Aug 16, 2017   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Burns & McDonnell KCI HOMETOWN Team Announces Details of Proposed Community Benefit Agreement

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Burns & McDonnell KCI HOMETOWN Team provided details related to its proposed Community Benefit Agreement associated with designing, building and privately-financing the New KCI single-terminal airport. Burns & McDonnell's complete proposal package was released to the public Monday following its interview with the Airport Selection Committee.

"We started this effort as a collection of hometown teams trying to do the right thing for Kansas City," said Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO, Burns & McDonnell. "Today, our team is growing and defining how a New KCI can change a community forever."

The KCI HOMETOWN Team's Community Benefit Agreement includes a funding amount totaling more than $15 million. The money will focus on growing local minority and women-owned businesses, and expanding its local workforce through collaborative community partnerships and innovative programs. Highlights of the program include:

MBE/WBE COMPONENTS

    --  As previously announced, establishing a minority and woman-owned
        business goal of 30-40 percent for the project estimated to generate
        thousands of jobs for local Kansas City companies.
    --  Financial support for developing firms through "reduced bond" or "no
        bond" bidding requirements and a new KCI Quick Pay expedited pay
        application processing.

DIVERSE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE COMPONENTS

    --  In addition to establishing minority and woman-business goals,
        establishing a combined minority, woman, and local workforce goal of 30%
        for the project to ensure that local Kansas City workers participate and
        benefit from the project.
    --  Independent workforce monitoring to ensure diverse and local workforce
        compliance.
    --  A partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas
        City, Urban League of Greater Kansas City, Full Employment Council, and
        community organizations such as AdHoc Group Against Crime to develop a
        Workforce Expansion Program targeted towards displaced workers
        throughout Kansas City.
    --  A partnership with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to
        develop a Ride KC Airport Express Shuttle that will provide free
        transportation to the airport for construction workers and substantially
        reduce the amount of time and money workers spend traveling to the
        airport.

LOCAL EDUCATION COMPONENTS

    --  Re-establishment of the award-winning Career Exploration Program
        developed with the City of Kansas City and McCownGordon. First developed
        as part of the multi-million dollar Bartle Hall Expansion, this program
        will focus on introducing middle school students to potential careers in
        construction, aviation, and STEM related fields.
    --  As announced on August 8, 2017, a partnership with the Builders'
        Association, Building and Construction Trades and Manual Career and
        Technical Center to establish the Enhanced Construction Technology
        Program to develop a pipeline of graduating high school seniors to gain
        union apprenticeships in commercial construction.
    --  Also, as previously announced, the KCI HOMETOWN Team is committed to
        hiring the first 10 graduating seniors from the program in May 2018 and
        put them to work on the New KCI Project. In total, more than 40 students
        are expected to graduate from the program and begin union
        apprenticeships working on the New KCI Project.
    --  Because of our dedication to STEM education, our KCI HOMETOWN Team also
        committed to providing those graduating seniors with scholarships, so
        that they can complete an Associate's Degree at one of the Metropolitan
        Community Colleges and better prepare themselves for a successful career
        in construction.
    --  Committing to future years of Tuck KC, a partnership with Dartmouth's
        Tuck School of Business and Burns & McDonnell, focused on creating a
        platform for businesses to grow. So far, more than 30 Kansas City
        minority and woman-owned business CEO's have graduated from the program.
        Through the course of the New KCI Project, the program is expected to
        generate more than 15,000 hours of instruction to local minority
        business leaders.

The KCI HOMETOWN Team is also pleased to announce the re-establishment of the popular Worker Information Center developed by JE Dunn and the City of Kansas City on the Leon Mercer Jordan East Patrol Station and Crime Lab Project. The program will be located at the Morning Star Youth and Family Life Center, adjacent to the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, and one the Ride KC Airport Express Shuttle locations.

"We are helping to improve the quality of life for people, which is a big part of our ministry," said Reverend Modest Miles. "Jesus was not just about going to church. The church is where we are at work to further develop the community."

Burns & McDonnell is also pleased to introduce one of our KCI HOMETOWN Team. Billy Gilreath, owner of MS Consulting, a local minority-owned business focused on concrete construction and glazing.

"MS Consulting is a great example of the kind of local business that has the opportunity to substantially grow through construction of a New KCI," said Ron Coker, senior vice president, Burns & McDonnell. "Not only will this project provide opportunities through bidding and construction, through programs like Tuck KC, we will take the opportunity to help Billy strengthen his business and better prepare him to not just grow, but thrive in a manner that allows him to sustain that growth."

To review the complete proposal package, go to: www.KCILoveThisPlace.com.

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a Kansas City-based firm that's been committed to the people and growth of our hometown since we were founded in 1898. The 3,000 employee-owners based in Kansas City actively volunteer within the community and have donated millions of dollars to causes that support our great city from United Way to Science City. We are made up of more than 5,700 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune's 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com.

Contact: Kristi Widmar, Burns & McDonnell
816-448-7379
klwidmar@burnsmcd.com

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