10/28/2026
🛠️ Skilled hands. Strong foundations. A legacy still being built.
Today, we’re highlighting Black contractors and tradespeople—the professionals whose work helps turn houses into homes, keep businesses running, and bring new possibilities to our neighborhoods.
Their contributions belong to a history that deserves recognition. Black builders have shaped this country through craftsmanship, ingenuity, and determination, often while facing barriers to the very opportunities their skills helped create.
Consider Samuel M. Plato, an architect and contractor who secured federal building contracts, integrated his crews, and helped Black craftsmen gain union membership, training, and skilled employment. His work created opportunities for others to follow. (secure.in.gov)
That legacy continues through the contractors building businesses here in Erie—and through the carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, roofers, and other skilled professionals putting their expertise to work every day.
Honoring that history means creating opportunities in the present.
When you’re planning a repair, renovation, or construction project, consider a local Black contractor. Ask about their work. Request an estimate. Recommend a professional who delivered quality service. Help their name reach the next person who needs their skills.
That is group economics in action: connecting talent with opportunity and helping local businesses build lasting relationships, one project at a time.
💚 Let’s recognize the people doing the work—and give their businesses room to grow.
👇🏾 Know a Black contractor or tradesperson in Erie we should spotlight? Tag their business below so our community can connect with them.
