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Monday marks the beginning of Supplier Diversity and Inclusion/Minority
Enterprise Development Week. This is the fourth
year that we will recognize our City’s
minority and women-owned businesses with a dedicated week of workshops, information sessions and opportunities.
One of my top priorities has always been to ensure
that historically under-served business communities have access and resources to compete and succeed. My goal of growing the city by 10,000 families could
not happen without the growth of small business to create economic opportunity and jobs.
Small,
minority-owned, and women-owned businesses
continue to be faced with challenges, including disparity
in access to capital and deal flow, availability
of information, and the intricacies of the City’s procurement process.
Minority-
and women-owned businesses are of great value to the City of Baltimore, which is why I have remained committed to bridging the gaps to invigorate our approach for inclusion.
I started Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Week back in October of 2013 to provide a platform to better network and connect entrepreneurs to city resources and opportunites, and it is thanks to the tremendous work led by my Minority and
Women-Owned Business Development that we have been able to increase the number, magnitude, and
success rate of entrepreneurs throughout our city.
For those interested in being part of the discussion, I invite you to take note of the thoughtful forums planned for this week.
On Monday, October 17th,
I will hold a press conference at City Hall to kick off the week, highlighting the very important and major accomplishments achieved during my time as Mayor. We also have an exciting announcement that we know
will be very beneficial for the minority business community.
On Tuesday, the 18th
I will be touring several minority and women-owned businesses to
personally thank them for their dedication to the City. I will also host a reception sponsored by First National Bank
to celebrate women in Business.
And, on
Wednesday, October 19th along with Baltimore's favorite DJ Konan, I will co-host the Minority and Women-Owned Business
Awards reception to honor outstanding Baltimore City M/WBE’s and
business organizations that support M/WBE’s.
Tickets are still available and the celebration will be a great opportunity for networking and fellowship, featuring live music and a delectable menu from 6-10pm at the Baltimore
Hilton on Pratt Street.
Back by popular demand, we will host the Baltimore Procurement Fair on Thursday, October 20th from 8-12:30 a.m at the War memorial
building which features 60 exhibitors, match-making sessions with
procurement officials, seminars on how to do business with
the City and how to become a certified M/WBE. The fair is free and open to the public, but registration is highly recommended.
We will commence the week by celebrating our MBDA Business Center clients on Friday, October 21st with the goal of assisting minority
firms achieve higher levels of growth and competitiveness.
Baltimore is the only municipality
in the country to have one of these centers in partnership with the Federal
Department of Commerce. We were awarded a $900,000 grant over three years, and I am looking forward to recognizing the
accomplishments of the Center and the clients with an eye towards the future.
We want this week to be a great
opportunity to celebrate, connect, network and recognize the City’s small,
M/WBE community, so please follow this link link to join the conversation and learn how you can get involved.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Mayor
City of Baltimore
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