Auraria seeking more minority, female business contacts

By Naomi Osborn
The Metropolitan

About 50 companies met with Auraria officials over the winter break to put their names on a list the colleges use to find companies to do contract work.

Auraria officials want to fulfill Gov. Roy Romerâs 1996 request that they contract more work out to female- and minority-owned businesses. Romer suggested  state agencies give at least 17 percent of their contract work to women and minorities who own businesses.

Auraria gave 11 percent of its contracted work to minority and women-owned businesses last year, said LeRoy A Romero, Aurariaâs director of Diversity  Programs and Small Business Opportunities. Auraria makes contracts with outside companies to do jobs such as masonry, roofing, painting and cleaning.

ãWe are trying to reach and eventually exceed that 17 percent goal,ä Romero said.

Minority and female businessowners were invited to campus to give presentations about their companies during Friday at FacMan.

The program, Fridays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., was advertised in local and specialty papers such as El Seminario, La Voz and Urban Spectrum.

Although the Fridays at FacMan program is over, Auraria managers are planning to continue a similar program in the spring semester. Jim Fasano,  manager of Building Maintenance and Construction for Auraria, said the program brought a good response from the women and minority businesses.

ãIt has worked well,ä Fasano said. ãIt makes us feel good, and we have gained a lot of knowledge of the people out there.ä

Fridays at FacMan was not the first program to promote minority and womenâs businesses on campus. Job fairs and round tables produced the same result in previous years.

ãThis is just more personal,ä Fasano said, adding that the busiest time for outside contracting is during semester breaks.

ãWe try to match the cultural makeup of the campus,ä he said. ãWe are also reaching out to small businesses in our community.ä

Romero said the program does not mean Auraria only accepts bids from minority or womenâs businesses.

ãJust because they are minorities doesnât mean that we will pick them,ä Romero said. ãThey need a good record, quality service, and they need to be able to deliver.ä

However, Romero said if the difference was only a few dollars between a minority- or women-owned companyâs bid over another companyâs bid, he would encourage Auraria to go with the minority or women-owned company.

Auraria contracts with a relatively small number of women and minority businesses because many of those business owners arenât aware that they can do business for the campus, Romero said.

ãIt is my job to show them how to get work, introduce them to managers and get them started,ä Romero said.

Auraria also works with Coloradoâs computerized contract bidding system. Businesses that want to work for state agencies must be registered in the system. State agencies post notices about contracting opportunities on the system and await bids from companies that want to take the job.