SRL Enterprise

The life of Romaine Lewis, the President and Managing Member of SRL Enterprises, is nothing short of an inspiring tale of perseverance and optimism. From spending his childhood in the care of his grandparents to becoming the first person in the family to attend college and eventually leading a company that is making a difference in the industry, Lewis’ journey was no cakewalk. But, what led him down the road to success is his tenacity to overcome every obstacle.

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, Lewis has served different roles, gathering extensive experience in diversity program implementation, compliance monitoring, and oversight. This included helping companies achieve certifications such as Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) so that they are in a position to bid for bigger construction projects. The main purpose of these programs was to level the playing field, as historically, the minority communities were always under-utilized and under-represented.

During his stint as an advisor, Lewis realized that project complications were an integral part of the certification process. Subsequently, the need to educate, train, and mentor companies were imminent.

After over 20 years of giving advice and providing direction in the compliance, diversity, and inclusion space, Lewis finally decided to practice what he preached. “The pandemic proved to be an opportunity in disguise when a furlough pushed me to re-evaluate my path. I knew a number of other professionals in the industry who were facing the same hurdles but had a wealth of knowledge to share,” Lewis mentions.

In June 2020, Lewis assembled like-minded professionals and established SRL to help the construction industry eliminate the diversity and inclusion issues existing for ages. “The company is an extension of me. And I have positioned SRL in the right space to boost the visibility of fantastic, talented, and under-represented companies while enabling firms and government agencies to source the most qualified businesses to not just meet but exceed project goals,” states Lewis.

Transparency and Accessibility Are the Keys

Today, SRL is effectively addressing many issues existing in the construction industry. Traditionally, companies in this industry have conducted business by hiring subcontractors they have worked with extensively in the past. History shows that a majority of these companies are not diverse or minority-owned firms. A current challenge in this space is the preconceived notion that the quality of work these firms provide is subpar. Unconscious bias and lack of exposure to the exceptional work that these companies offer are challenges as well. More importantly, even today, businesses don’t have proper knowledge of the existing diversity programs and their role in the contracting process across public and private domains. “A plethora of construction companies lack expertise to build and maintain a diverse workforce. Subsequently, they struggle to adhere to the required federal regulations, which negatively impact both their revenue and reputation in the market. Our primary objective is to help these organizations achieve the height of success,” says Lewis.

Staying true to its mission, SRL educates its clients and helps them understand every nook and corner of diversity and inclusion. The company conducts meetings with stakeholders, provides informational webinars to a wide array of audiences, and holds one-on-one meetings to speak more intimately with the executives as well as the employees. Next, SRL identifies different operational and organizational areas that the subcontractors need to concentrate upon to comply with the project contract. “We are transparent and accessible. This allows us to answer all questions and make strides toward eliminating negative stigmas that are attached to these companies,” says Lewis.

Achieving the Diversity Goals

When it comes to contract compliance, diversity goals are set on projects that go out to public bid. The winning prime contractor is tasked with contracting a percentage of the project work to minority-owned firms. For these projects, SRL ensures that the winning firm meets the diversity goals of the project. They monitor the diversity firms’ participation, ensure prompt payment, perform job-site interviews, review certified payroll and contract reports, host compliance training sessions and other outreach events, and perform Commercially Useful Function (CUF) reviews. “Our services are cost-effective because our overhead is extremely low. We evaluate the entire project—including the diversity goals set on each project— and then provide effective services for each opportunity,” states Lewis. SRL also has a comprehensive understanding of pre-award and post-award procedures with more than seven decades of combined public and private sector experience. This ensures a greater impact while aiding public agencies and businesses achieve and ultimately surpass their project diversity goals.

What enables SRL to design and offer such a comprehensive service is its experienced team of diversity professionals. Because of this team, the company requires only a minimal learning curve for any contracting opportunity. SRL employs only executive-level professionals. “Our team is made up of professionals that have served as key personnel for the largest agencies and most successful construction companies in the nation,” says Lewis. Every team member works independently with minimal supervision (if any) while implementing diversity programs and performing all phases of contract compliance. Needless to say, they are dedicated and passionate to their job and have the urge to change the status quo.

Backed by such an expert team, SRL has successfully conducted several projects. For example, the company is currently engaged with an agency that did not have measures to achieve diversity goals. This led to noticeably low diversity participation, which resulted in unwanted criticism from the public, including elected officials and the community as a whole. For this client, SRL has implemented an effective diversity program that identified bonafide diversity companies and confirmed their capabilities prior to the start of the project. They were also able to successfully monitor each firm’s progress on the project and educate all stakeholders on how to effectively achieve the diversity participation requirements.

Geared to Success

Powered by such success stories, SRL is exploring new avenues of growth to reach a larger clientele. Lewis, along with his team, aims to extend SRL’s reach nationwide, ensuring projects are in compliance with all diversity measures in place. “We currently operate in four states. In the coming days, we will spread wings to other states as well,” adds Lewis. The company will also implement efficient measures to utilize innovative technology that will benefit all the parties involved in the process. SRL also plans to educate the players across the construction field about all diversity programs available and their benefits. This will alleviate the anxiety that comes with exploring the unchartered waters. “More talent and more innovation lead to better performance and ultimately, business growth. It is the high time for companies to understand this reality and build a diverse workforce that can pay dividends to the organization and its customers,” Lewis elucidates.

Indeed, from a kid that dreamt big to the father of a beautiful child and a loving husband of Rachael Lewis, who is currently donning the hat of the Director of Marketing and Business Development at SRL, Lewis has come a long way. Needless to say, the lessons and the experience that he gathered from this journey will remain a major driving force for the success of SRL and its clients for days to come.