Minority Business Development Organization streamlines, focuses on minority business growth

A year after Ohio launched two pilot programs aimed at minority business growth and job creation, the Minority Business Development Organization in Cincinnati is aimed at guiding small business owners determined make their businesses grow. “We’ve identified who can really get the most out of the program, and they are growth-oriented firms willing and able to work on their business, and not just day-to-day aspects of doing a job,” said Leslie Young, Program Manager at the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. The African American chamber is the lead partner in the MBDO. Other partners include the Cincinnati Hispanic and Regional chambers, Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative (GCMI),  Economic Empowerment Center of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati (EEC), South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Diversity Council (SCOMSDC) and Cincinnati State Technical & Community College. The state picked Cincinnati and Akron to launch the pilot program, aimed and growing jobs and creating economic wealth through each city’s minority entrepreneurial communities.The MBDO takes full advantage of the resources Cincinnati already offers businesses, but streamlines the business growth process for owners, offering an assessment of where each business is, where they want to be and what training or certifications they need to get there. “Each collaborative partner has a role in this arrangement and it minimizes the duplication of efforts. We have our designated roles, and have figured out a lot of how the processes best work since we started,” Young said. The program is currently free, but a small fee could be charged in the near future, Young said. The program is open to any small business that is at least 51 percent minority-owned and located in Ohio. So far, the MBDO has served 120 firms from Cincinnati to Columbus. Most are Business-to- Business or Business-to-Government focused. As the program enters its second year this February, the initiative is pushing forward to create new networking opportunities. “We have firms working on their plans and we want to connect them to real business opportunities. We want them doing business with people they haven’t been doing it with before,” Young said. Writer: Feoshia Henderson Source: Leslie Young, MBDO Program Manager Follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiasoapbox.com