Allworld Project Management receives largest minority firm contract ever from City of Memphis
COREY DAVIS | MEMPHIS BUSINESS JOURNAL
An established Memphis-based minority firm has made history.
Allworld Project Management (AWPM) — an engineering firm founded in 2010 — was recently awarded a four-year, $19 million contract by the City of Memphis to head up its stormwater program.
The deal — awarded July 15 — is the largest ever awarded to a minority firm by the city, according to officials.
“From day one, we wanted to build up our capabilities to lead programs like this,” said Michael Hooks Jr., CEO of Allword Project Management. “We were careful and strategic about the kind of business that we sought. We were able to build our capabilities [not only] in Memphis, but in other municipalities.”
Allworld has done water resource services for eight years in Memphis and Birmingham as well in Jackson, Meridian, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.
“Allworld Project Management was competitively selected and has assembled an experienced and capable team to lead this program,” Robert Knecht, director of public works for City of Memphis, said in a release. “We look forward to continuing our efforts to mitigate stormwater related challenges in the City of Memphis.”
AWPM will be responsible for the management of activities and associated contracts related to planning, design, and construction for stormwater infrastructure improvements.
John Cameron — program manager for Allworld Project Management and former director of engineering for the City of Memphis — will co-lead the stormwater program. He will be joined by AWPW’s professional engineer and deputy program manager Kimbra Toney-Bernard.
AWPM’s program team will also include engineering firms Black & Veatch Corp. and Neel-Schaffer Inc., as well as local MWBE’s ABES Engineering Inc. and SR Consulting LLC.
Cameron said about $9 million of the total $19 million contract will go to Allworld and the other engineering firms on the program team.
“The remainder, we’ve been charged by the city to contract out the design work associated with improvements to the drainage system,” he said. “So, over the next four years or more, we will be looking to identify and hire additional firms to do the work.”
First Horizon will partner with AWPM to secure a line of credit to fund program activities for MWBE firms. The partnership will allow all MWBE’s on the program to be paid within 30 days of invoice approval.
“We hope to exceed our client’s expectations," Hooks said. "And, we hope this paves the way — if there is any stigmatism about minority firms' abilities to perform — that we use this as an example as this is not true."
Allworld Project Management — a professional and technical engineering, geospatial, and consulting solution provider — consists of 42 full-time employees. Allworld earned $4.7 million in revenue in 2019, according to Memphis Business Journal research. Hooks said the company’s business is a 50/50 split that come from contracts with the city and from companies in the private sector.