NY Panel To Address Minority Business Challenges

 NEW YORK -- State governments nationally are coping with infrastructure challenges complicated by budget deficits and decaying roads and buildings. The opportunity to pursue public-private partnerships to help resolve these needs will highlighted during the NYS Black and Puerto Rican Legislators Annual Caucus in Albany this weekend.

"Minority-owned businesses are frequently late to the conversation so we are looking forward to a very meaningful dialogue with the Governor and state legislators," said William S. Parrish, Jr., President & CEO of NobleStrategy, a leading construction management and training firm. "Public-private partnerships have come under fire in NY on more than one occasion. Partnerships need to make sense for the community and often help improve our educational system. The minority business community needs to be involved in the process from the outset, not just because we want to have a chance at the business, but because we represent an increasingly valuable perspective, which should not be reduced to an afterthought."

Parrish will be participating in a Saturday workshop entitled, "The Future of Economic Development: Public-Private Partnerships, the Right Investment for New York?" The panel is sponsored by NYS Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez of East Harlem.

Parrish has over 20 years of construction management and training experience with expertise in the public and private education sectors. NobleStrategy has partnered with public and private interests on many large-scale, multi-stage education projects. A LEED accredited professional since 2004, Parrish is recognized regionally for his coalition building skills with key public and private constituencies.

"There are many misconceptions about the value of public-private sector partnerships," Parrish said. "I think most of us would be opposed to selling state parks to pay for roads and bridges, but at the same time we need to resolve the very real problem of dealing with a decaying infrastructure and keeping New Yorkers working. Government is expected to generate business and that often means turning to the corporate world to help get deals done that make sense for New York."

The panel will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Meeting Room 3 of the Empire State Plaza Convention Center (EGG) inAlbany. Confirmed panelists include: Denis Hughes, President, NYS AFL-CIO; Dustin Collins, The Firm, representing, Prodigy Asset Management, LLC; Heather Briccetti, Acting President and CEO, NYS Business Council; Juan N. Castro, New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce; and Parrish.