MBDA Business Center Spotlight: Los Angeles

About 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, in the largest city on the West Coast, is MBDA’s Los Angles Business Center.

To meet the diverse needs of their clients, the Los Angeles MBDA Business Center staffs two offices. One office is located on the campus of the University of Southern California and allows clients to benefit from the resources of academia. While the second office, located at city hall in the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic and Business Policy, brings clients closer to the connections of local government and private industry. Their unique service model continues to yield tremendous results in providing the Los Angeles minority business community with valuable business resources including access to contracts and capital.

One of the highlights of the LA MBDA Business Center is its Annual Minority Business Award Program, which was recently held at City Hall. Beginning in 1995 and continuing every year since then, this year’s awards ceremony recognized industry leaders that play a role in building the economy through job creation.

The 2013 honorees included:

• Construction Firm of the Year: Alameda Construction Services, Inc., Kevin Ramsey

• Distribution Firm of the Year: Omega Pacific Electrical Supply, Inc., Todd Lewis

• Global Firm of the Year: Naerok Group International, Young Park

• Green Firm of the Year: GigaWatt, Inc., Deep Patel

• Professional Services Firm of the Year: Zeesman Communications, Inc., Bonnie Nijst

• Technology Firm of the Year: JM Fiber Optics, Inc., Kenneth Rivera

• Technology Runner-Up Firm of the Year: CC-OPS, Inc., Amy Dickerson

In speaking with MBDA client Deek Patel, CEO of GigaWatt, Inc. and the Green Firm of the Year, he said, “The biggest help MBDA gives us is connecting us with people who need our product and services. The federal government, state, and local governments are sometimes very complicated to deal with and contacts are worth gold. MBDA opened the door for us and provided the introductions we needed and helped us grow our customer base and our business.”

Over the years the center’s consultants have helped thousands of businesses in originating, analyzing and closing financial transactions as well as facilitating contract opportunities. Since 2007, the LA Business Center has secured $400 million in contracts and $104 million in financing for minority-owned businesses in Los Angeles. In fiscal years 2011 and 2012, the LA Business Center helped minority businesses obtain over $31 million in contracts and procurements.

To learn more about the Los Angeles MBDA Business Center visit http://www.mbda.gov/businesscenters/losangeles or call (213) 821-2541.