October 29, 2020
More than 30 businesses and nonprofit organizations have been nominated for the Greater Baltimore Committee’s 2020 Bridging the Gap Achievement Awards.
Award winners will be announced at the GBC’s Bridging the Gap Achievement Awards, a virtual event to be held on November 23, 11 a.m.-noon.
The GBC presents the awards annually to recognize exceptional majority, minority and women-owned businesses, as well as executives who nurture the development of minority and women-owned businesses in the Greater Baltimore region and Maryland.
Donald C. Fry, President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, said the nominees represent a rich cross-section of the Baltimore region’s diversity and the exceptional work being done by minority and women-owned businesses and organizations, as well as majority-owned companies that support them.
“Minority and women-owned business enterprises are vital for our economy to thrive. The growth and vibrancy of minority and women-owned businesses are a testament to the overall health of a region’s economy and its outlook,” said Fry.
“They drive more than just jobs. They bring new ideas and perspectives and they create new generational wealth among women and minority communities.”
The Bridging the Gap Initiative, which is overseen by the GBC’s Bridging the Gap Committee, was launched in 2003 by Fry to nurture and expand minority and women-owned business opportunities.
Phil E. Croskey, chair of the committee and CEO and Co-Founder, MD Energy Advisors and PointClickSwitch.com, said the achievement awards help increase awareness and educate the public of the vital contributions made by minority and women-owned businesses.
“All of the award nominees serve as invaluable role models for others who have dreams of starting their own business or nonprofit one day,” said Croskey. “Each nominee is an inspirational success story.”
Fry noted that the GBC’s Bridging the Gap Initiative and achievement awards are part of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s long-standing commitment to promoting and supporting diversity and inclusiveness in the regional economy.
In addition to promoting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all businesses and organizations, the initiative provides targeted support and programming to help women and minority-owned businesses in the Greater Baltimore region succeed and grow.
The 2020 nominees are:
Community Impact Award
- CASH Campaign of Maryland
- Division Street Landscaping
- HealthCare Access Maryland (HCAM)
- Inge Benevolent Ministries
- Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc.
- Our Joyful Noise Baltimore
Diversity in Leadership Award
- East Baltimore Development, Inc.
- Vehicles for Change
- Stella May Contracting
Innovative Partnership/Strategic Alliance
- HOPE Inside – Operation HOPE and M&T Bank
- Revival Hotels and Kiss Tomorrow Hello
- Turner Construction Company’s Three-Pronged Alliance with Morgan State University
- Northrop Grumman and NPower Maryland
- Under Armour and NPower Maryland
- TBC, Inc. and Wannabe Productions Inc.’s Partnership with University of Maryland Global Campus
Mentorship
- Delali Dzirasa of Fearless
- Wayne Frazier of MD Washington Minority Companies Association
- Andrew Parlock of Northrop Grumman
Successful Minority or Women-Owned Business
- archSCAN, LLC
- BTST Services Inc.
- EMR – The Electric Motor Repair Co.
- Fearless
- Fishnet
- KMASS Solutions
- Mayson-Dixon Companies
- Myriddian LLC
- Root Branch Productions, LLC
- The Maryland Center for Hospitality Training
- Stella May Contracting
- D&L Cleanup
ABOUT THE GREATER BALTIMORE COMMITTEE
The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) is a regional organization of business and civic leaders that includes businesses, nonprofit organizations and educational and civic institutions. It is the leading voice for the private sector in the Baltimore region on issues relating to economic growth, job creation, workforce development, transportation, the business climate and quality of life. The GBC’s membership is comprised of over 500 member organizations, including large, mid-size and small companies, nonprofits, education and foundations in the Greater Baltimore region.