Whites cashing in on minority contracts
Chicago Sun Times
June 20, 2004
BY TIM NOVAK AND STEVE WARMBIR Staff Reporters
On paper, Benchmark Construction Co. is run by Michael Smith, an African-American man.
That’s what helped the company get more than $25 million in city of Chicago contracts, many available only to firms owned and operated by minorities.
Out on work sites, it’s a different story.
Smith readily acknowledged in a court deposition that his partner, a white man, oversees the day-to-day operations at Benchmark’s construction jobs.