South Side VP calls for those impacted to join the fight to keep businesses open
Melissa Hurley, Vice President of Cable Communications, Inc. (CCI), is bracing for impact against attempts by the Trump Administration to dissolve the Transportation Department's four-decade-old, $37-billion Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program established to address the historical discrimination faced by minority- and women-owned businesses in the marketplace. The program helps to remedy discrimination, level the playing field, and foster growth for minority- and women-owned small businesses. On May 28, the Plaintiffs Mid-America Milling Company/ Bagshaw Trucking and the US Department of Transportation entered a Consent Order to declare the DBE Program unconstitutional. A coalition of minority- and women-owned businesses and trade organizations represented by Democracy Forward, the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Wyatt, Tarrant, & Combs LLPis defending the program. The coalition filed its opposition on June 18 to a proposed consent order that would seriously impair the program and silence the voices of those most affected by its dismantling.
CCI, a certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and DBE in electrical and communications, is facing significant challenges with the potential dissolution of the program. Located in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, this union contractor with Local #134 I.B.E.W. has had a 38-year run, specializing in electrical construction and maintenance, fire alarm, telephone, and fiber optic installation. This legacy business prepares for the worst amid challenges to the program's future and potential dissolution.
The DBE program has been a lifeline for CCI, allowing the company to bid on federally funded projects and expand job opportunities. Without this program, CCI's ability to compete for these projects would be reduced to zero, leading to severe financial strain and the potential closure of the business.
“If the DBE folds and WBE & MBE are next, the gravity of the situation would be a significant amount of small business closures,” said CCI Vice President Melissa Hurley. “The DBE Program is critical to our organization's success. Without it, we'd be hard-pressed to keep the lights on.”
In 2024, Hurley stepped into the company's leadership role to take on the day-to-day management from her mother, Susan Hurley, who founded the business in 1989. The DBE program has been a vital lifeline for businesses like CCI in a city as competitive as Chicago. 30%of CCI's jobs are DBE,65%are WBE (the City of Chicago's Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) program designed to promote contracting opportunities for women-owned businesses), and5%are private work. The dissolution threatens to put CCI and its 35 employees out of work should the company be forced to close.
The impact of the dissolution of the DBE program extends beyond CCI. Minority and women contractors in Illinois are preparing for changes to or the elimination of government set-aside programs that have ensured a steady stream of work for years.
For over 25 years, Melissa and Susan Hurley have been active members of women's organizations that fight for women in the industry, including WCOE (Women Construction Owners and Executives), Women's First, and FWC (Federation of Women Contractors). Melissa is active in the fight for the continuation of the DBE, encouraging conversation and participation from other businesses impacted, as well as writing letters imploring legislators to continue and strengthen the DBE program and other initiatives meant to allow small businesses to compete in the space against larger firms.
ABOUT CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.:
CCI is a certified WBE and DBE in electrical and communications, and a union contractor with Local #134 I.B.E.W. The team at CCI, led by Susan and Melissa Hurley, brings years of experience and personalized service to every aspect of the job, from pre-bid meetings to job completion. CCI plans to continue expanding its growth by remaining competitive and developing long-term relationships with its customers now and in the future.
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SOURCE Cable Communications, Inc.
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