[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5909-5910]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  COMERICA PARK CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TEAM RECEIVES 2000 GENDER AND 
                 RACE DIVERSIFICATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, on May 2, 2000, the Great Lakes 
Construction Alliance will hold its annual Gender and Race 
Diversification Excellence Awards dinner. Each year, the G.A.R.D.E. 
Awards are given to labor owners and contractor organizations which 
have made significant efforts in improving the recruitment and 
retention of women and people of color in the unionized construction 
industry. Each award winner has developed, or engaged in some 
substantial program with the goal of furthering opportunities for women 
and people of color, which is one of the fundamental principles upon 
which the Great Lakes Construction Alliance was founded.
  Nominees are judged by a jury of construction industry 
representatives. To be considered for the G.A.R.D.E. Award, programs 
must show documentation, including numbers for minorities and women, of 
the number of people added to the organization's labor force, and 
promote quality, acceptable construction practices. Ultimately, the 
awards are given to those programs which have made significant efforts 
to improve the recruitment and retention of women and people of color 
in the unionized construction industry. The recipients of the 2000 
G.A.R.D.E. Awards are the Human Rights Department of the City of 
Detroit, the Greater Detroit Building and Construction Trades Council, 
and the Comerica Park Construction Management Team.
  Comercia Park is the new home of the Detroit Tigers. It is a 
breathtaking, state-of-the-art facility. In my somewhat biased opinion, 
it is not only the newest, but also the nicest, stadium in the Major 
Leagues. Its construction would not have been possible were it not for 
the efforts of the many people who helped to build it. The construction 
of Comerica Park was a conglomerate effort, which was led by the 
Construction Management Team of Hunt, Turner, and White, Tigers General 
Manager John McHale, Jr., and aided by many Detroit City organizations: 
the Downtown Development Authority, the Minority Business Development 
Council, the African American Association of Business Contractors, and 
the Majority Business Initiative.
  The Comerica Park project, with the cooperation of the aforementioned 
individuals and organizations, and also Detroit residents, targeted 
specific groups for participation in its completion. The program 
resulted in the participation of 25 percent minority businesses, five 
percent women-owned businesses, 34 percent Detroit-based businesses, 
and 25 percent small businesses. Workforce utilization resulted in 
minorities comprising 38.15 percent of employees constructing the 
stadium. Women comprised 4.28 percent, and another 30.53 percent were 
residents of Detroit.
  Mr. President, I applaud the diverse group of people who were 
responsible for the building of Comerica Park. The

[[Page 5910]]

stadium stands as a symbol of the hope that I think many Detroit 
residents now feel for their city. More importantly, all Michigan 
residents can take pride not only in the final product, but in the 
production itself. On behalf of the entire United States Senate, I 
congratulate the Comerica Park Construction Management Team on 
receiving a Gender and Race Diversification Excellence Award.

                          ____________________