Airport accolades

"The high level of dedication, professionalism, workmanship and performance demonstrated by you and your staff are a credit to your company and is indicative of a company whose goal is to not only satisfy their customer but to also produce for their customer a quality facility. I look forward to working with you and your staff again on a future facilities project,” noted a letter dated November 10, 2009 addressed to International Public Works (IPW), the eight-year-old South Carolina based construction and engineering firm founded by registered professional engineers Cyrus Sinor and Lawrence Kai-Yun Yeh. The completion of the new terminal building at the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport that bears the stamp of IPW had earned the commendation from Warren May, manager of engineering and construction of the Charleston County Aviation Authority.

"We greatly appreciated IPW’s careful coordination and scheduling of the project. Your efforts resulted in keeping the existing facility operational during construction of the new facility…” noted May adding, "This new facility provides additional space for badly needed offices, conference room, passenger waiting area as well as other amenities. This new facility and the renovation of the existing facility provide a positive first impression of the local community to first time visitors.”

Two months prior to that Sinor and Kai-Yun Yeh were honored as Minority Small Business Persons of the Year by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) during the 27th anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development Week conference in Washington. The award was presented by Joseph Biden, Vice President of USA. As mentioned SBA administrator Karen Mills, "President Obama has made a commitment to ensuring that minority-owned small businesses have the tools they need to succeed, grow and create jobs,” noted a press release on the web.

With significant experience in new construction, renovations, civil engineering, operations and maintenance, electrical and mechanical services, design and geotechnical consulting, this $ 19.5 million company awards 25 percent of its subcontracts to minority owned small businesses. IPW also believes in mentoring minority owned firms that have limited experience with federal contracting. Their projects ranging from commercial to residential in the public and private sectors throughout North and South Carolina include the Jasper County Courthouse, the VA Hospital and Medical Center, VA cemetery expansion…

Sinor, an army veteran, and Kai-Yun Yeh, a navy veteran said their "military service helps them compete effectively for work on military construction projects. They have made military construction a niche in their business,” reported FEZANA Journal, winter 2009, adding that Cyrus is the son of Dara and the late Lily Sinor of New Jersey. According to the company website, Cyrus has to his credit 20 years of general contracting experience totaling more than $ 510 million. His area of specialization is large commercial construction, historical renovations, rigid/flexible pavement, large site work and grading.

In 2008 Charleston Regional Business Journal named IPW as one of the 20 fastest growing companies in the region. In the same year a program sponsored by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Elliott Davis, LLC, an accounting and consulting firm, honored IPW as one of the top 25 of South Carolina’s fastest growing companies.