With an unemployment rate of more than nine percent in the United States, Futech, Inc.,—a certified minority-owned small disadvantaged business—plans to bring back jobs, especially to African Americans. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Futech boasts of three core competencies: Information Technology, Engineering Technology, and Business Consulting.
Futech, Inc. was founded in 1992 by Sherman Davis, who serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. The company has as part of its initiatives, Community Outreach, which is integral to its success.
“We are finding that a lot of sources and folks are really starting to gravitate towards us as we are all about the community initiatives,” Davis told IB’s Blog in an exclusive interview. “If you look at our past performance area, our biggest thrill was working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Parks and Recreation.”
Davis said one of the biggest successes Futech has enjoyed working with a Fortune 500 company and government contracting agency outside of doing just a great job and developing rapport and camaraderie, is actually helping them to implement changes to control cost.
“In 1998 I was an integral member of a team that was charged to come up with a plan to reduce the time it would take to produce technical documentation. Not only did we come up with a plan at the customer request, but we also won this effort at a national competition coming in second place in Denver Colorado.
“The customer was also a member of the team and we helped the government save hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost by streamlining the process to produce these documents,” Davis said.
Having provided summer jobs to youth for the Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP in business development, as well as summer employment for youth in financial management at the Baltimore County Parks and Recreation, Davis said as his company continues to grow and expand, he projects “incredible things going into 2010.”
And what are some of these developments we can all look forward to?
“Mainly the creation of employment opportunities in Baltimore City and Baltimore County,” Davis said, adding, “we currently have a great business development source that we plan to turn on at the beginning of the New Year along with at least nine potential contract projects where we are just waiting for answers.
“My vision is to make sure no child is left behind. When I say that I mean no African American that wants a job is left behind. I welcome all at the table, not just African Americans — just that we have the greatest need right now.
“The budget is tight for everyone these days, however, any funding assistance in terms of grants or loans from our community based organizations, and local, state, and federal institutions are much welcome to help make this happen.”
He said Futech is open to hire all cultures because they believe in “fairness” but with the unemployment rate for minorities in particular at a staggering 10 percent and even higher—with approximately 16 percent for African Americans—they plan to make it mandatory to hire an African American candidate using a one to two ratio scale, or one three ratio scale in 2010.
“We will task our human resources that whenever assignments come up we hire one non-minority candidate, then two minority candidates predominately African Americans each time so this way, we are giving everyone a fair chance for opportunities while employing more minority candidates,” Davis said.
He said there are also investment opportunities. “I want to open it up also so that interested African American investors can partake in our growth, offering them stock in the company,” Davis said, “but that is just the beginning.”
Futech has satellite offices in North Carolina, Virginia and Texas. “Basically, these offices are run by our strategic partners that although it is their location, we have the go ahead upon notice of any work created situation or contract to immediately use that address and so forth to go. It would allow us to hire persons in that region as well to expand,” Davis said.
Davis said his continued vision is to visit Detroit, Michigan; High Point, North Carolina, and other blight areas in the U.S. to bring back jobs, which include the manufacturing sector.
“I can’t do it all. I know so; that is why I depend on my network like yourselves and so forth,” Davis said, also acknowledging interest in doing business on the global stage. “Yes, I am interested in doing business internationally as well.”
Overview of Futech’s Services
Information Technology:
Database and application support, implementation, installation, maintenance, and administration information technology security (TTSEC), firewalls, programming functions, network security, intrusion detection, and network and data cabling.
Engineering:
Acquisition and logistics; systems engineering, documentation, and construction.
Business Consulting:
Grant and Proposal Writing; Workforce Planning, Workflow Analysis/BPR, Real Estate & Housing Projects; Administrative Projects, Training (Business, ISO, Basic electronics), Business Startup/Expansion Assistance, Base Re-Alignment and Closure Support, Credit Restoration Program.
To contact Futech headquarters in Baltimore, call 443-451-9841
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great job, bro!