to help organizations increase knowledge of the construction industry, improve their operations and profitability, and be competitive in bidding on projects.
This year’s Austin cohort participants include CenTex Air, David-Tehoungue Ltd Co., DoseyPro Electric, Mitas Electronics, LLC, MorningStar Light & Electric, LLC., Nexlegacy Construction and Veliz Construction.
To participate, the six firms had to meet specific criteria, including:
- Being certified as an MWBE by the HUB Program, National Minority Supplier Development Council, the City of Austin, Small and Minority Business Resource Department, or the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council.
- Be in continuous operation for at least 24 months.
- Annual business revenue average a minimum of $100,000 in the past two years.
The classes run from July through the end of the year. The six participating firms must attend all courses and participate in a group service event to graduate from the program.
The School Was Established in 2019
The Beck School of Construction began in 2019 as a partnership between Beck and The City of Fort Worth. Since its inception, Beck has awarded over $15 million in project work to participants who graduated from the program.
In early 2022, the design-build firm expanded the program to Atlanta and Dallas. Like Fort Worth, the Dallas program is a partnership between Beck and Dallas County.
Beck opened its Austin office in 1999. It has designed and built some of the area’s most-visited spots, including projects at The Domain and The University of Texas. Most recently, the firm completed architecture and construction on RiverSouth. It is the first project delivered as part of Austin’s transformative South Central Waterfront District.