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OMWBE is celebrating our 40 years of service this September by waiving certification fees until June 2024. We are so excited to invite small businesses throughout the state of Washington to get certified for FREE!
Renewal fees have also been waived, for businesses that are already certified.
While we obtained funding to waive certification fees for the next 9 months, we are pursuing sustainable solutions to eliminate certification fees long-term.
Why Certify?
- Be visible to prime and general contractors
- Gain access to valuable government contracts
- Network with contractors and government agencies
Contact OMWBE at 360.664.9750 or technicalassistance@omwbe.wa.gov to start your certification process.
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The 2023 Washington Regional Contracting Forum is a free, in-person event to connect small, diverse, and veteran-owned businesses with public agencies that buy goods and services, including architecture and engineering services. Our goal is to connect Washington small businesses and those owned by women, veterans, and people in racial or socioeconomic minorities with public agency purchasers.
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Pacific)
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Washington State Small Business Fair
The Washington State Small Business Fair is THE event that all current and aspiring small business owners should attend! The longest running all government and nonprofit-run small business fair in Washington State, Biz Fair is always FREE to attend and open to everyone.
- Sharpen your business skills by attending educational seminars led by industry experts
- Learn about valuable small business resources by visiting the Exhibition Hall staffed by representatives from federal, state and local agencies, and local nonprofit organizations.
- Connect with technical assistance providers and small business supporters in a no-sales environment
This year, Biz Fair will be in two locations, Puyallup and Spokane! The Puyallup Biz Fair will take place at Pierce College’s Puyallup Campus
The Spokane Biz Fair is joining the annual Entrepreneurial Summit hosted by the Women’s Business Center in Spokane. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Biz Fair Exhibitors and learn from scheduled speakers and presenters – all under one roof.
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The Department of Ecology will provide $3.5M to install Level 2 charging stations across Washington. Funds will be available in multiple rounds, with approximately $1M available in the first round.
Building charging infrastructure to support the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is a priority for Washington State. In addition to Ecology's new Charge Where You Are Grants, the Department of Commerce have also announced an EV charging grant program. Find key information about both programs below.
Charge Where You Are – Department of Ecology
Round 1 application period open: September 26, 2023 - November 26, 2023
Volkswagen enforcement action grants - Washington State Department of Ecology
EV Charging – Department of Commerce
Washington EVI | Washington Electric Vehicle Charging (waevcharging.org)
In preparation for the opening of these grant opportunities, we recommend that potential applicants:
- Determine how on-site charging may benefit your organization and community.
- Consult with your electric utility regarding your site’s readiness and capacity for the proposed project. If you do not own the property, consider drafting a site-host agreement.
- Familiarize your organization with the state procurement process and permitting process.
- Learn about Clean Fuel Standards (CFS) credits and how owners of EV chargers can benefit
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City of Seattle Reverse Vendor Trade Show
The Reverse Vendor Trade Show is an annual event hosted by the City of Seattle to allow vendors the opportunity to introduce themselves to a variety of City department representatives. Vendors can learn about upcoming solicitations, procurement opportunities and sustainable purchasing while networking with other local vendors. Women-owned and minority-owned businesses are especially encouraged to attend this in-person event.
When: Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00am – 3:00pm
Where: Fisher Pavilion | 305 Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98109
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OMWBE will be presenting at Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Contractor Training Day in Spokane, WA. Join us for a day of classes on varying subjects including safety, managing your claims to control your workers’ compensation costs, public works contracting, risk management, contracts, and more.
When: September 29, 2023 | 8:00am – 3:30pm
Where: Spokane Community College | 1810 N Greene St., Spokane, WA 99217
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We are excited for Nicky to join OMWBE and the Business Development team as she brings years of business ownership, banking experience, and finance knowledge to the Linked Deposit program. All of those skills will be used as Nicky works to expand our list of lenders and resources related to access to capital and works towards equitable usage of Linked Deposit among other responsibilities. Nicky also brings state government experience and a fresh perspective to the important work that we do.
Nicky grew up in the desert in Phoenix but has lived in Washington for most of her life. She began her career in the lending industry and spent nearly a decade producing and servicing consumer and real estate loans. She went on to pursue her degree in business from the University of Washington and afterwards began working for a non-profit, helping Washington agricultural businesses meet the standards required for their workers to function in a safe and healthy work environment. She relates to the challenges that the OMWBE mission addresses and is driven to help ensure equity is available to everyone, in every opportunity they seek.
Her hobbies include motorsports, playing violin, reading/researching, and food (all that encompasses it). She has a scrappy, prissy chihuahua, a cat with too much energy, and 2 rabbits who own the house.
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We are pleased to announce that Elia Mendoza has accepted the Small Business Development Manager position as a part of the Business Development team. Elia will play a key role in ensuring that our certified firms are receiving the post certification support that is needed for successful contracting and that more eligible small businesses are certified through the unit’s outreach efforts. Elia's official start date for her new role is August 16th.
Elia joins us from within the OMWBE family and has been a valuable team member in the Certification and Audit & Review unit. Throughout her time with the agency Elia has modeled OMWBE's values of integrity, respect, and excellence.
Along with her OMWBE experience Elia also brings Field Auditor and Outreach experience from her time with the Department of Labor & Industries and the Washington State Emergency Operations Center. In addition to her work experience Elia is a Certified Spanish Bilingual Interpreter and has an educational background that consists of Accounting, Lean Six Sigma White Belt Certification, and Business Administration.
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Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, celebrates the myriad of cultures within Latin and Spanish-speaking countries, and the contributions of those peoples. Generations of Hispanic Americans have enriched our nation by making contributions in science, education, the arts, and politics. Celebrate with the community by attending one a local Hispanic Heritage month event in your area!
Independence Celebration - September 15, 2023 | Skagit Valley College
Washington State Fair Fiestas Patrias - September 17, 2023 | Puyallup, WA
Seattle Latino Film Festival 2023 - October 6 - 14, 2023 | Seattle, WA
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New Certifications
68 businesses obtained OMWBE certification in August! We share these monthly lists of newly certified firms with our contract and procurement contacts at State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education.
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