STV recently celebrated several clients and agencies in California’s Bay Area and Colorado who signed onto the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) Pledge. Eighteen agencies from across Northern California and the Denver region, joined the growing coalition of over 90 EIP members who are committed to fostering equity and access for historically underutilized businesses (HUBs). 

The landmark pledge includes coalition members representing transit agencies, airports, ports, water districts, cities, organizations and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms from throughout the United States. By signing the pledge, transportation leaders commit to advancing infrastructure equity and creating more opportunities for to Minority- and Women-owned (MWBE) or Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms through increased contracts streamlining administrative processes for HUBs.   

In 2022, STV was among the first AEC firms to sign the pledge, and EIP Co-founder John D. Porcari is a member of STV’s Board of Directors.  

“As a BART and Muni rider, I’m proud to see agencies and municipalities here in the Bay Area commit to equity and access for HUBs,” said Liz Justison, PE, PMP, president of STV’s Transportation West group. “The growing coalition of EIP members in California and nationwide demonstrates how infrastructure drives progress at a local and national level.”  

Justison joined Porcari and Philip A. Washington, EIP co-founder and CEO of Denver International Airport, at the signing ceremony hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in January.   

“Through the EIP, agencies and cities are creating new partnerships with small business and HUBs, providing an additional layer of direct community support and building generational wealth for these firms,” said Sissel Berntsen-Heber, an STV vice president from the firm’s Oakland office.   

In addition to Justison and Berntsen-Heber, STV was represented at the event by Luis Delgado, CCM, PMP, president of STV’s Program Management/Construction Management (PM/CM) group, and David Watson, CCM, vice president and PM/CM West region manager.   

Leaders, including BART, VTA, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Valley Water and San Francisco International Airport, signed the landmark pledge amidst the backdrop of BART’s Milpitas Station. STV provided architectural design and construction consultation services for Milpitas Station, which connects BART riders to VTA’s Orange Line and nine bus routes and is expected to serve approximately 20,000 travelers by 2030.