NBA Looks for M/WBE Vendors

The NBA, working in partnership with local certifying agencies, including the Southern California Minority Business Development Council, is looking for minority- and woman-owned businesses to provide products and services for the 2011 All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, February 20, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The NBA's All-Star Vendor Diversity Program has been providing opportunities to minority- and woman-owned vendors in the All-Star procurement process for over a decade. Visit http://www.nba.com/allstarvendordiversity/ for a list of All-Star Product/Service needs. No applications will be accepted after Sept. 1, 2010.

Goldman Sachs Initiative Expands to Los Angeles Area

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has announced its Greater Los Angeles 10,000 Small Businesses initiative. Through the program, small businesses in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, including Long Beach, can develop a business growth plan through a practical business and management education offered by Los Angeles City College, one of the nine campuses in the Los Angeles Community College District, and The Long Beach Community College District.

Goldman Sachs is also committing $20 million of lending capital, in addition to philanthropic support to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in Los Angeles County. The investment will increase the amount of growth capital available to small businesses in underserved communities and expand the capacity of the CDFIs to deliver enhanced technical assistance to small businesses.

The initiative first began operations in New York in early 2010 where LaGuardia Community College is offering education and Seedco Financial Services is providing access to capital. The program will begin in Los Angeles in August 2010. In 2008, Goldman Sachs made a five-year investment of $100 million for the 10,000 Women program, to provide 10,000 underserved women around the world with business and management education.

Los Angeles area small business owners should apply for the 10,000 Small Business program directly through the local organizations: Los Angeles City College - www.lacc10ksb.com; The Long Beach Community College District - www.lbcc.edu/10000smallbusinesses; and Valley Economic Development Center - www.vedc.org.

NYCEDC Asking Diverse Vendors to Register

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has launched a campaign geared toward minority-owned, woman-owned, and disadvantaged businesses. The campaign encourages these businesses to join NYCEDC's vendor list. Once businesses are on the list, they will receive notification of RFPs, RFQs, RFEIs, and public bids related to their business and/or industry. Businesses can register at nycedc.com/vendorslist.

Recovery Act Forum Set in Hartford

To address minority participation in Recovery Act contracts, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Civil Rights in conjunction with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), OSDBU, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials will hold a community forum in Hartford, Connecticut on August 11 and 12 to bring together all stakeholders in the contract process, including prime and sub-contractors, federal, state, and local transportation agencies, unions, trade associations, and faith-based and civic groups. The forum will set goals for minority participation, come up with a plan to meet those goals, and track progress.

FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and OSDBU Director Brandon Neal will participate in this forum, which addresses the New Britain to Hartford Busway. This project is for the design and construction of 9.4 miles of exclusive bus lanes with 11 stations ($573 million) within existing and abandoned railroad right-of-way paralleling Interstate 84 from New Britain to Union Station in downtown Hartford. Additional Recovery Act community forums will be held in: Phoenix (September 1-2); Brooklyn/Queens (October 6-7); Louisville (November 9-10). To learn more, visit http://osdbu.dot.gov/.

Ernst & Young Joins E-Mentor Program

Ernst & Young LLP has joined the U.S. State Department's new E-Mentor Corps program, which is designed to provide mentorship to entrepreneurs around the world. The E-Mentor Corps is part of the Obama Administration's larger Global Entrepreneurship Program, an initiative designed to provide concrete support to new entrepreneurs. Through the E-Mentor Corps, an entrepreneur seeking a mentor can go online and find a person with expertise on everything from securing financing to writing a business plan.

Several other private sector groups have pledged to supply mentors from their global networks, including Intel, the Kauffman Foundation, Endeavor, TechWadi, the Young Presidents' Organization, and Babson College. For the E-Mentor Corps, Ernst & Young will tap into the expertise and passion of its broad network of successful entrepreneurs who have been finalists, winners, or judges in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program. For more information, visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.

The Small Business Administration Partners with Google for New Site

The Small Business Administration and Google have announced a new partnership and unveiled Tools for Online Success, an array of online resources and training designed to help small business owners harness technology to grow their businesses. The "Tools for Online Success" site (www.google.com/help/sba) features tutorials, video
testimonials, and tips from savvy small business people who have leveraged
the web to become more efficient, more cost-effective, and more successful.

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Education Program

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a new bonding education program aimed at helping qualified small and disadvantaged businesses compete for government contracting opportunities.

In collaboration with the Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA), the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) will host a series of pilot education workshops to get small businesses bond ready. The dates and city locations for the pilots are Dallas, June 10; and Atlanta, June 24.

The program includes a 10 week course covering an array of subjects to help small businesses become bondable. At the end of 10 weeks, businesses are paired with local bond producers to work side by side in the bonding process.

For more information about this program, visit www.osdbu.dot.gov/bap/bep_main.cfm.

Women Impacting Public Policy Announces New Educational Program

Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) has launched a new educational program to break down barriers between women and money. Women Accessing Capital: Women, Money and Opportunity gives women business owners the tools to secure capital. This new program is the latest to be released in WIPP's Women, Money and Opportunity: Powered by WIPP series, and is modeled after WIPP's successful "Give Me 5" federal procurement program.

WomenAccessingCapital.com, which hosts a combination of seminars, events and online resources, will help women understand and evaluate funding sources, create a strong application for capital, and maintain and manage growth.

To start receiving training information and updates, please email Jessica Davis at jdavis@wipp.org.