Ohio Raises Minority Business Office to Division Status
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Development Services Agency has elevated the Minority Business Office to the status of a full division. As such, it will report directly to the director of the agency and re-establish its own funding line item in the agency budget.
The moves are in response to suggestions from minority business owners and state legislators on how the department can better support the minority business community in Ohio, said Christiane Schmenk, director of the agency. "Ohio succeeds best when all of Ohio benefits from that success," she said in a prepared statement. “That’s the goal behind our ongoing efforts to provide better service to Ohio's minority business community and these changes support that.”
Based on an agency review by TechSolve, a consulting firm, and responses from stakeholders, the department began organizational changes that aligned MBE support efforts with the other suite of programs and services at the agency that support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Minority leaders urged modifying that approach, however, and keeping MBE efforts in a distinct division given the unique needs of these businesses. The agency agreed.
In addition, the Kasich Administration, through the Department of Administrative Services, is working to increase participation by minority businesses in state contracts, Schmenk said. It is creating new MBE set-aside opportunities for contracts with pre-approved pricing and those with a third-party administrator.
The Minority Business Development Division leads the state’s efforts to create, increase and develop minority-owned businesses that result in job creation and a stronger Ohio economy. Both internally and through 10 Minority Business Assistance Center offices across the state, the division provides business development services to new and established business owners.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to our free daily email headlines and to our twice-monthly print edition.