The Stillman College DBE Supportive Services Program (herein referred to as the Program) was established in 1989 as the first DBE program to be developed and implemented at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the state of Alabama.  The College was awarded the contract from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) under the auspices of the USDOT’s Surface and Transportation Equity Act of 1983 (TEA-21).  The Program is located on Stillman’s campus and focuses primarily on providing services to the DBE firms in its coverage area encompassing several counties within the 6^th ALDOT Division and all counties in the ALDOT 5^th and 8^th  Divisions.  The counties are:

Lamar, Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Greene, Hale, Perry, Chilton, Dallas, Autauga, Lowndes, Butler, Wilcox, Monroe, Clarke, Marengo, Sumter, Chocktaw, and Washington.

The primary mission of the Program is to provide assistance to firms that are certified by ALDOT as DBE firms.  The assistance may include, but is not limited to, classroom instruction and technical assistance.  Presently, the Program offers assistance on such topics as:  ALDOT Electronic Bidding, Bonding, Short-term Lending, Bid Estimating, Accounting, Project Scheduling, Plan Reading, Business Plan Development, and other topics that are deemed vital to promoting and sustaining a successful business venture.

The Stillman College DBE Program has received numerous awards since its implementation.  The Program has been recognized by receiving two outstanding awards:  The African-American Entrepreneurial Summit Pinnacle Award and is a two-time recipient of The Federal Highway Administration Civil Rights Executive Council Regional Award for Best Practices.    The Program has also represented the State of Alabama’s DBE Supportive Services Program at FHWA conferences throughout the nation.  The Program has been hailed as a model for the provision of services to DBE firms in the transportation industry.

Link:  www.stillman.edu

Click:  Administration

Click:  Cabinet

Click:  Institutional Advancement

Click:  DBE Program