m. luis products, llc - amazon s3 · m. luis products, llc certiﬁed mdot mbe & wbe asphalt...

14811 Southlawn LaneRockville, Maryland 20850

301. 294. 7561 (phone)301. 294. 8755 (fax)

M. Luis Products, LLC is determined to help your company be as successful as possible. Our diligent team at the Rockville facility will open early, extend our hours, and work with your logistics team to best maximize your efficiencies. As a certified MBE and WBE, 100% of your purchases can be used toward any goal requirements stipulated in contracts. M. Luis Products values each customer and their time and we will strive to make your asphalt purchasing experience an optimal one.

M. Luis Products, LLC

Certified MDOT MBE & WBE Asphalt Manufacturer, based in Rockville, Maryland.

A green supplier with asphalt made from recyclable materials.

Produces 300 tons of asphalt per hour.

Uses American-made plant and lab equipment, and U.S.-sourced quarry stone and sand.

Has an MDOT-certified laboratory and highly trained personnel.

Offers flexible hours upon request for customers.

Has a mobile asphalt testing laboratory for field testing.

The M. Luis asphalt manufacturing facility serves Maryland, Washington D.C., and Northern Virginia from our central Rockville location. The plant provides quality asphalt, aggregates and sand, exceeds the most stringent specifications, and is MBE/WBE certified in many jurisdictions. A leading provider in the region, M. Luis Products include:

Asphalt• Liquid Tack Coat• Aggregates•

Recycled Aggregate• QPR•

MLUISCONSTRUCTION.COM

EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES | A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MARYLAND'S SMALL, MINORITY-AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES | 3 |

CONTENTS5 A message from Gov. Martin O’Malley

7 A message from Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown

8 A message from Special Secretary Zenita Wickham Hurley

9 Perfecting your capabilities statement

10 MBE & SBR myth buster

12 Fast growing firm has diverse stable of clients

14 Bonding as an empowerment tool

15 Orchard Beach heating company enjoys success working with state

18 Pathway for doing business with the state of Maryland

20 Opening of 2 new gaming facilities to grow loan program

23 MBE Program gives business owner access needed to succeed

25 Firms tap free consultation service to promote safety

28 MBE University celebrates milestone

31 Briefs

Zenita Wickham HurleySpecial Secretary

Carmina Perez-FowlerAssistant Secretary

Alison TavikDirector of Communications

This resource guide is prepared in collaboration with theGovernor’s Office of Minority Affairs

by the staff of

Suzanne E. Fischer-HuettnerPublisher

Thomas Baden Jr.Editor

Erin CunninghamSpecial Products Editor

Maria KellyComptroller

Tracy BumbaAudience Development Director

Justin CarsonAdvertising Manager

Gail CloughDirector of Business Development

Matthew StanderferDigital Manager

Maximilian FranzSenior Photographer

Lauren GurnyGraphic Designer

WE ARE A REFLECTION OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.Our commitment to diversity is reflected in our history as well as our future. Partnering with small and diverse businesses helps us provide greater value to our customers and the communities we serve. It is a tradition we are proud of and a commitment we will continue to honor for years to come.

pepcoholdings.com

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

Natural Gas.

Achieving it takes commitment.

Joan Hairston at 703-750-4733.


Dear Friends:

Welcome to this year’s edition of Expanding Opportunities: AResource Guide for Maryland’s Small, Minority- and Women-OwnedBusinesses. We are pleased to bring you this annual publication for thesixth year in a row and share all of the great progress we’re making tocreate jobs and provide more opportunities for Maryland’s small,minority- and women-owned businesses to grow and thrive. Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small BusinessReserve (SBR) programs continue to move our economy forward. In fact,we are raising the bar. Effective FY2014, we increased the overallstatewide MBE goal to 29% and have instituted two executive policychanges designed to help us reach this new benchmark. First, I have directed the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs(GOMA) to review MBE goals on all statewide contracts and allcontracts expected to exceed $25 million. This will help ensure that our70 participating agencies and departments have identified all MBEopportunities at the onset of the procurement process. GOMA is alsonow posting agency fiscal year forecasting reports on its website. Thesereports are very useful in helping MBE and SBR firms identify whichagencies buy what they sell and with what frequency so they can beprepared to effectively complete for state-funded contractingopportunities. In Maryland, we understand that diversity is our greatest strengthand that our economy grows when we’re all doing better – that meanssupporting small minority businesses and giving them the flexibility andaccess necessary to create jobs, expand opportunity and strengthen ourmiddle class.

Sincerely,

Martin O’MalleyGovernor

A MESSAGE FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY

El Andariego has the recipe for energy savings.

BGESmartEnergy.com | 877.685.7377

This program supports the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act.

