Mayor Byron W. Brown today kicked off and highlighted a week of activity focused on Minority-and- Women-owned businesses (MBE/WBE) in Buffalo by issuing a proclamation, declaring September 25-29, 2017 as MBE/WBE Week in the City of Buffalo, in support of the great value Minority-and-Women-owned businesses have to the community.
"One of my top priorities has always been to ensure that all businesses have the opportunity to compete and succeed," said Mayor Brown. "Minority-and-women-owned businesses are of great value to the City of Buffalo and I thank our partners who are sponsoring events this week that help us with our ongoing efforts to grow small businesses locally and throughout our region."
Event Highlights include:
- Monday, September 25th – Mayor Brown issued a City of Buffalo Proclamation, declaring September 25-29, 2017 as MBE/WBE Week in the City of Buffalo
- Tuesday, September 26th – Mayor Brown and the City of Buffalo will participate in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Vendor Fair. BNMC Works - 3:30-5 pm - UB’s Arthur Eve Educational Opportunity Center - 555 Ellicott Street
- Wednesday, September 27th – How to Respond to a ‘Request for Proposals’ - presented by ECMC, 462 Grider Street. Smith Auditorium. 6-8 pm
- Thursday, September 28th – The PITCH: A collaborative MWBE Business Plan Competition – 5-9 pm - Buffalo Museum of Science
- Friday, September 29th – Big Opportunities for Small Business by Small Business Development Corp. (SBDC) @ SUNY Buffalo State. Burchfield Penney Art Center, 8 am to 2 pm
Additionally, Mayor Brown highlighted the accomplishments of the City's MBE/WBE program since 2006 including:
- Employing a “First Source” hiring policy for public works contracts requiring contractors and subcontractors to make demonstrable efforts to meet or exceed the 25% residency hiring goals included in the City’s charter.
- Spearheading the opening of the Beverly Gray Business Exchange Center, a comprehensive one stop small business technical resource center developed to support Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (“MBE”), Women-Owned Business Enterprises (“WBE”), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (“SDVOB”), and small businesses in the City of Buffalo and WNY region
- Strengthening economic inclusion on public/private partnerships
Since 2012, the City of Buffalo has experienced over $6.1 billion in economic development, which is expected to create over 12,000 new jobs, that has dramatically reshaped the city’s landscape.
Mayor Brown concluded, “We must continue to work together so that every resident of this City has the opportunity to benefit from Buffalo’s growth, this is one of the best ways to ensure Buffalo’s continued growth and success.”
Improving conditions for minority and women owned business enterprises (MBE/WBE) and minorities and female workers by bolstering equity in City of Buffalo contracting and hiring opportunities as well as the formation of the City of Buffalo Contract Compliance Committee