Article: Washington Officials Try to Bolster Business for Minorities in Construction.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Oct. 10--George Jerome Holland began learning the welding trade when he was 13.

Now, 18 years later, he owns his father's business in Fife, installing structural steel wall beams, metal canopies and handrails that can yield six-figure contracts for construction work.

But business at MG Metal Fabricators, a minority-owned company, has declined by as much as one-third in recent years.

Two years ago, voters approved Initiative 200, which barred government agencies in the state from hiring or awarding contracts on the basis of race or gender. Since then, the City of Tacoma has seen a huge drop in the percentage of construction contracts it awards to ...

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