Dr. Latisha Webb: OpportUNITY, Inc.

The leadership of OpportUNITY, Inc.

The History…

In July 2010, Mr. Stephen Pettiway, General Contractor and Master Plumber is the CEO of Unity General Contracting. He experienced a defining moment that changed the course of his life. As a result of his life changing experience, Mr. Pettiway founded OpportUNITY, Inc. as a bridge of hope for educational and employment opportunities for men residing in a homeless shelter located in Philadelphia, PA.

In June 2011, a partnership formulated between Mr. Stephen Pettiway and Mr. William Webb serving as a catalyst that propelled them into their destiny. Mr. Webb is a community activist, human services professional, and a motivational speaker. Both had a burdened around the plight of unemployment and lack of housing for the disenfranchised communities, such as African Americans, veterans, returning citizens (formerly incarcerated individuals), survivors of

addictions, as well as youth.

In less than six months after they joined forces, OpportUNITY swiftly sprouted into a community-based, residential construction-training program providing human services. In December 2011, Dr. Latisha Webb collaborated with the planning of the 1^st Annual Kwanzaa on South Street event, creating A SYNERGISTIC CULTURE between her proprietorship E.G. Enterprises and OpportUNITY, Inc. This collaboration sparked the synergy that would take the organization to the next level. After collaborating on several projects, specifically with the new infrastructure of the “From The Ground Up…” program’s orientation process and educational curriculum, in May 2012, Dr. Webb joined forces as a partner and Director of Operations.

The Vision & Mission…

The vision for OpportUNITY, Inc. is to form alliances to address the lack of housing and employment, locally first, then ultimately globally.

The mission is to encourage and inspire all communities to humanitarian action & foster economic empowerment, advancement, & achievement.

The Location...

Original Engine 11 Firehouse

OpportUNITY, Inc. is located at The Historical Willie G. Williams Community Center. In 1819, a group of black Philadelphians led by James Forten proposed starting the African Fire Service. Engine Company 11 was one of the original 22 fire companies established by Philadelphia's first paid, municipal Fire Department in 1871. Until the Philadelphia Fire Department officially desegregated in 1952, Engine 11 was Philadelphia's de facto Black firehouse.

William G. Williams Community Center

The building at 1016-18 South St now belongs to the Waters Memorial AME Church; the current Engine 11 station is located at 601 South St.

“From The Ground Up…”

Mr. Pettiway's Signature Kitchen Remodel

The flagship program, “From The Ground Up…” A 6-month Residential Construction Preparatory Training and Entrepreneurship Program (FTGU) objective is to prepare students with a desire to become competent entrepreneurs in the field of residential construction with hands-on experience through applied knowledge.

FTGU is a 2-track program: Residential Construction & Building Effective Entrepreneurs designed to provide students the fundamentals to be leaders in the field of residential construction by teaching the basics in planning and building a business. Through class time and as otherwise noted students will be able to apply the following knowledge

Theory of the 16 divisions of construction, including general requirements, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, & finishes, to name a few
Blueprint reading
Properly pricing projects
Tool recognition
Safety precautions, requirements, and regulations
Styles of leadership
Business plan development
Universal laws and principles of success