Skip to main content

Advocacy for Minority Contractors

Lively discussion at the first meeting of the year for the National Association of Minority Contractors, Oregon chapter (NAMCO). Thanks to Faye Burch, co-founder and vice president, for inviting OMB to witness the group’s meeting with Matt Garrett, executive director of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Pictured above, from left: James Posey, NAMCO president; Faye Burch, vice president; Noni Causey, secretary; and Matt Garrett, ODOT.

More than 20 NAMCO members and prospective members attended the event, which offered an opportunity for a frank discussion about contracting issues with the state agency. “It was a good meeting because it helped open the lines of communication. We’re headed in the right direction, and NAMCO is eager to find ways to work with ODOT to address our concerns,” said Burch.


John Jackley (pictured below), interim Policy and Public Affairs Manager for the Portland Development Commission, announced the agency’s support of the organization by becoming a NAMCO sponsor.In addition, Pete Savage, Regional Director for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, provided information about upcoming public and private construction projects.


NAMCO was re-established last fall to serve an advocacy role for minority contractors. According to co-founder and president James Posey, NAMCO founders heard from African American businesses in construction and trucking, and recognized the need to re-organize a chapter that can speak directly to the issues of marginalized participation by African Americans and other minorities on public projects.

On March 16, the local chapter will host delegates from the national organization. Local chapter officers will be installed at that time: Stacey Drake Edwards, executive administrator; James Posey of Workhorse Construction, president; Faye Burch, FM Burch and Associates, vice president; and Noni Causey, City of Roses Drop Box Services, secretary. Directors include: Alvin Hall, Rock and Road Construction; Mark Mathews, PacificMark Construction; and James Cason, NOSAC Construction.

Photos below courtesy of Faye Burch

Plans also are under way to put in place activities that will enable the group to achieve the following goals for 2007.

  • Build the technology capability of our membership
  • Participate in community based workforce programs to provide staffing.
  • Work to develop options for prevailing wage projects so that non-union members can fully participate.
  • Provide technical support and training programs where needed to build capacity
  • Develop new and continuing existing partnerships with local business organizations and minority chambers.
  • Recognize general contractor partners that are working well with local minority business enterprises.
  • Ensure that minority contractors have a voice in local state and federal issues that impact small businesses.

For more information on NAMCO please contact founders James Posey, 503-936-0277; or Faye Burch, 503-936-6898. E-mail NAMCO: namcoportland@yahoo.com.

Popular posts from this blog

Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD       Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe.  A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...
Read more

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...
Read more

Enlighten Me

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Los Angeles Book Review . Author Minh Lê Standing up for oneself seems like doing the right thing. Binh did just that in the face of a racist school bully who was poking fun at his Asian heritage. But physically assaulting another student goes against school policy, and it was Binh who got in trouble. Binh shares a silent retreat with his family and younger siblings. Along with other children, he learns about stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The stories are interesting, but for Binh, it is difficult to sit still and clear his mind when he misses his Gameboy. While he struggles with silence, he learns important lessons about friendship, community, and being present. In the graphic novel "Enlighten Me," award-winning author Minh Lê and bestselling illustrator Chan Chau tell the story of a boy who gains a better understanding of himself as he works on quieting the mind and reflecting on dharma. Lê and Ch...
Read more