The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program® is helping business owners and managers in and around Baltimore save energy and money. Jaime Vasquez, owner of El Andariego Restaurant in Ashton, discovered the recipe for lower energy costs. Installing high-efficiency lighting fixtures throughout his 3,000-square-foot restaurant reduced lighting-related energy use by 70%. And financial incentives cut the total project cost to less than $300, so he recovered his investment in less than 3 months!

Find out how your business can save up to 80% on energy upgrades.

Visit BGESmartEnergy.com or call 877.685.7377.


Dear Friends:

Maryland is a great place to live, work, and raise a family, and much ofwhat we have accomplished is tied to the strength and diversity of ourbusiness community. When Governor O’Malley and I came into office wemade a promise to strengthen and grow our middle class and to expandopportunities to all Marylanders. Investing in Maryland’s small, minority andwomen-owned businesses is critical to keeping that promise. Theseinvestments not only support our working families and create jobs, but theybuild a stronger, more diverse economy. We have aggressively supported statewide small business development andminority business inclusion practices since day one and take great pride inthe success of our Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small BusinessReserve (SBR) programs. Since 2007, SBR vendors have experienced a 131percent increase in payments and a 50 percent increase in overallparticipation. Payments to certified MBE firms have increased from $751.8million in 2007 to $1.8 billion in FY2013, a 138% increase. These figuresdemonstrate the impact government can have in providing opportunities forsmall, minority and women-owned businesses to engage in State contracting.If you are not participating in these programs, I strongly encourage you tolearn more about the opportunities available today. I applaud the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs and The Daily Recordfor producing this valuable resource guide for the past six years in order toprovide information about the rich cache of resources available to businessowners here in Maryland. It has proven to be an invaluable tool not only tofirms already engaged in state contracting, but those who are new to thismarket. As a state, we’re at our best when we support one another and use thetools of government to create jobs and expand opportunity. That includesensuring that our small, minority and women-owned businesses have thetools and resources they need to succeed now and well into the future.

Sincerely,

Anthony G. BrownLt. Governor

A MESSAGE FROM LT. GOVERNOR ANTHONY G. BROWN

| 8 | EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES | A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MARYLAND'S SMALL, MINORITY-AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

A MESSAGE FROM SPECIAL SECRETARY HURLEY

I am very pleased to join with The Daily Record to provide this resourcepublication for Maryland’s small, minority- and women-owned businesses. Itcontains a lot of great information for firms that want to do business with theState of Maryland, so I hope you read it from cover to cover. It is also an excel-lent opportunity for me to share several important regulatory and policy changes. We know that minority business inclusion in State contracting is an eco-nomic win for all Maryland residents, that’s why we’re enhancing opportunitiesfor small minority- and women-owned businesses to perform as prime contrac-tors on State-funded procurements. On June 9, 2014, the State adopted newregulations allowing MBE prime contractors to count their participation oncontracts with MBE goals for up to 50 percent of the established MBE contractgoal and 100 percent of any one contract subgoal. Prior to this regulationchange, MBE prime contractors were prohibited from self-performing any por-tion of the MBE contract goal. It is a great opportunity for minority- andwomen-owned firms to build capacity and grow in the State contracting arena.Of course, MBE primes are required to adhere to good faith effort requirementsfor the portion of the contract goal they are not self-performing and are subjectto all other MBE contract compliance requirements such as prompt paymentand monthly reports. On the policy side, in an effort to impact minority participation at the outsetof the procurement process, Governor O’Malley has directed all participatingagencies to obtain GOMA’s approval of MBE goals prior to issuing a solicitationfor any statewide master contracts or procurements expected to exceed $20 mil-lion. MBE goals are set on a contract-by-contract basis, so this extra layer of re-view will help ensure that MBE opportunities are being maximized at the agencylevel. I am also pleased to share that GOMA’s website now includes forecastingreports on both new and recurring contracts expected to exceed $100,000 duringthe fiscal year. The reports are useful in helping MBE firms and vendors in theSmall Business Reserve (SBR) Program identify which agencies buy what theysell and with what frequency. It also provides them with time to effectively com-pete for these contracting opportunities with the State. We continue to make conscientious efforts to be relevant and responsive tothe current marketplace. Our success is strongly attributed to the advocacy ef-forts of local legislators as well as the organizations and individuals who supportour small, minority- and women-owned business community. I am also fortu-nate to work with a team of passionate and talented colleagues in the Governor’sOffice of Minority Affairs. I invite you to call upon us at any time and encourageyou to visit our website at www.goma.maryland.gov where you’ll have access toperformance reports, legislative updates, advocacy information, outreach eventsand a wide array of State and federal business resources.

