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ODOT Announces Virtual DBE Matchmaker Event

ODOT’s Division of Opportunity Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) is pleased to announce details of this year’s Annual Statewide Matchmaker. The 2021 event is now the Statewide Construction & Professional Services Matchmaker. This year we will include firms that provide professional/consultant services and construction services. This is ODOT’s first Matchmaker that will include both groups of participants. This virtual event will be held on September 21 and 22, 2021.

• On September 21st, the day will kick off with an Opening Session from 9 AM – 11 AM. The Matchmaker will be held from 12 noon – 4 PM.

• On September 22nd, the Matchmaker will be held from 9 AM – 4 PM. All matches will be performed via a virtual matchmaking platform – “My Business Matches”!

Please find the relevant details below and register at your earliest convenience!

The 2021 Statewide Matchmaker will offer the opportunity for DBE and EDGE certified companies offering construction and consultant services to meet virtually with ODOT's Prime Contractor and Prime Consultant Firms. The Matchmaker will be limited to DBE/EDGE firms that provide subcontractor and subconsultant services on ODOT projects. A few examples of prospective participants include DBE/EDGE firms that provide construction and professional/engineering services such as trucking/hauling, material suppliers, demolition companies, site excavation, etc. and firms that provide design, environmental, geotechnical, surveying, highway lighting, and construction management services.

DBE/EDGE firms will also have an opportunity to meet with ODOT District Staff, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Ohio, the Ohio Contractors Association (OCA), and Local Government Agencies/Partners. “Buyers” (Prime Contractors, Prime Consultants, ODOT District Staff, ACEC of Ohio, OCA, and local government representatives) will be matched with DBE/EDGE contractors and consultants based upon NAICS code categories and services that will be needed for future ODOT projects.

An opening session will be held prior to the start of the actual Matchmaker event. Participants can register for both activities at ODI’s Matchmaker webpage:

Opening Session: Opening Session of Virtual ODOT Statewide Construction & Professional Services Matchmaker | Ohio Department of Transportation

Matchmaker Appointments: Virtual ODOT Statewide Construction & Professional Services Matchmaker | Ohio Department of Transportation

For questions, feel free to send an email to [email protected]. Thank you and we look forward to “seeing” you at the Matchmaker!

News

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Information

Following are the most recent updates on COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters as listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:

When can I get a COVID-19 vaccine booster?

Not immediately. The goal is for people to start receiving a COVID-19 booster shot beginning in the fall, with individuals being eligible starting 8 months after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). This is subject to authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommendation by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). FDA is conducting an independent evaluation to determine the safety and effectiveness of a booster dose of the mRNA vaccines. ACIP will decide whether to issue a booster dose recommendation based on a thorough review of the evidence.

Who will be the first people to get a booster dose?

If FDA authorizes and ACIP recommends a booster dose, the goal is for the first people eligible for a booster dose to be those who were the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccination (those who are most at risk). This includes healthcare providers, residents of long-term care facilities, and other older adults.

Why is the United States waiting to start offering COVID-19 vaccine boosters?

The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. However, COVID-19 constantly evolves. Experts are looking at all available data to understand how well the vaccines are working, including how new variants, like Delta, affect vaccine effectiveness. If FDA authorizes and ACIP recommends it, the goal is for people to start receiving a COVID-19 booster shot this fall.

Can people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine get a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine?

No, there aren’t enough data currently to support getting an mRNA vaccine dose (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) if someone has previously gotten a J&J/Janssen vaccine. People who got the J&J/Janssen vaccine will likely need a booster dose of the J&J/Janssen vaccine, and more data are expected in the coming weeks. With those data in hand, CDC will keep the public informed with a timely plan for J&J/Janssen booster shots.

Will people who received Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine need a booster shot?

It is likely that people who received a J&J COVID-19 vaccine will need a booster dose. Because the J&J/Janssen vaccine wasn’t given in the United States until 70 days after the first mRNA vaccine doses (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna), the data needed to make this decision aren’t available yet. These data are expected in the coming weeks. With those data in hand, CDC will keep the public informed with a timely plan for J&J/Janssen booster shots.

