Black History Month

Floor Speech

Mr. President, as I have every year since I came to the Senate now 8 years ago, I rise today to commemorate Black History Month by paying tribute to a distinguished American. This year we are privileged to recognize Willie F. Johnson, a man who has enriched both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and our Nation through civic engagement and successful entrepreneurial endeavors.

Willie Johnson's contributions both as a citizen and as the founder and chairman of PRWT Services, Inc.--one of the oldest and most significant minority-owned businesses in the United States--are a credit to both him and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today I am proud to share some of Willie's achievements and the examples he and PRWT have set of responsible corporate citizenship. PRWT does it all. It employs over 1,500 people, makes money for its shareholders, and still manages to give back to its community and its other stakeholders to an extent that few other for-profit companies ever achieve.

Throughout his career, Willie Johnson has remained committed to his roots in social services and has never lost sight of the importance of the social and community impact of his work. Willie Johnson's professional life stands as a testament to his values.

After graduating from Allen University in South Carolina with a degree in sociology, he earned a master's of social work from the University of Pennsylvania while serving as a house parent for the Philadelphia Development Center, a residential facility for young offenders. Willie pursued a long career in social services after graduating, working for 18 years as the regional commissioner of the Office of Social Services in the southeastern region of Pennsylvania, director of Youth Services Coordinating Office for the city of Pennsylvania, and finally as executive director of the Office of Employment and Training under the Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia. So he has served both our Commonwealth and the city of Philadelphia in that work.

After years of serving the people of Philadelphia as a social administrator, Willie's commitment to job creation led him to consider whether he might be better able to benefit his community as an entrepreneur. So in 1983 he worked with partners to found Fidelity Systems, a cable/line construction company that hired and trained local residents to lay cable and work in equipment warehouses. Through this work, Willie became acquainted with the president of the Lockheed Martin company, who was interested in using technology to help State and local governments manage their businesses.

In August of 1988 Willie joined with Paul Dandridge, Raymond A. Saulino, and William Turner to establish PRWT Services, Inc., which we now know by the acronym PRWT. PRWT received its first contract in its first year, providing parking services for the city of Philadelphia. The company would go on to secure a significant contract from Lockheed Martin, providing customer service and back-office staff to support Lockheed's technology, drawing on the workforce management expertise of Willie Johnson and his partners to better manage these resources.

Over the years, PRWT expanded to provide business process outsourcing services for a variety of industries as well as serve many State and municipal governments nationwide. During Willie Johnson's two-decade tenure as CEO, PRWT grew to employ more than 1,500 workers in eight States and the District of Columbia.

In 2001 PRWT acquired U.S. Facilities, Inc. That acquisition marked one of the first purchases of a publicly traded company by a minority-run business.

In 2008 a PRWT subsidiary became the first minority-owned manufacturer of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States of America.

In 2008, after experiencing a 120-percent increase in revenues, PRWT made the decision to become a publicly traded and owned company. Mindful of their significant role as a successful minority-owned business, Willie and his partners made their first public offering while maintaining majority shares to ensure that the company remained minority owned and run. Willie remains chairman of PRWT's board of directors, which has maintained its leadership and minority-owned status throughout the process of diversifying.

As PRWT has expanded, Willie and his partners have maintained a focus on the community impact of their work. PRWT is generous with charitable contributions and investments and encourages its employees to volunteer and remain engaged in their communities. Willie has been just as engaged and committed to service outside of his work with PRWT. He serves on the boards of a number of national and Pennsylvania-based organizations, including the Philadelphia Tribune, which, as we all know, has been a leader of the Black press throughout its history, as well as a variety of educational institutions, including his alma mater Allen University, the Cheyney University Foundation, Girard College, and Community College of Philadelphia. Willie has contributed his significant business expertise to the boards of the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as a member of the executive committee. He has also continued his commitment to employment and job creation through his prior service as chair of the Transitional Work Corporation and membership on the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation Board.

It should surprise no one that Willie Johnson and PRWT have been consistently recognized for their significant accomplishments and contributions. In the year 2001 PRWT received the U.S. Conference of Mayors Excellence in Public/Private Partnership Award. Black Enterprise Magazine has ranked PRWT in the top 100 for the past 9 years and in 2009 named them the Industrial/Service Company of the Year. In that same year, 2009, Ernst & Young honored Willie as Entrepreneur of the Year in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Willie has noted that ``there is something very unique about Black enterprise: most Black enterprises develop and grow within their own community and within their own region because they are depending on their relationships.'' It is this dedication to community engagement which is a critical part of Willie Johnson's story and the story of PRWT, and it is that community engagement and commitment that we honor today.

Willie Johnson has been a dedicated public servant, a trailblazer for Black business enterprise, and a deeply engaged citizen. Willie's path has touched the lives of many in our Commonwealth and our country. In building a world-class entrepreneurial, diversified company, while also remaining a responsible corporate citizen dedicated to community betterment, Willie and his partners have built PRWT into an example of the best corporations have to offer. So today, as we come to the end of the month that commemorates Black history, we express our gratitude for the important work Willie Johnson has done throughout his life in service to the people of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and our great Nation.

Source