Eight business owners recently graduated from the Lexington Minority and Women Contractor Training Program. The 10-week program provided skills training to minority and women business owners who have at least 50 percent ownership in a contracting business.

“This year’s class represents a diverse group of entrepreneurs sharing a common desire: to improve the performance and operations of their business. The participants overwhelmingly agreed the program was beneficial and will help further their businesses,” said Becky Naugle, state director of the Kentucky Small Business Development Center, which is one of the program sponsors.

This year’s graduates are:

Yolanda Bradford – YLB Accounting and Consulting Services Inc.

Rico Cloyd – Keep It Clean

Miroslava Dorochenko – Better World Investments LLC

Cardajia Rose Stovall – Quality Maintenance and Service Group LLC

Isaiah Stovall – BLACKDIAMOND 1 LLC

William Swope – Public Safety Consultants and Associates LLC

Deanna Trusty – NKY Pro Turf and Lawn Inc.

Marvin L. Young – YoungLife Construction and Demolition LLC

“I grew up in a family construction business, and I know the value diversity brings to the industry. The Lexington Minority and Women Contractor Training Program opens doors in the construction business to healthy competition.” said Jim Gray, Lexington mayor and keynote speaker for the event.

The Minority and Women Training Program began in 2001 as a means to increase contracting opportunities for minority and women business owners. It has graduated more than 160 entrepreneurs statewide.

The program covered topics that included bidding and estimating, business planning, contract law, insurance and performance bonds, accounting and financial statements, drawings and specifications and cash flow analysis. Participants acquired the necessary tools to grow their business and had an opportunity to network with one another and prime contractors, which gave them the opportunity to build relationships for future business opportunities.

The Kentucky Small Business Development Center, BEX Construction, Blue Grass Airport, Commerce Lexington, Fayette County Public Schools, Fifth Third Bank, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Lextran, Messer Construction Company and University of Kentucky Facilities Management sponsored the program.

The Kentucky Small Business Development Center, part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is a network of 12 offices located throughout the state. The center helps existing and start-up businesses succeed by offering high quality,

in-depth and hands-on services. KSBDC is a partner program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information on KSBDC services, visit their website, http://www.ksbdc.org.