INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy officials are pushing to “diversify the construction process” of the new Signia by Hilton hotel by expanding their vendors.

The brand-new downtown hotel by Hilton is set to be complete by Fall 2026. It will have a convention center and 800 rooms.

“We want to make sure the workforce is a snapshot of the city itself,” said David Fredricks, director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development. “Diversity is the key to this.”

This is the 66th outreach event led by the city in partnership with construction management firm AECOM (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Management) Hunt to reach out to minority and female businesses, and so far, the outreach resulted in 31 new diverse contractors.

Organizers say the cost of the construction is about $720 million.

Fredricks said that even as construction is going on, there are still many opportunities for local small businesses to participate.

“By the time we get done, our goal is to see somewhere between 27% to 30% of the workforce that’s participating in this project are diverse businesses,” Fredricks said.

Barbara Holder has owned a diversity outreach consulting business for 40 years. She’s part of drumming up excitement for this project, and to get more members of the community involved.

“Women-owned businesses are still facing the same challenges that we faced 10 years ago,” Holder said. “But we’re still trying to not only break the ceiling, but open up the doors for different opportunities.”

Jill Hall owns Repro Graphix, Inc., a graphic house that creates artwork on walls and buildings.
She stopped by the event to meet and mingle.

“It’s always awesome to get the inside information on what big components are, and what they’re focusing on at different times of the project,” Hall said. “And to know when to get involved and learn who to speak with.”

The construction will be complete in about two years, and there’s more than enough time to still participate.