Two minority-owned companies will build the Hill District retail shopping plaza on Centre Avenue, which includes a full-service grocery store to be operated by Shop ‘n Save. Groundbreaking is scheduled for March, with an opening before Thanksgiving.

The developer and owner of the project is the Hill House Economic Development Corporation, which has selected Detroit-based L.S. Brinker and CM Solutions, a Pittsburgh company, to manage the 36,410 sq. ft. project. CM Solutions owner Louis Lannutti says minority participation will be as high as 60%.

On behalf of the joint venture, the Hill District Source Center will interview more than 35 residents who may be qualified to work on the project. Lannutti himself started his career through a federal program (Section 3) that gives opportunities to residents of communities where projects are being funded federally. From an apprenticeship with the carpenters' union, he worked up the ladder and learned enough to form his own company.

Lannutti says CM Solutions’ role will be as project manager: overseeing the project engineer and superintendent, coordinating subcontractors, and establishing relationships with employees from the community.

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Pittsburgh Penguins are each contributing $1 million to the overall $8.5 million cost.