L+M’s Tim Scherner and BMC Construction Owner, Gwen Motley, agree on the details.

L+M recognizes that socially responsible, community-based development extends beyond housing. In an effort to broaden our support in the communities where we work and create ongoing career opportunities, we actively hire local workers and partner with minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) on our projects.

On Georgia King Village, one of our revitalization projects in New Jersey, we are working closely with the Newark-based, women-owned business BMC Construction.

L+M Senior Compliance Manager Angelique Morrison said that she first met BMC’s owner Gwen Motley in 2017. “L+M seeks out M/WBEs and locally owned companies to work on our projects through a range of outreach and networking events. When I met Gwen at one of these events, I was impressed by her experience and connected her to the Georgia King team. While BMC has been working on Georgia King – which is a complex project with lots of moving parts – I’ve seen the team work diligently to broaden their bandwidth, so they are ready to take bigger projects.”

BMC is a key player on the project and was contracted to renovate 150 townhomes, which includes replacing bathrooms and kitchens along with drywall, tiling, and painting work throughout. As an additional challenge, this work is being completed while all the apartments are occupied by residents. BMC also undertook significant work to help diagnose and repair some long-standing plumbing problems.

L+M Superintendent Tim Scherner works closely with the BMC team and has been key to fostering the successful partnership. Together, Tim and BMC have worked to optimize the project’s scheduling and production. “Gwen is dedicated to the Georgia King residents, the community and her employees. I see her, and her team, live out this commitment every day on the job and deliver the best possible homes for our residents,” said Tim.

Gwen grew up in Newark and spent a lot of time at her grandfather’s construction company where she fell in love with the industry. After she graduated from Harvard University, she returned to Newark to start her own business.

Gwen said: “Having the opportunity to work on this project – and contribute to the growth and development of our community – has fulfilled a lifelong dream. Partnerships like this can truly stabilize communities, and L+M gets it like no other builder/developer I have worked with in the past.

As we’ve worked alongside the L+M team we’ve seen how dedicated they are to creating opportunities for the residents of the communities they transform. The entire team supported us and cheered us on throughout the project, and we look forward to a continued relationship.”

The BMC and L+M teams are working together to rehabilitate 150 townhomes at Georgia King Village.

Georgia King Village is a 422-unit, preservation project in Newark. The expansive complex spans more than 370,000 SF and includes two eighteen-story high-rises and 150 three to five-bedroom garden-style walk-ups, basketballs courts, children’s play areas, barbecues, as well as laundry facilities and a community room.

As part of our commitment to communities, L+M supports minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) across all lines of our business including Development, Construction and Property Management. L+M awards an average of $71 million in contracts to M/WBE businesses each year.