Othia Saussy, President of the Carver State Bank Employees Association, is pictured with the plaque from I. L. Fleming, Inc. During a year when construction companies are suffering due to an international economic recession, one business that is defying the trend is I. L. Fleming, Inc., a successful African- American-owned construction contractor headquartered in Midway, Ga.

On June 16, 2009, I. L. Fleming, Inc., was awarded a $17,200,000 contract to design and build a dining and reception facility for the U. S. Army in Fort Benning, Georgia. The estimated completion date for this project is December 23, 2010.

I. L. Fleming, Inc. continued its trend by successfully competing for a $16,260,000 contract to design and construct the Brigade Headquarters Facility at Fort Stewart, Georgia. This contract was awarded on Aug. 27, 2009. The work has an estimated completion date of February 28, 2011.

I.L. Fleming To commemorate the success for his firm in competing for these two contracts and several others during 2009, I. L. Fleming, President of I. L. Fleming, Inc., presented a beautiful crystal plaque to the staff of Carver State Bank.

Fleming, and his business, are long-time Carver customers.

Claudia Clarke, Vice President and Manager of the Skidaway Road Branch said that she is extremely pleased that the bank is being recognized by this successful business. “It is great to be appreciated and honored by your customers,” she said.

Carver State Bank is a state-chartered, FDICinsured, commercial bank. The institution was established in 1927, and is the oldest financial institution headquartered in Savannah, and one of the oldest African-American-owned, commercial banks in America.

Carver has been a United States Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) since November 1999.