Business

Oakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger

During a recent meeting with AASEG, Loop Capital and local construction and business leaders, participants discussed creating pathways that would allow smaller firms to move beyond traditional subcontracting roles, compete as prime contractors, secure larger portions of project work and ultimately become permanent fixtures within the new development.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

By Carla Thomas

As plans for the redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum move forward, a key question is emerging alongside the vision for new buildings, entertainment, and economic activity: Who will have the opportunity to build it?

For the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) and its financial partner Loop Capital, the answer could include a much larger role for Oakland’s small, minority-, and women-owned businesses.

Unlike many major developments where contracting discussions begin after large construction packages have already been established, the Coliseum conversation is engaging the community early in the process.

“We have an opportunity to start building capacity now, not after the contracts hit the street,” said Len Turner of the Construction Resource Center. “If we know what the opportunities are going to be, we can identify businesses, understand where their gaps are and start preparing them to successfully compete and perform.”

Preparing companies to compete for larger contracts could include assistance with estimating, bonding, financing, workforce development, project management and contract administration.

For some firms, the goal could be moving from a $500,000 subcontract to a multimillion-dollar prime contract. For others, success could mean transitioning from providing construction services to operating restaurants, retail businesses, or other enterprises within the completed Coliseum development.

Turner said the long-term measure of inclusion should extend beyond the number of businesses that receive contracts.

“The real measure of success will be whether these businesses are stronger and more capable when this project is finished than when they started,” Turner said.

That philosophy reflects a broader effort to address systemic disparities in public and private contracting. Oakland’s small and minority-owned businesses have historically faced barriers to capital access, bonding, and limited access to larger contracts.

Mario Wagner of the National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California Chapter

said the Coliseum redevelopment offers an opportunity to change that trajectory.

Turner and Wagner are also members of a coalition of businesses led by Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce CEO Cathy Adams, which is soon presenting plans to the City of Oakland that could also help lift minority and women-owned firms.

“NAMC was born in Oakland fighting for minority contractors to have access,” Wagner said. “This cannot just be about checking a box. We want to see subcontractors become primes, small businesses become larger businesses and opportunities created that build generational wealth long after the construction is complete.”

For James “Jim” Reynolds, Jr., president of Loop Capital, the potential to uplift local contractors and transform the area is part of his plans.

“When I met Ray and saw his commitment to the community, I knew this project would be a part of his legacy,” said Reynolds. “When people of the community ask about opportunities, I know we will deliver opportunities to contractors and businesses for the long term.”

AASEG and Loop Capital project 17,000 jobs will be generated.

“We have a unique opportunity to not just develop the area, but change lives in Oakland,” said AASEG President Ray Bobbitt.

As AASEG and Loop Capital successfully pair development with business growth, the impact could extend far beyond temporary construction jobs.

“The ultimate legacy could include Oakland companies that entered the project as small subcontractors, grew into prime contractors and remained at the Coliseum as permanent vendors, operators and business owners,” said Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb.

In that scenario, redevelopment would not simply transform the property but realign who gets to own a piece of Oakland’s next economic chapter.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

4 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Business

Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on

Published

2 weeks ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Post Co-Publisher Gay Plair Cobb with Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo.

By California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.

Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.

“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.

“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”

CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.

According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.

BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.

“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.

Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.

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Black History

Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions

As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Jackie Wright of Wright Enterprises. Photo courtesy of Wright Enterprises.

By Carla Thomas

Jackie Wright has spent more than two decades helping people, organizations and communities understand the power of a well-told story.

As founder and president of Wright Enterprises, a San Francisco-based strategic communications and public affairs firm, Wright has built a career spanning journalism, public relations, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement and multimedia storytelling.

Wright’s commitment to storytelling is also deeply personal. She wrote and co-directed the 15-minute documentary, “Love Separated in Life…Love Reunited in Honor,” which chronicles the story of her parents, Specialist Five (S5 Wyley Wright Jr. and Ouida Fay McClendon Wright. Her father, a U.S. Army helicopter crew chief, died in Vietnam in 1964 while serving as an honor guard during a visit by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Decades later, Wright and her siblings had their father exhumed from a segregated cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida, and their mother moved from her burial place in Georgia so the couple could be reunited at Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.

The family journey later took Wright and her sister to Vietnam, where they discovered the former military compound that had been named in honor of their father and another fallen soldier. The documentary, centered on love, war, family, racial understanding, and remembrance, earned festival recognition at screenings.

“It was quite an honor to learn about my family’s history and share it on film,” said Wright.

That filmmaking experience complements Wright’s longstanding advocacy for independent cinema. She has served as a media partner and brand ambassador for Bay Area film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.

“It’s important to help filmmakers and underrepresented stories reach broader audiences,” said Wright.

Whether promoting a neighborhood organization, championing an independent filmmaker or preserving her own family history, Wright has remained consistent. Through Wright Enterprises, she has turned communications into both a profession and a form of community service, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.

“Our stories are an integral part of our history, and our history is not only American history, but worldwide,” she said.