One employer in Queens is on track to employ a most diverse team of laborers.
More than one-third of the subcontractors and suppliers hired to construct the new Aqueduct Racino – now the Resorts World New York racetrack casino – are New York State certified Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), according to a report released on Tuesday, February 8.
Tutor Perini, Resort World’s general contractor for the $350 million project, has commitments from subcontractors and suppliers in such specialty areas as electrical contracting, carpentry and security for the construction phase of revamped Racino in South Ozone Park.
“Resorts World New York is fully committed to providing meaningful and substantial contractual opportunities for Minority, Women and Locally-Owned Business Enterprises in the construction of our new facility at the historic Aqueduct Racetrack,” said Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York. “From the beginning, we have made MWBE and local participation on this project a top priority.”
To date, Tutor Perini has awarded $45.8 million and 36 percent of its total bids to city MWBE subcontractors and suppliers, one of which went to Henry Cannady, president of Cannady Security Inc., a firm that has called Queens its home for more than 30 years.
“It is encouraging to have such a prominent company in the Queens community to follow through on its stated commitment to diversity,” said Cannady. “We hope other contractors will look to Resorts World New York and Tutor Perini as examples of how to responsibly award contracts in the future.”
Information on further bid packages and permanent employment will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit www.rwnewyork.com.
Meanwhile, the New York State Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming & Wagering held a hearing in Albany on Monday, February 7 on the future of horseracing and gaming in the state.
Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr., who sits on the committee, said that expanding the ways in which the state can create revenue – including table games and night racing – would serve to benefit the state’s education and help lower the deficit.
“In recent years, New York State lost billions of dollars to other nearby states that could have gone to New York – some 62 cents of every dollar, and 42 cents of every dollar to education,” he said, adding that the state will continue to lose money unless legislation is introduced to expand the industry.
