Highest Level of Performance
In fiscal year 2013, through MDBA’s nationwide network of Business Centers, we have assisted clients in securing more than $4.8 billion in contracts and capital. This led to the creation and retention of more than 25,000 U.S. jobs.
Over the course of the Obama Administration, MBDA has helped minority-owned firms access $19.4 billion in contracts and capital which also created or retained nearly 60,000 jobs.
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Expanding Services for MBDA Clients
MBDA opened seven new MBDA Business Centers in the following cities: Baltimore, Maryland; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Bronx, New York; Houston, Texas; San Francisco, California; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC. These seven new Centers make us locally accessible to an additional 1.3 million minority-owned firms.
Five MBDA Business Centers were awarded supplemental funding in FY 2013. These Centers have excelled in developing a specialization in specific industries or market access and export promotion strategies.
MBDA worked with the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute for Economic Development to deliver a customized curriculum on international business management during our 2013 National Training Conference for MBDA and business center staff. Topics included: global marketing, supply chain management, trade finance, and legal/regulatory compliance. Attendees are now prepared to pursue NASBITE certification as global business professionals, expanding the knowledge base available through the MBDA Business Center network.
During FY 2013, our communication strategy merged traditional and digital communication by using print publications, e-newsletters, and social media to increase our outreach and service delivery. The e-newsletter reached over 55,000 subscribers monthly and was expanded to include a specialty newsletter focused on global opportunities, which added thousands of new subscribers. Our efforts resulted in a 29 percent increase in website visitors and a 186 percent increase in international visitors from over 200 countries.
Our social media reach also increased by 40 percent compared to the prior fiscal year. Nearly 14,000 followers connected with MBDA across our social media channels — Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Stimulating Growth through Strategic Alliances
In May 2013, MBDA entered into a formal agreement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) to ensure that minority-owned businesses receive timely contracting information and technical assistance related to this significant contracting opportunity.
According to the latest Survey of Business Owners data, MBEs in the Healthcare & Social Services industry sector represent 13 percent of all sectors. Employment in the healthcare industry is projected to increase 27 percent through 2014, compared with 14 percent for all industries combined.Such industry growth projections inspired our partnership with the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance (HSDA) to increase access to healthcare contracting opportunities for MBEs.
During FY 2013, the Atlanta MBDA Business Center launched a healthcare program—Healthcare Technology Action Collaborative—a teaming endeavor with groups of four MBE member companies that are pursuing healthcare opportunities together as a team.
Government Partnerships Foster Economic Vitality for MBEs
In January 2013, MBDA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Economic Impact and Diversity agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at increasing the participation of MBEs in energy—the third largest industry in the United States. By jointly providing technical assistance and pertinent information to MBEs, these companies will be better equipped with the education, tools, and resources to better compete in significant contracting and subcontracting programs.
MBDA clients were among 30 members appointed to the Commerce Secretary’s Manufacturing Council (Council) in FY 2013. The Council advises the Secretary of Commerce on government policies and programs that affect U.S. manufacturing and provides a forum for proposing solutions to industry-related problems.
In July 2013, MBDA National Deputy Director Alejandra Castillo participated in the second technical meeting of the U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Promote Racial and Ethnic Equality (JAPER), held in Brasilia, Brazil. JAPER was signed in 2008 as the first U.S.-Brazil bilateral initiative pledging an ongoing collaboration between the governments of Brazil and the United States to eliminate racial and ethnic discrimination and promote equality of opportunity in both countries.
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, MBDA participated in the Kingonomics Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Investment Conference. Kingonomics refers to the efforts in facilitating an economic and institutional platform designed to address the wealth gap and poverty in America. The conference’s exclusive focus on economic empowerment for business owners provided a tremendous opportunity to highlight the work of MBDA in creating greater access to capital, contracts, and markets for the over 5.8 million U.S. minority-owned firms
Transforming America’s Cities
Joining the Department of Commerce’s Economic Recovery Strategic Team, MBDA’s Chief of the Office of Legislative, Education and Intergovernmental Affairs, Bridget Gonzales, helped to identify obstacles and recommendations to the recovery, rebuilding, and resiliency objectives. The final Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy, published in August 2013, contains 13 recommendations specific to small and minority-owned businesses.
MBDA officials worked closely with the Gulf Coast Restoration Council (Council) to ensure that minority communities affected by the oil spill were engaged and informed of the Council’s efforts, while MBDA Business Centers accelerated their efforts to ensure that MBDA clients were well prepared and positioned for contracting opportunities. In fact, MBDA Business Centers in Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, helped clients to secure $744 million in contracts and capital, including $77 million in contracts with BP and Chevron. In addition, MBDA’s work with the Mobile and New Orleans Business Center clients led to the creation of 1,181 new jobs and the retention of 835 employees for client firms in FY 2013.
Growing Business through Exports
In 2013, three MBDA clients were selected as members of a Department of Commerce (DOC) trade mission to Brazil, Colombia, and Panama.
In August 2013, the San Antonio MBDA Business Center Director Orestes Hubbard and MBDA Global Business Center Project Manager David Leister led a delegation of firms on a trade mission to Brazil. This trade mission was aimed at identifying commercial opportunities and building relationships with key in-country stakeholders within government and corporate environments to help facilitate export/investment opportunities for minority-owned firms interested in doing business in Brazil.
During FY 2013, MBDA worked with several of these organizations to ensure that minority-owned firms had access to the many contracting opportunities resulting from the Power Africa initiative. The Power Africa initiative will add more than 10,000 megawatts of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity and will increase electricity access to at least 20 million new households and commercial entities. The Chicago MBDA Business Center was awarded a supplemental grant by MBDA to spearhead and African Global Pathways initiative. This initiative provided MBE firms with access to expert consulting services that promote business-to-business linkage between Power Africa nations and U.S. MBEs.
2013 National MED Week Award Winners
MBDA recognized the 2013 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Award winners. The winners include 12 organizations, businesses and individuals who have demonstrated leadership and commitment in advancing the minority business community. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented the awards during a ceremony in Washington, DC. Learn more about the 2013 MED Week Award Winners
MBDA History
