(Washington, DC) — Last night, the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) held a Local Business Appreciation Reception at Washington Nationals Park’s PNC Diamond Club to honor the businesses big and small that helped construct the Nationals Stadium.

“This is a way for our agency to thank the local businesses that helped build the stadium as well as those who helped ensure—and in fact, insisted on—local business participation. Aside from the obvious exemplary work done to create this fantastic new stadium, the project was particularly a success because it met the requirement for 50 percent utilization of local, certified business enterprises (CBEs),” said Nicole Becton, the agency’s Interim Director.

The project exemplifies the way the District government promotes the growth and development of its businesses and communities. The ballpark project’s success demonstrates the feasibility of relying on local, small businesses for major public projects, and highlights how local business participation benefits both city businesses and residents. The project created employment opportunities and underscored incentives for businesses to locate or remain in the District, and thus helped augment the city tax base.

Approximately 70 local businesses representing every ward in the District worked on Nationals Park. Many of their employees were on hand for the celebration, along with Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, both of whom greeted the crowd and emphasized the hard work of the businesses involved in constructing the stadium and the importance of supporting small business in the District.

DSLBD honored certain individuals who were integral in reaching the 50 percent requirement. Award recipients were: At-large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown; Allen Lew, Director, Office of Public Education Facilities Management; Gregory O’Dell, President & CEO, Washington, DC Convention Center; Courtland Cox, Consultant, Office of Public Education Facilities Management; Clark/Hunt/Smoot; Tom Kenton, Clark Construction; Alice Patterson, Clark Construction Retiree; Chrystal Stowe, Smoot Construction; and Erik A. Moses, President & CEO, DC Sports & Entertainment Commission.

DSLBD works to stimulate and expand the local tax base of the District of Columbia, to increase the number of viable employment opportunities for District residents, and to extend the city’s economic prosperity to local business owners, their employees, and the communities they serve. For more information about the Department of Small and Local Business Development and its Certified Business Enterprise program, please visit dslbd.dc.gov.
Photos of the Local Business Appreciation Reception are available upon request.