Sincerely,

Zenita Wickham HurleySpecial Secretary


Creating a successful capabilities statementseems like a daunting task for anyone unfamiliarwith branding, graphic design or marketing. Butthere is no getting around it. A capabilities state-ment is a crucial element in the contractingworld. When your first impression takes the placeof your only impression, maximize your talentsand show off your best product. Think of yourcapabilities statement as your company’s elevatorspeech. No matter the size of your company orthe government you wish to sell to, a powerfulcapabilities statement remains key in settingyourself apart from your competitors and earn-ing new business. A successful and effective capabilities state-ment incorporates branding, graphic elements,concise writing and a variety of features to show-case a company’s strongest qualities. Using thesetips and guidelines, your business can produce acapabilities statement that highlights your skillsin a brief and appealing manner. When forced to read multiple CAPE state-ments a week, some government agencies maydismiss yours simply due to length. A capabilitiesstatement is a quick reference guide, not a novel.When creating your written content, make sureit includes only the most valuable information. List your company’s basic information onone single sheet of paper. Anything that doesn’tfit doesn’t make the cut. With just a few minutesto sell your services, reiterate your strongest qual-ities and the essential skills you know will get youthe job. An effective capabilities statement appearsorganized, easy to read and should address threespecific categories; core competencies, past per-formance and differentiators. When decidingwhat to include in these categories, approachthese sections as questions you need to answer.

INFORMATION TO INCLUDE:Core Competencies • What is your expertise? • What are your main abilities?Past Performance • What work have you performed related to

this project?

• Did these projects involve people you coulduse a reference?

Differentiators • How are you best suited for the needs of

this agency? • What about your services makes you stand

out? • What about your staff members makes

them better than your competitors? • Why are your products better solutions

than what’s currently available? Once you outline these categories by answer-ing specific questions, make sure to include im-portant facts about your business. Governmentagencies want to know the size of your company,your revenue, number of employees and the ge-ographic area you serve. You want to tell yourcompany’s story in the most interesting and con-densed way. Your capabilities statement should list youroffice address, phone number, special certifica-tions, D&B number, tax ID number, govern-ment website, NAICS codes and social mediahandles. This data comes in handy when a gov-ernment agency conducts market research. Make the material both easy to read and un-derstand. When generating concise written con-tent, share only the most critical information.Creating bulleted lists or bolding key wordsmakes your information straightforward for the

reader, and also shows what you value most.

THE LAYOUT: Your capabilities statement should look visu-ally appealing in order to stand out from yourcompetitors. Use the same logos and colorscheme as your other collateral items in order tokeep branding consistent. Include graphics and visuals to make your ca-pabilities statement different from the rest andmore interesting to read. While all of the infor-mation you include should fit on an 8x11 sheetof paper, don’t limit yourself to presenting it thisway. Be sure to have your capabilities statementavailable as a PDF document so that you canshare it on your website or as an attachment inan email message. Any company looking to earn a governmentcontract must create a capabilities statement, andwhile most will show proof of qualification andpast performance, a successful one serves as anopportunity to share your business’ story in aunique way. Value your capabilities statementjust as much as your appearance the day of a bigpitch. With something as important as initial in-teractions and gaining new business, don’t beafraid to look to a professional for help if neces-sary. The presentation of an exceptional capabil-ities statement will not only set you apart fromthe competition, but ultimately earn you the job.

PERFECTING YOURCAPABILITIES STATEMENTBY ANITA A. BRIGHTMAN

APR, Fellow PRSA


Now that the State’s overall minority participation goal hasbeen raised to 29 percent, all Statecontracts should have an MBEgoal of 29 percent.FALSE – MBE goals are set on a con-tract-by-contract basis. The agency issu-ing the procurement examines severalfactors in determining the goal, includingthe full scope of work, the geographic lo-cation of the project, and the availabilityof certified MBEs. Although the overallstatewide MBE goal is currently 29 per-cent, contract goals range from anywherebelow to above 29 percent.

You do not have to be certified as an MBE in order to do business with the State of Maryland.TRUE – Any firm in good standingwith the Maryland Department of As-sessments and Taxation can competefor business as a prime contractor orsubcontractor on state-funded pro-curements.

MBE certification expires annually.FALSE – Once certified, firms may re-main in the program as long as they con-tinue to meet all eligibility standards andcomplete the annual renewal process.

Start-up companies are eligible for MBE certification.TRUE – There are no rules governing

how long a business has to be open be-fore seeking MBE certification.

MBE certification does not guarantee work.TRUE – Being certified as an MBEfirm is not a guarantee that you willwin work on a state-funded contract.MBE certification is a significant“value added” component of thecompetition process as only certifiedfirms can meet established minoritybusiness participation goals.

MBE firms cannot perform as prime contractors.FALSE – MBE’s are encouraged tocompete for prime contracting oppor-tunities. In fact, new regulations allowMBE primes to count the work theyself-perform toward up to 50 percentof an MBE overall goal and up to 100percent of any one subgoal on a State-funded contract. That means if theoverall goal is 30 percent, the MBEprime can self-perform up to 15 per-cent of the work themselves. The re-maining 15 percent must be awardedto other MBE subcontractors.

