excitement, as well as significant repre- sentation by top leadership from public agencies, union and other partner groups. “Te format was fantastic,” Galarza said. “Te panel had some great speakers, with really good energy and discussion back and forth. We had a lot of people show up and attend. Overall, I thought it was a stellar event, something to set a goalpost for future events.”


Collaborative Partnership Galarza said he is encouraged by AGC’s increased focus on being a partner with the small, underrepresented business (SUB) community, as demonstrated through SBCX and its SUB Forum, which offers SUBs access to training, education,


and resources, as well as AGC’s network of general contractors and public agencies. “I think it shows the potential of how


AGC and the small business community can continue to collaborate and benefit the ecosystem that supports small busi- ness contracting,” he said. “Tat is good for the industry, because ultimately all businesses started out small. Who’s going to be the next midsize or large contractor that 10 to 15 years earlier was a small business? To be able to say that AGC was instrumental in that process I think is where the focus needs to be moving forward, and it needs to continue to be nurtured.” AGC of California’s SBCX was devel- oped in partnerships with BART, Cal-


trans, California Department of General Services, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and BuildOUT California. Paul Pendergast, founder/CEO of Pen-


dergast Consulting Group and founder of BuildOUT California, commented to AGC’s team following the SBCX event, “Once again you have set the bar for the industry in your focus on elevating the role of small, minority, women, DVBE and LGBT owned businesses. Every aspect of today’s event was first-class. BuildOUT California was honored to be part of it and we learned so much from the con- versations we held.”


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR JULY-AUGUST 2022


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