MR. PERCY L. HINES February 13, 1925 - January 12, 1995 DIRECTOR OF DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAMS Mr. Percy Hines was Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Project Director for the agency's Program for Assistance to Disadvantaged/Minority/Women's Business Enterprises. Directly responsible for maintaining assistance programs for the development of minority contractors throughout the state, Mr. Hines established IDOT's Minority Advisory Board and Bureau of Small Business Enterprise.

He spent countless hours over the years educating, mentoring and providing technical and management assistance to hundreds of minority contractors in Illinois. In the wake of the dismantling of funded assistance programs, and confronted by political and industry opposition, Mr. Hines still fought on to obtain support for assistance programs dedicated to helping minority contractors, even as he fostered their project participation. Mr. Hines was Director of Contract Administration and Compliance for the City's Department of Purchasing for the $1.6 billion O'Hare Airport Development Project, where he made sure that minority contractors received full participation. He also served as Project Director for the Contractor's Division of the Chicago Economic Development Corporation, where he enhanced management and consulting skills of minority and women contractors.