The nation’s second Sphere entertainment venue is coming to Prince George’s County, Maryland, and county leaders have been negotiating with Sphere’s owner about who will work there.

County Executive Aisha Braveboy told a room full of business owners at a Community Conversation in Largo, Maryland, Friday that “everybody will win in this deal.”

“That is my goal, and that’s my commitment as county executive,” she said.

Braveboy is working to ensure that locally-owned and minority-owned businesses in the county have a fair shot at contracting work in constructing Sphere and a role in operations once it is built.

Addressing the business owners in the room, she told them that in negotiations “we were able to discuss having a community benefits agreement that would provide opportunities for our businesses and our residents.”

“So on this deal, we ask for a minimum of 50% for county-based small businesses, as well as 40% for county-based minority business enterprises,” Braveboy said.

Importantly, she says that the owners of Sphere did not balk at this request.

“I can tell you, this was not a hard sell for Sphere,” Braveboy said to the crowd. “Because they are a company that wants to become a part of the community.”

Omar Kareem represented Bannaker Ventures, a large, Prince George’s County-based general contractor, who sees this as a great opportunity for his business and the county.

“For us, as one of the largest general contractors in the area and in the county, and being Black-owned, it would be a game changer for us. We can hire dozens of project managers and on-site superintendents,” he said.

In addition to locally-owned and minority-owned businesses getting the contracts, there is the question of who will get the actual jobs and do the actual work.

“We also wanted to make sure that our residents were hired for this project, and so and so we have some hiring requirements as well,” Braveboy said. “Fifty percent of those who are working on this project we have asked to be Prince Georgians.”

Union labor is, however, a contentious issue. Some small business owners feel that not having union employees would be a disadvantage.

“Being able to directly bid on and get opportunities without having to be a part of a union would be a much better situation for me; otherwise, it’s a burden,” Carri Robinson, owner of Bright Horizon Ventures, a property management company, said.

But Braveboy said there will be plenty of work for union and non-union workers.

“This project will include both union and non-union contractors. There will not be a PLA on this project, so we are not competing against each other.”

The county is planning on hiring a compliance manager specifically for overseeing Sphere’s contracts and obligations, including labor.

The county department of procurement is also making it easier for companies to register with the county to have opportunities to bid on contracts.

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