Latine-owned and operated construction companies and entrepreneurs in Southwest Washington will soon have access to additional resources to help support and grow their businesses.
Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW), the local nonprofit workforce development board, is investing approximately $3.6 million of Community Reinvestment Project funds into several new initiatives and launching new programs and services through WorkSource and other partners to support local Black, Latine, and tribal communities and businesses.
The new partnership will enable LatinoBuilt to expand its services into Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to serve Latino construction companies and entrepreneurs through bilingual professional development classes in Contract Management, Estimating & Bidding, and Safety.
WSW’s Director of Business Services, Darcy Hoffman commented on the new partnership, “Our region is incredibly fortunate to have LatinoBuilt here to serve the Latine construction community! Our region is experiencing major investments in infrastructure, and this is one way we can ensure the Latine community in Southwest Washington benefits from these investments.”
LatinoBuilt is a nonprofit dedicated to aiding and empowering Latine construction contractors with bilingual support, mentorship and training to build a more equitable future, eliminate inequities and expand opportunities in the construction industry for Latine and other underrepresented groups.
“Advancing business opportunities and reducing barriers in construction is core to LatinoBuilt’s mission, and we are excited to advance businesses in partnership with Workforce Southwest Washington,” shared LatinoBuilt’s Interim Executive Director Rosa Martinez.
To learn more about how your business can participate in LatinoBuilt training visit www.latinobuilt.org or contact Dulce Perkins at dulce@latinobuilt.org or 503-889-0511.
In addition to LatinoBuilt, WSW is launching new partnerships with Business Impact NW and Fourth Plain Forward that will:
- Expand Business Impact NW’s services into Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to provide one-on-one, in-depth business advice, lending, and technical assistance services to Black, Latine, and tribal businesses and entrepreneurs to grow businesses that create jobs in these rural communities.
- Enable Fourth Plain Forward to address immediate needs and build long-term capacity among Black, Latine, and tribal business owners and operators, ensuring sustainable development and enhanced community resilience. And provide recruitment and retention resources, workshops, job fairs/cultural events, referral programs and technical assistance.
For information about other programs contact:
- Business Impact NW – Domonique Juleon at domoniqueJ@BusinessImpactNW.org
- Fourth Plain Forward – Angelo Adside at angelo.adside@fourthplainforward.org
The Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project goal is to support communities impacted by the “war on drugs” with a strong focus on Black, Latine, and tribal communities and businesses.
