Insituform Honored for Mentoring Minority- & Women-Owned Businesses

Insituform Technologies Inc. has won the City of Houston Outstanding Prime Contractor Award for mentoring businesses owned by minorities or women to assist them in winning subcontracting work.

The award from the City of Houston and its Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Department recognizes Insituform’s record of assisting 13 minority- or women-owned businesses through the Company’s Mentor-Protégé Program. Insituform provides training and assistance to the businesses in the United States to help them qualify for contracts with the Company, other companies or municipalities.

Robert Gallegos, assistant director of the City of Houston Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Department, said the award recognized Insituform’s record of meeting or exceeding requirements for providing subcontractor work to businesses owned by minorities or women. “Insituform has had 14 contracts with the City over the last two or three years and 10 times was rated outstanding and four times was rated satisfactory in meeting the city’s goals. The company has done tremendous work for the City,” he said.
Gallegos said he had worked closely on the mentoring program with Jesse Norwood, Insituform senior government liaison manager for North America. “This award is a real honor and recognition of Insituform’s efforts to bring businesses owned by women and minorities into the industry,” Norwood said. “This is an important program for Insituform and this award shows what a valuable service our Mentor-Protégé Program is to these businesses, to the City of Houston and to our industry.”

Tom Vossman, Insituform senior vice president and COO, accepted the award on behalf of Insituform in a special ceremony during the City of Houston’s two-day Government Procurement Connections Fair in March. He was accompanied by Norwood; Dee Bryant, national director of sales for the North American Rehabilitation (NAR) Division; Kenny Pipitone, Southwest Region general manager; Andy Ozment, Southwest Region operations manager; Matt Wassam, Interim Area Manager of Business Development — Central; Tim Naylor, business development manager; and Robin Smith, NAR sales administrator.