Paving the Road to Success Invitational Helps Emerging Businesses Turn Opportunities into Growth
2025-11-17
What does it take to successfully compete for state contracts?
Businesses need more than just information on how to follow the labyrinth of steps and rules. They need to enhance their marketing materials and public-facing persona.
In the Illinois Tollway’s Paving the Road to Success Invitational, two teams of emerging and diverse businesses finetuned their marketing materials and competed against each other at the October Illinois Tollway Quarterly.
The company owners, who are also participants in the Tollway’s Technical Assistance and Partnering For Growth programs, produced a range of materials helpful to market themselves to the state and other industry partners. These included an elevator pitch, capabilities statement, social media video and website.
“This first-ever competition shines a spotlight on the incredible progress of firms participating in our Technical Assistance and Partnering for Growth programs. Each firm is showcasing the skills, strategies and confidence they have built through our programs- skills that empower them to grow stronger and compete successfully,” said Acting Chief of Diversity and Strategic Development Marlene Vick. “By providing these marketing tools and event experience, the Tollway continues its commitment to equipping firms for success in the Tollway’s contracting and procurement process.”
The Technical Assistance providers coached the teams. Inner City Underwriting, whose team won the invitational, was comprised of the following members:
- A&W Contractors, Adrian Mobley, President
- ERA Construction Group, Diego Coyt, Assistant Project Engineer
- Foremost Improvements, Mary Madrigal, President
- S & M Plow Corp., Joyce Gye, President
- Secondary Solutions, Bob Demo, President
The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce coached the following members:
- Allstate Concrete and Demolition Inc., Mike Seay, President
- Martinez Frogs Inc., Ricardo Martinez, President
- Metropolitan Steel Inc., Tim Caballero, President
- Semper Fi Land Inc., Robert Velazquez, President
- Veterans Vac Services, Raymond Andresen, President
The Tollway’s Technical Assistance Program is designed to prepare emerging and established transportation-related construction and professional engineering services firms to participate on highway and vertical construction contracts. Participants receive comprehensive, customized business development assistance for increased business stability and growth in the transportation-related construction industry. Services are customized to the assessed strengths, challenges and needs of participating firms.
Learn more about Technical Assistance and Paving the Road to Success here.