PhilaPort’s Diversity Program Receives Honors at 2017 WTS Awards; Recognized by Phila. City Council for Efforts
Port Diversity Program Receives Citation from City for
Being the First to Include LGBT Category for Businesses
Philadelphia, December 11, 2017 —
The Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) 2017 Awards Dinner “Fantastic Voyage” was held on Thursday, November 30, 2017. In photo (L to R): PhilaPort Senior Director of Finance and Administration Ed Henderson; Christine A. Baker; Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown; and WTS President Patti Gibson.
From the press release “Congratulations to WTS Philadelphia’s Award Winners”:
“PhilaPort, formerly known as the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of port facilities along the Delaware River, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district.
PhilaPort works with terminal operators to improve and customize facilities, including the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, Tioga Marine Terminal, Publicker Container Yard, and Southport Marine Terminal Complex, among others. These facilities process container cargo; automotive, refrigerated, and forest products; and breakbulk and bulk cargoes.
Thousands of direct and indirect jobs are created through the processing of port cargoes and related activities. With rapid expansion underway at its facilities, PhilaPort provides 17,000 good, family-sustaining jobs to people in the region, while generating more than $100 million in annual revenues for the Commonwealth and local economy.
PhilaPort is in close proximity to major retail distribution centers, manufacturers, and automotive dealerships, reaching easily from New England to Virginia, and west to Chicago. It is connected to two Class I railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, as well as nearby interstate roads.
PhilaPort believes it is crucial, for the success of the ports and the region, for minority-owned, women-owned, and other historically underutilized businesses (HUB) to have a fair seat at the table. In 2016 the agency set out to intensify its commitment to this belief with the expansion of its Diversity Outreach Program. PhilaPort developed the program to expand the pool of prime consultants it was doing business with, and introduce them to the, “vast network of subcontractors at their disposal.”
As part of this program, PhilaPort instituted minimum participation levels for HUB Enterprises. PhilaPort defines HUB Enterprises as the following: Minority-Owned; Woman-Owned; Veteran-Owned / Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned; and LGBT-Owned. PhilaPort is the first in Philadelphia to include the LGBT category in its diversity program. These businesses are certified by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).
All contracts awarded have a HUB participation level set by the Director of Procurement, and no participation goal ever dips under 20% of the contract value. The participation for each award must include at least two of the categories that are identified as HUB with no less than 5% participation for every category being included. These higher-than-industry-average percentage numbers demands work be spread between HUB enterprises.”
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, commonly known as The Port of Philadelphia ‘PhilaPort’ is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing and promotion of publicly-owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district. PhilaPort works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand and improve its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospect port users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania.