Maurice Rahming, Bob Walsh, Dan Snow, Ali O’Neill and Afton Walsh
Prosper Portland is committed to increasing the participation of women and Black, Indigenous and all People of Color (BIPOC) in our real estate development projects. We encourage the involvement of BIPOC and women construction business owners in every aspect of our construction projects. To achieve these commitments, we need to know who the contractors are, how to engage them, and how to invite them appropriately to bid on our projects. It’s an endeavor that requires a steady commitment to building true relationships with these businesses, which in turn must be committed to offering opportunities to other BIPCOC subcontractors and construction apprentices.
An excellent partner in this work has been O’Neill Construction Group, with outstanding performance on nearly every project they’ve worked on with Prosper Portland. Led by co-founders Maurice Rahming and Ali O’Neill, the company is a shining example of a minority-owned company that has committed to providing opportunities for BIPOC subcontractors and apprentices. O’Neill is an established leader in Oregon’s minority-contracting community and the team is passionate about building quality projects and lasting relationships. O’Neill is recognized in every community it works in by consistently exceeding the expectations of both clients and partners.
Afton Walsh, Maurice Rahming and Ali O’Neill
The Prosper Portland-O’Neill partnership has included two recent projects: the Japanese American Museum of Oregon (JAMO) in Old Town and the former United States Postal Service (USPS) facility in northwest Portland. Prosper Portland’s minimum participation goals are 20% spending with certified (D/M/W/ESB) businesses, 20% for apprentice hours and 30% for minority workforce hours. In the face of a global pandemic and an ever-growing construction worker shortage, O’Neill managed to achieve 87% business participation, 78% minority workforce participation and 28% apprenticeship on the JAMO project and 53% business participation, 47% minority participation and 24% apprenticeship on the USPS project.
Prosper Portland is proud of O’Neill’s work with the agency and even prouder of what this company has done for the BIPOC construction community. This commitment to providing opportunities for BIPOC owners is outstanding and lays the groundwork for more such success in the future.
Ali O’Neill and Maurice Rahming
“O’Neill Construction Group and O’Neill Walsh Community Builders are both strongly committed to maximizing meaningful development of BIPOC contractors and workforce. We achieve this through planning, mentorship, and nurturing relationships,” said Rahming.
The O’Neill Construction Group began in 1998 as O’Neill Electric Inc., an electrical contracting enterprise, working throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The business has grown to more than $10 million in annual sales with more than 40 electricians in the field. In addition to its general and masonry contracting, O’Neill takes great pride in its electrical work, where the company has built its reputation. O’Neill Electric is a graduate of the Port of Portland’s Protege program and won the Minority Business Opportunity Committee’s Minority Construction Contractor Award in 2004 and 2007.