WSDOT, Sound Transit to expand small business mentoring program

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 2/27/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) partnered to begin their mentorship program between small businesses and transportation companies this spring. Launched in July 2018 under the Mentor Protege Program name, WSDOT and Sound Transit will rename the effort to the Capacity Building Mentorship Program. Now in partnership with Sound Transit, the program is designed to foster mentorships among successful large enterprises and emerging small and diverse businesses, according to a WSDOT press release. The program will be geared toward construction and transportation firms, providing opportunities for participates to improve their business practices, grow their firms and develop relationships with other companies. In fall 2017, WSDOT hired THOR Cos., a minority-owned construction company, to develop, support and implement WSDOT's mentorship program. This program is part of WSDOT's diversity roadmap and one of the highlighted efforts of Gov. Jay Inslee’s subcabinet on business diversity.