Letter from the Director
Dear Citizens:
Mayor L. Douglas Wilder has done more than just talk about
ensuring the inclusion of emerging small and minority business-
es in Richmond’s procurement activities. It has been two years
since the administration elevated the role of the office responsible for minority
inclusion and I want to tell you about the progress we – the Office of Minor-
ity Business Development (OMBD) – have made.
OMBD today is stronger and more focused on ensuring there is participation
on all City contracts, with an emphasis on those greater than $100,000
where there is availability. The path that this new administration set out on
when coming into office is yielding results for the minority and emerging
small business communities – in terms of increasing minority participation
by 120 percent for minorities working as primes on City contracts. We have
enhanced our capacity to provide innovative technical training and outreach
to our clients and increased the number of minority subcontractors and
vendors working on City contracts.
Richmond is truly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Southeast in
terms of economic activity. The changes have come in the form of the new
downtown $350 million Philip Morris research facility, the Hilton renovation
project that is in full swing with a planned grand opening in the fall of 2009,
and the multi-million dollar CenterStage project that includes an upgraded
Carpenter Center. Minority participation on these and other projects has been
a priority and has met with success.
OMBD is now proactive in our approach to assisting entrepreneurs. We maintain
the philosophy that all willing firms will become primes and we do all that we
can to educate entrepreneurs on the particulars of doing business with the City.
OMBD aggressively developed technical outreach seminars, partnered with 18
agencies and doubled the number of entrepreneurs that were trained compared to
last year. We registered 155 new firms in the City’ business directory – a resource
tool for larger firms seeking to do business with the City.
Together, we’re building a stronger Richmond. Without you, we could not
be successful. We remain committed to your success and look forward to
working with you in the future.
Rita R. Henderson
Director
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