Minority-owned firms face ‘crisis’ as affirmative action programs fall
Minority- and women-owned businesses are bracing for the end of affirmative action in federal contracting—and the potential loss of contracts worth at least $70 billion a year.
Contractors
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IU Health aims to award 30% of downtown hospital project to diverse contractors
IU Health expects to give about $690 million worth of work to diversity contractors. That’s 30% of $2.3 billion—the amount the hospital system says the project is worth after subtracting the cost of expensive medical equipment such as imaging scanners.
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Translation app Duolingo fired some contract workers in favor of AI
Language-learning app Duolingo has been steadily firing contract writers and translators and replacing them with artificial intelligence, in one of the most high-profile instances yet of a company getting rid of human workers in favor of AI.
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say drivers won’t be affected
The Labor Department rule, which the Biden administration proposed 15 months ago, replaces a scrapped Trump-era standard that lowered the bar for classifying employees as contractors.
Plymouth-based SIMBA Chain lands 20-year government contract
SIMBA Chain, which helps customers implement blockchain technology, recently became a preferred vendor for the federal government. This means the company can do business with any federal government agency and can more easily work with other government vendors on projects.
Stadium construction manager with Indy ties pays $1.9M over minority hiring
Construction of the 9,500-seat, $160 million stadium in Worcester was managed by Gilbane/Hunt, a joint venture of Gilbane Building Co. of Providence, Rhode Island, and Aecom Hunt Construction Group Inc. of Indianapolis.
Indy-based bath remodeler riding COVID-fueled home improvement surge
New Bath Today, founded by brothers Mike and Ryan Redman, offers a tightly focused specialty—converting conventional tub-and-shower combos into either walk-in tubs or shower-only arrangements.
U.S. poised to sue contractors who don’t report cyber breaches
Officials have repeatedly spoken of the need for better private-sector engagement as the government confronts a surge in ransomware attacks that in the last year have targeted critical infrastructure and major corporations.
Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber acquired by Georgia company
The acquisition marks Marietta, Georgia-based Wrench Group’s first expansion into the Midwest and adds 400 employees to its operations.
Union-connected PAC spends thousands to defeat candidate who represents non-union contractors
Believe in Indiana, a political action committee connected to the Indiana State Building & Construction Trades Council, has spent more than $51,000 to run TV commercials that criticize JR Gaylor, CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana and Kentucky, who is running against Scott Baldwin in the Senate District 20 primary.
State’s contractor faces big test as it ramps up contact tracing effort
Washington, D.C.-area-based Maximus is taking on a critical, massive assignment: helping health departments across Indiana contact people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to learn whom they might have exposed.
Independent contractors may have to wait until May to receive jobless benefits
The additional $600 in unemployment benefits could start arriving Friday for some Hoosiers, but independent contractors and gig economy workers may be waiting until next month to see any payments.
City, Indy Chamber launch financing program for minority-owned businesses
Funding for the program will help smaller businesses pay initial expenditures associated with bidding on contracts—supplies and payroll, for example—without having to put themselves at financial risk through high-interest borrowing.
Fast-growing contractor Gemco acquires Carmel firm
Indianapolis-based Gemco Constructors LLC has acquired Carmel-based Real Mechanical Inc., a mechanical contracting firm founded in 1978.
UPDATE: Transportation contractor plans $11M headquarters on southeast-side
Milestone Contractors LP received approval for incentives from the city of Indianapolis tied to an effort to build a 25,000-square-foot office building and 52,000-square-foot garage in Beech Grove.
State cites contractor in worker’s death at IU’s campus
Thirty-five-year-old William M. Brown Jr. died in April when a 10-foot-long limestone slab fell and killed him as it was being lifted above an interior doorway at IU's Swain Hall.
Houston-based company acquires local mechanical contractor
Comfort Systems USA Inc. continues to expand its local operations with its second acquisition of an Indianapolis company in the past year.
Construction tech-services firm expanding HQ, adding 56 workers
Indianapolis-based Earthwave Technologies Inc. is doubling the size of offices on the city’s northwest side.
Coop builder takes henhouses to next level
Andrew Brake build his first coop to house chickens in his own backyard. But he’s turned his hobby into a new career and how builds coops worth thousands of dollars.
Local heating-cooling business moving HQ from Fishers to Indy
Service Plus plans to spend about $1.5 million on the move, which is expected to help the company double its workforce.
Local environmental firm acquired by two private-equity firms
An Indianapolis-based environmental engineering firm that moved into a new downtown headquarters last year has been acquired by Chicago-based Woodlawn Partners LLC and Detroit-based Peninsula Capital Partners LLC.