By Tom Millikin
The Port
The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority (The Port) is hiring several; minority-owned companies for the upcoming demolition and anticipated redevelopment of the former Millennium Hotel:
- To oversee demolition of the former hotel, Turner Construction, the construction management company for the project, will partner with d.e. Foxx & Associates, a Cincinnati-based, minority-owned construction management firm and one of the largest minority-owned companies in Cincinnati.
- The contract for the actual demolition of the Millennium has been awarded to the O’Rourke Wrecking Company, a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) located in Cincinnati. O’Rourke has committed to $1.6 million in minority spend on the demolition.
- For the anticipated redevelopment of the property, Turner will partner with minority-owned Jostin Construction and d.e. Foxx.
“Our goal from the very start has been to make the Millennium Hotel project a model for building a more diverse workforce and a stronger community of minority-owned businesses,” said The Port’s President and CEO, Laura N. Brunner. “To ensure these outcomes, we are partnering with Turner, d.e. Foxx and Jostin to create a team committed to providing diverse and equitable opportunities,” Brunner added.
Turner is recognized as one of the most diverse construction companies in the nation, receiving a grade of 100 percent on the Human Equality index by the Human Rights Campaign, and is recognized as one of the top 50 diverse organizations in the United States. Turner has worked in Cincinnati since 1903 and is the largest construction firm in Cincinnati.
“We’re extremely pleased to be working hand-in-hand with d.e. Foxx on phase 1 and with Jostin Construction and d.e. Foxx on phase 2 of this project, which is so vitally important to the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County,” said Dave Spaulding, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction. “We are fortunate to have great minority business partners on this project who each have deep experience.”
Since its founding in 1983, d.e. Foxx’s clients have included Fortune 1000 corporations from a variety of industries, and it has been named Supplier of the Year on numerous occasions by major corporations, including Procter & Gamble and pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.
Jostin Construction has been in business in Cincinnati for more than 20 years and is deeply rooted in creating diverse opportunities for the local workforce. Jostin is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), a Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and is also an EDGE certified company (Encouraging Diversity, Growth, and Equity). Jostin is currently partnering with Turner on the FC Cincinnati stadium construction and has worked closely with Turner on other significant downtown Cincinnati projects, including the 84.51 Center and the Great American Tower.
Key Facts:
- The first phase of the Millennium Hotel project will include demolition of the property, expected to begin within the next two months and take one year to complete.
- The decades-old hotel will be razed through a combination of mechanical demolition with heavy equipment and, possibly, controlled implosion.
- The next phase of the project will involve interviews with engineering and architecture firms to join local architecture firm Elevar Design Group, the largest minority-owned design firm headquartered in the City of Cincinnati.
- About 90% of the total spend on the Millennium’s future development will be spent on work performed by sub-contractors.
- All the sub-contracted work will be bid to local and regional companies, including minority-owned, women-owned or small business enterprises.
- The Port and Turner Construction have presented to the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Minority Business Accelerator in an effort to attract new minority-owned companies to the city to increase the diversity of the subcontractor market.
- After 52 years, the Millennium Hotel closed on December 31, 2019.
- In January 2020, The Port’s board unanimously approved issuing up to $59 million in bonds to acquire, demolish and secure the Millennium Hotel in anticipation of future redevelopment.
- The Port closed on the property in mid-February, assuming ownership.
- Over the past seven months The Port worked to complete the necessary due diligence on the 32-story, 872-room hotel.
- In late summer and early fall, The Port worked with local agencies to empty the contents of the hotel and provide them to local families in need.
- The Port hired Building Value to remove all the items from the building. Building Value is an Easterseals organization providing on-the-job experience for people needing a second chance to enter the work force.
- Items donated by The Port from the hotel to families and individuals in need included: couches, lamps, chairs, tables, silverware, linens, ironing boards, patio furniture, and electronics such as telephones, TVs, hair dryers and coffee makers.
