Indiana DBE Program – The Entrepreneurial Development Institute
To prepare DBEs for the Ohio River Bridges Project and other INDOT projects throughout the state, the Supportive Services Program offers training through the Entrepreneurial Development Institute (EDI) and the Statewide Indiana DBE Initiative (SINDI).
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EDI is a three-week training program that provides managerial, technical, financial management and technological classroom training for DBE construction, construction-related and engineering consultants from across the state of Indiana. Participating firms are those certified DBEs that have demonstrated the technical potential and entrepreneurial desire to perform in the heavy highway market.
The theme of 2011 INDOT EDI was Creating the Future. INDOT challenged participants to think and dream one size bigger. The capstone of 2011 EDI was the class field trip from Indianapolis to Louisville for the Ohio River Bridges Industry Forum. The EDI class members were among the more than 800 participants who attended the first day of the Ohio River Bridges Industry Forum. The Forum was presented to update and motivate the industry on the project purposes, needs, work performed to date, plans for design completion and construction and financial approaches. The presentations by the section designers responsible for the six sections of the project demonstrated the sheer complexity of the project and the amazing work that has been accomplished to date. The field trip to Louisville was an incredible journey for class members. All of them expressed a strong interest in working on the construction of the bridges as a part of their individual missions to create the future! (Please see video of the Ohio River Bridges Industry Forum field trip and the Creating the Future class video at http://www.in.gov/indot/2829.htm).
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SINDI is a statewide outreach and information program that solicits program-eligible minority- and women-owned firms and currently certified but underperforming DBEs. SINDI educates these firms on how to do business with INDOT. The goal of these one-day programs is to create a more diverse group of certified firms with an emphasis on highway construction and related services. For the past three years, firms from cities in Southern Indiana, including Salem, Clarksville, Jeffersonville, Memphis, New Albany and others have attended the three-day SINDI sessions in New Albany and Louisville that focused on DBE certification, INDOT prequalification, and how to manage a profitable and sustainable construction business.
For more information, contact:
Taryn “Sissy” Guynn
Supportive Services Manager
Indiana Department of Transportation
100 N. Senate Ave. IGCN 750
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-233-0420
tguynn@indot.in.gov
For further information on INDOT’s Supportive Services, please visit our website at http://www.in.gov/indot/2829.htm.