President Mariyana Spyropoulos of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago stated that “Minority businesses received a promising outlook for construction-related contracts with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) at an inaugural conference.” The National Organization of Minority Engineers (NOME) Leadership Summit held at the Gleacher Center last month provided an outlet for minority engineering firms to learn about access, advocacy and participation in a fair procurement process. MWRD, which sponsored the event, also participated in two of the panels.

President Spyropoulos participated in a panel entitled “2015 Outlook and Opportunity” with Randall Blankenhorn, secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation; Cheiko High, deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation; and Tom Powers, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water Management. “The District has a proactive diversity program to meet our active construction and consulting opportunities,” said President Spyropoulos. “The program is designed to ensure that minority, women and small businesses are given equal opportunity to participate in construction and professional service contracts. We want minority, women and small business to grow. We know that it is the success of these businesses that translates to the success of our country and our city.”

Photo Caption:
Pictured is President Spyropoulos with Michael Sutton, President of the National Organization of Minority Engineers.