If we need a booster dose, does that mean that the vaccines aren’t working?

No. COVID-19 vaccines are working very well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. However, with the Delta variant, public health experts are starting to see reduced protection against mild and moderate disease. For that reason, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning for a booster shot so vaccinated people maintain protection over the coming months.

What’s the difference between a booster dose and an additional dose?

Sometimes people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised do not build enough (or any) protection when they first get a vaccination. When this happens, getting another dose of the vaccine can sometimes help them build more protection against the disease. This appears to be the case for some immunocompromised people and COVID-19 vaccines. CDC recommends moderately to severely immunocompromised people consider receiving an additional (third) dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) at least 28 days after the completion of the initial 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series.

In contrast, a “booster dose” refers to another dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who built enough protection after vaccination, but then that protection decreased over time (this is called waning immunity). HHS has developed a plan to begin offering COVID-19 booster shots to people this fall. Implementation of the plan is subject to FDA’s authorization and ACIP’s recommendation.

Two Regional AASHTO Transportation Awards go to Ohio!

Mid America State DOT Projects Take Home Regional America’s Transportation Awards

Eight state department of transportation projects in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin earned regional recognition in the America’s Transportation Awards for projects that quickly restored safe access to a fire-damaged bridge, used drones to increase staff safety while also improving travel efficiency, and expanded a picturesque pedestrian and bike path to improve community connections, among others.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Americans to drastically change work patterns, state DOT employees continued the harrowing work of keeping our transportation systems operating safely and efficiently for those who had to travel, whether by vehicle or other means,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “The America’s Transportation Awards program highlights just a few of the projects and programs across the country that had a positive impact on our communities’ quality of life during an otherwise uncertain time.”

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the competition serves as a way to recognize state DOTs and highlights the projects they deliver that make their communities a better place to live, work, and play. Project nominations fall into one of three categories: Operations Excellence, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, and Quality of Life/Community Development. All nominated projects will first compete on a regional level against projects of their own size: “Small” (projects costing up to $25 million), “Medium” (projects costing between $26 million and $200 million), and “Large” (projects costing more than $200 million).

In the Mid America region, nine states nominated 19 projects, with six state DOTs taking home the following eight America’s Transportation Awards.

Ohio Winning Projects:

Ohio Department of Transportation — Charles Berry Memorial Bascule Bridge Rehabilitation (Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium category)

Ohio Department of Transportation — Increasing Safety and Efficiency with Ohio’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Center (Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Small category)

Ohio Contractor Magazine - July/August Edition   Highlights: OCA President Commentary Demonstrating Construction Industry Does CARE OCA Hall of Fame Scholarships Contractor Classroom Collaboration Meeting ODOT's DCE's Newsmakers

Hall of Fame Nominations, Distinguished Service and Past President Award Nominations

In recognition of outstanding service within the heavy/highway industry and our association, nominations are being accepted for the following professionals:

     • Hall of Fame (contractor members)
     • Distinguished Service Award (associate members)

Nominated candidates must meet the following requirements before being listed for election:

a) Must have 20 years of service to the construction industry.
b) Active with OCA at least 15 years, serving at least 15 years on: OCA’s statewide committees (contractor members) or any OCA committee (associate members)
c) Candidates should have contributed significantly toward the stated goals and purposes of the Ohio Contractors Association.

      • Past President Service Award(any member)

Nominated candidates must meet the following requirement before being listed for election:

      • Any candidate must be affiliated with an OCA member in good standing. He or she must have contributed some extraordinary service for the association during the year. 

Candidates must be nominated by an OCA member. No more than two may be elected to the Hall of Fame and one elected for the Distinguished Service Award each year. A secret ballot will be used to select nominees. Awards will be presented during the virtual OCA Winter Conference. Deadline for nomination is October 1, 2021.

Please submit your nomination to David Rule at [email protected].                                                                                                 

2021 CFMA Buckeye Conference

Northwest Ohio Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Chapter will be hosting their biannual CFMA Buckeye Conference 9/22-23. Jim Tressel will be the keynote speaker.  Please click here for more details about the conference.                                             

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