If you own a small business in Central Florida I hope you’re
doing your homework to cash in on the I-4 Ultimate project.
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few
months the I-4 Ultimate project is probably the biggest road building project in
Central Florida since I 4 was built in the 1960s. It involves widening 21 miles
of I 4 between Kirkman Road in Orlando to State Road 434 in Seminole County. In
addition to adding express lanes to the interstate the project includes
rebuilding 15 major interchanges, widening 13 bridges, replacing 74 bridges and
adding 53 bridges.
Work begins early next year and won’t be finished until
2021. The price tag? $2.3 billion. Yep, you read that right – billion.
Project leaders describe I-4 Ultimate as a “dirt and
diesel” job requiring huge trucks and bulldozers moving mountains of earth.
OK, so you’re not in the construction business and you’re
thinking: What’s in it for me?
Considering that there’s more than $2 billion on the
table, there could be a lot in it for your business.
In addition to a wide variety construction specialties,
they will need:
Janitorial services
Office supplies
Progress photos
·
Equipment rental
·
Office trailers
·
Catering and much more
Construction leaders say segments of the project will be
broken down in bite-sized pieces to give small businesses opportunities to get
manageable portions of the work. They encourage businesses to partner to pool
resources, knowledge and experience to get work. As this is a government
project, there will be generous portions of work available for certified
minority and disadvantaged business owners.
Think about it. This project will last for at least 6
years. Imagine what it could mean for you if your business can get a bite of
this pie.
So what’s the first step?
Get educated by clicking
here to visit the project’s website.
Next step, click
here to get registered as a vendor.
Now grab your hard hat and let’s get going.
This
post was written by David Porter, principal and owner of David Porter Communications
Inc., an Orlando public relations and marketing company that works with
small businesses. The firm also owns www.SunRailRiders.com
and www.B2BFlorida.com
