HUD Convenes Small Business Doing Business through Section 3 Summit

HUD Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett center and on the left four employed Section 3 recipients (Lila Williams, Bianca Russell, Joseph Symanski and Jamiya Humphrey), Micheal German, HUD Georgia Office Director and far left Johnnie Lattimore, HUD Georgia Office and far right Ray Dotson, President, Prestwick Construction, Section 3 registered company.

Far Right - HUD SE Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett speaking with business owners alongside Craig Karnes, HUD Chief Procurement Officer and Otto Banks, HUD Section 3 FHEO speaking with business owners about Section 3 business opportunities.

HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Denise Cleveland-Leggett along with U.S. Small Business Administration SE Regional Administrator Ashley Bell, Otto Banks, HUD Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and representatives from Georgia Department of Community Affairs participated in HUD's Small Business doing Business through Section 3 Summit in Georgia State Bar Auditorium where over 120 small business owners, local leaders and public housing director met to learn more about federal contracting opportunities through Section 3.

"The purpose of this summit is to help lift many of the barriers to employment for people in public housing through HUD's Section 3 Program," said Cleveland-Leggett. "Today we are connecting small businesses with business opportunities while educating them about Section 3 and what it means to those low-income residents HUD serves."

Craig Karnes, HUD Assistant Chief Procurement Officer for Field Operations provided an overview of the nearly $900 million in contract opportunities for small businesses and what is involved in competing for those HUD contracts. Otto Banks, with HUD FHEO provided essential information concerning doing business with HUD through Section 3 and Terri Denison, SBA provided details about how to compete for small business contracts' through their agency. And the Georgia Department of Community Affairs provided a local perspective about what contracts are available and introduced and recognized an Atlanta based construction company that helped four Section 3 recipients become fulltime employees.

Ray Dotson, President, Prestwick Companies (Construction) gave a moving address as he explained how he felt a need to do more than train low income residents and in fact he committed to fully look at employing more of them within his company and hired someone fulltime to develop and execute a plan to do so. Dotson hired four Section 3 individuals who shared their highly emotional testimonies and how given this chance they are attaining their dreams of financial independence and personal freedom from poverty and homelessness. The summit ended with an opportunity for companies to do business to business match making as well.

Section 3 is a means by which HUD fosters local economic development, neighborhood economic improvement, and individual self-sufficiency. Section 3 is the legal basis for providing jobs for residents and awarding contracts to businesses in areas receiving certain types of HUD financial assistance. Under Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968, wherever HUD financial assistance is expended for housing or community development, to the greatest extent feasible, economic opportunities will be given to Section 3 residents and businesses in that area.

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