A Humble Beginning, Now 38 Years Strong
Our lobbying team worked tirelessly with Congress to include airports and concessions operators, particularly ACDBEs, on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding bills leading to two relief packages.
AMAC members testified before Congress on the importance of the DBE/ACDBE federal programs.
We teamed up with the DENCommerce Hub to advise AMAC members on how to apply for Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Main Street Lending programs. AMAC members received free advice and a team to conduct research to help maximize funding.
As the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the aviation industry, AMAC launched a grass-roots campaign to #savethetravelexperience. The mission was to develop a viral campaign designed to influence lawmakers working on COVID-19 relief packages to specifically include airport-related businesses in legislation.
The AMAC Political Action Committee (AMAC PAC) works to further AMAC’s direct advocacy and educational initiatives on Capitol Hill by making monetary contributions to federal candidates and political action committees and caucuses who understand and support equity in airport contracting and employment. The AMAC PAC is non-partisan and provides our members with the means for concerted political action.
The objective of the A Winning Approach: Recommendations to Realize Greater ACDBE and DBE Goods and Services Supplier Opportunities and Participation Within the Car Rental Industry white paper was to provide recommendations that enhance the participation of certified minority and women-owned firms as goods or services suppliers in the car rental companies’ airport concessions operations.
On June 8, 2014, the first AMAC Foundation Celebrating Women in Aviation program was held in Denver, CO at the 30th AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference to foster, promote and applaud the success of women in aviation and aerospace-related businesses and career achievements.
Photo (Left to Right): Rhonda Arnold; Audrey Simmons; Rhonda Fields; and Amber Gooding.
The first official golf tournament was held in 1998 at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC. This event now honors one of AMAC’s own tireless servants, Bill Walker. Mr. Walker’s affiliation with the AMAC Airport Business Diversity Conference began in Los Angeles, CA in 1988 while he was Vice President at Pacific State Airlines. Walker began planning the golf tournament shortly after and continued to organize until illness prevented him from doing so.
In October 1997, the AMAC Board of Directors formally established the AMAC Foundation, formerly known as the Airport Minority Advisory Council Educational & Scholarship Program, Inc. (AMACESP).
Concurrent with the FAA Minority Business Enterprise Compliance Conference held May 15–17, 1988 in Los Angeles, CA, a handful of individuals who were deeply concerned about the economic disparities and barriers preventing minorities and women from fair competition for airport business and jobs officially incorporated the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) on November 8, 1988, in Miami, FL.
Then Director of FAA Civil Rights (subsequently FAA Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights), Leon Watkins, fully supported these efforts, laying the foundation for the first FAA Minority Business Seminar that was held in Miami, FL on May 3–4, 1984. Richard Judy, then Director of Aviation at Miami International Airport, approved a request by his staff to host the seminar.
A six-person planning committee: Esterlene Lewis; C. W. “Bill” Jennings; Melvin McCray; Leon Watkins; Clement Monge and Clark Sharpe organized and executed the seminar within a four-month period to focus mainly on creating an understanding of Part 23 and the range of opportunities that it could present. The 74 seminar attendees, representing some of the largest airports in the country, were enthusiastic about the Part 23 regulation and prospects for enhancing business opportunities for minorities and women.
Photo (Left to Right): Clark Sharpe; Esterlene Lewis; Leon Watkins; Miami City Commissioner; and Richard Judy.