Turner Construction, University of Kentucky celebrates 5th Construction Business Accelerator cohort
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Turner Construction Company and the University of Kentucky honored the latest graduates of the Construction Business Accelerator program May 12 at the College of Design's Gray Design Building, bringing the program's total alumni count to 84 participants representing 72 companies since its founding in 2022.
The graduation marked the completion of the program's fifth cohort, which included 19 participants — among them five current UK students — and added to the 65 graduates across 58 companies who completed the program between 2022 and 2025.
The Construction Business Accelerator, known as the CBA, is a partnership between the University of Kentucky and OneUK partner, Turner Construction Company, designed to help small and emerging construction businesses grow through intensive, hands-on training. The curriculum covers safety, site logistics, insurance, bonding, contracts, subcontracting, estimating, scheduling, construction accounting and bid preparation. All classes were held in person at UK's Cornerstone building.
“The CBA program is still relevant after 5 years because of the strong partnership between UK and Turner, active involvement of local community partners and an intentional connection to CBA alumni,” Marilyn Clark, UK economic engagement manager, said. “The skills and relationships built during this program prepare participants for contract work. Of the 58 companies that have gone through the program from 2022-2025, approximately 30% of them have done work with at least one of six community partners on active projects. The steering committee is really devoted to this work. We will meet several times this summer to discuss ways to improve the program. A research project is underway to gather insights and feedback from past cohorts, community partners, and stakeholders. Ultimately, this program is about growing authentic and long-term relationships. The CBA truly stands out as something special.”
The program concluded with a mock bid project and post-bid review evaluated by a panel of industry experts. “The CBA program is uniquely designed to enhance the technical, business, and administrative skills of small business owners,” said Kristen Smitherman-Voltaire, community & citizenship director at Turner Construction Company. “Through the mock bid project, each of the four teams worked together to complete a UK Bid Form for a specific scope of work. The evaluators noted that all 4 teams seemed energetic about the mock bid project and that safety was a clear priority in all of their submissions. From this, we hope the participants feel more prepared to pursue public or lump sum work with one or more of our CBA community partners. The opportunity to work through this process in a low-stakes, supported way increases the chance for success down the line. This is what this program is all about.”
A notable addition to this year's cohort was the inclusion of five current UK students, who were embedded within participant teams and took part in the program alongside business owners. The experiential learning component was made possible through a partnership with Hala Nassereddine, Ph.D., associate professor of construction engineering and project management in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
“With all the commercial construction work we have going on in the Central Kentucky region, we rely heavily on the trade contractor community to successfully complete our projects,” Dave Opalka, Turner Construction Company vice president, construction executive and Kentucky market leader, said. “In order for us to continue delivering high quality work, we have to maintain genuine relationships with all kinds of businesses - relationships that are much more than transactional, but rather transparent and transformational. The CBA allows us to do just that and is directly aligned with our company’s economic impact efforts. I'm proud of how this program has evolved over the last five years, thanks, in large part, to the support of our incredible community.”
The 2026 CBA drew support from a broad coalition of partners, including Blue Grass Airport, Commerce Lexington, Fayette County Public Schools, the Kentucky APEX Accelerator, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission, Lynn Imaging, Messer Construction, the U.S. Small Business Administration Kentucky Office and the University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union.
Additional partners included UK Economic Development Collaborative, UK Economic Engagement, UK Procurement, UK Capital Construction, OneUK partner Bullard, and the Associated General Contractors of Kentucky.