Austin honors 20 years of diversity contracting, TreeFolks and community leaders at City Hall ceremony

Vanessa Fuentes, Austin’s mayor pro tem and representative for District 2, opened a Dec. 11 ceremony at City Hall by proclaiming the twentieth anniversary of the city’s Small and Minority Business Resources program and its annual diversity and contracting awards.

"Small and minority owned businesses are not only vital to our local economy, they are the driving force of innovation and resilience," Fuentes said as she read the proclamation recognizing that the program has honored more than 150 certified minority- and women-owned enterprises since its inception.

Edward Campos, director of the Austin Small & Minority Business Resources Department, accepted the proclamation and named several 2025 award recipients, including Mario Carlin Management LLC (African American certified business of the year), Frank Lamb and Associates (Hispanic certified business of the year), Taylor Collective Solutions (Asian certified business of the year), Freeze and Nichols (women-certified business of the year), and STR Construction LLC (contractor of the year). Campos thanked city leadership, the City Manager’s Office and community partners for supporting SMBR.

Council Member Jose Velasquez of District 3 proclaimed 12/11/2025 as Esquina Tango Day, praising the nonprofit for more than 5,000 classes and for providing low-cost and free instruction that serves seniors, people with Parkinson’s disease, youth and other underserved groups. Velasquez also recognized Rolling with the Homies, a peer-support nonprofit for people with spinal cord injuries and disabilities, and proclaimed 12/11/2025 as Rolling With The Homies Day.

Sierra Cano, founder of Rolling with the Homies, told the audience she started the group after being shot and paralyzed and described the organization’s work to fill gaps in disability community supports. Supporters including Anthony Chase and Patrick Boardman offered testimonials about Cano’s impact on members’ sense of connection and belonging.

Mark Duchin read a proclamation recognizing TreeFolks for planting what the organization described as more than 3,000,000 trees in the region, distributing 9,000 free trees to local residents this year in partnership with the city, producing over 33,000 native saplings in 2025, and engaging more than 2,700 volunteers annually. Andrew Smiley, executive director of TreeFolks, said the group’s mission is ‘‘strengthening community by planting and caring for trees’’ and described opportunities for residents to get involved.

An ATXN representative paid tribute to Robert Heath on his retirement after 30 years of service to the city and its public-access operations. The speaker said Heath helped grow ATXN from televising a single council meeting weekly to producing more than 600 meetings per year and cited Heath’s institutional knowledge and steady presence. Heath thanked colleagues and family members, and the city presented a traditional sign and photographs to mark the occasion.

The ceremony concluded with group photos and brief closing remarks; no formal council votes or policy actions were taken during the event.