Every State agency employs anMBE Liaison who is responsibl forassisting MBEs seeking State contracting opportunities.

TRUE – The MBE Liaison’s role is to

ensure that small and minority busi-ness inclusion is maximized on state-funded contracts. They help reviewcontracts, identify opportunities forMBE participation and set MBE goalsbefore the solicitation goes public.Once the project is underway, theMBE Liaison monitors MBE compli-ance and is the primary point of con-tact for MBE contractors

SBR vendor registration can becompleted in one day.TRUE – The SBR Program’s self-registration process is completed on-line and takes about 15 minutes.Vendors receive their SBR registra-tion number at the conclusion of theprocess.

SBR vendors remain in the program for five years.FALSE – Vendors registered in theSmall Business Reserve (SBR) Pro-gram can remain in the program aslong as they meet the small businesscriteria and complete the annual re-newal process.

The SBR Program is a prime contracting program.TRUE – Small businesses competeagainst other small businesses for SBR-designated procurements where theyperform as the prime contractor.

MBE & SBR Myth BusterThere are many misconceptions about Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small Business Reserve (SBR)

programs that prevent small, minority- and women-owned businesses from connecting to opportunities in the State contracting marketplace. Test your knowledge with these true/false statements.

Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs

www.goma.maryland.gov

Small Business Reserve Program

www.dgs.maryland.gov

Office of Minority Business Enterprise

(Official Certification Agency)

www.mdot.maryland.gov


BY PETE PICHASKE

Special to The Daily Record

A decade or so ago, when the dot-comboom turned to dot-com bust, IT consultantCedric Nash went looking for greener pas-tures for his California-based company. A business contact helped him land a con-tract at Bowie State University, and he de-cided he liked what he saw in Maryland. So

in 2004, with just a handful of contracts anda lot of dreams, he moved his Oakland Con-sulting Group cross-country to the Free State. Talk about your smart moves. Today, operating out of a tan, two-storybrick office building that he owns in Lanham,Nash, 49, oversees a company with some 75employees and contracts worth between $200and $300 million. Oakland Consulting nowdoes work for a wide range of federal, state,

county and private entities, from the U.S.Navy and the University System of Marylandto Prince George’s County and the Smithson-ian Institution in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the firm has been named onWashington Technology’s “Fast 50 List” forfast-growing Washington area tech compa-nies, ranked among the nation’s fastest grow-ing private companies by Inc. Magazine, andranked among the top 100 most successful

FAST GROWING FIRM HAS DIVERSE STABLE OF CLIENTS

Cedric Nash started Oakland Consulting Group in 2004 and has since grown to 75 employees and contracts worth between $200 and $300 million.NICHOLAS GRINER

black-owned businesses in the industrial serv-ice sector — coming in at No. 99. “It’s worked out pretty good,” Nash saidduring a recent interview in his Lanham office.“This is a great area for minority businesses.They really give minority businesses a fair shotand an opportunity.” Nash said he got his MBE certification inMaryland in 2004 and it has proven valuable. “The state is very MBE-friendly,” he said. “A lot of states, I really think it’s just lipservice. I don’t want to mention any names,but a lot of states will have a 5 percent [mi-nority business] set-aside, so you end up hav-ing 10-to-15 minority business enterprisesfighting for a slice of 5 percent on a contract.” Maryland’s MBE goal is 29 percent. “I think that the state of Maryland isprobably on the leading edge in terms of theirinclusion programs for minority businesses,”Nash said. Alison Tavik, communications directorfor the Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs,which connects small and minority-ownedbusinesses to state contracting and procure-ment opportunities through the MinorityBusiness Enterprise (MBE) Program, agreedwith Nash’s assessment of the state’ s minoritybusiness efforts. But she said the key to success for minor-ity businesses rests not with the state but withthe businesses. “Our program is about opportunity, andputting the opportunity out there for smallbusinesses,” she said. “But the bottom line forsuccess lies within the company — withintheir performance. … It’s all built on hardwork, exceptional service and outstandingquality. “What makes companies [like Oakland]successful is they seek opportunities, not justwith one potential buyer but with multiplebuyers,” she added. “And they leverage whatthey know to grow their business.” After he relocated to Maryland, Nash’swork with Bowie State — the first PeopleSoftimplementation at a higher education facilityin Maryland — blossomed to include similarwork at other state universities, from CoppinState to Towson. He soon landed more state work, includ-ing similar implementations for the MarylandJudiciary System and Department of GeneralServices. Oakland Consulting also won ITcontracts with the U.S. Navy (business intel-ligence and supporting solutions), U.S. Army

(SAP software implementation), PrinceGeorge’s County (a new accounting and fi-nancial procurement system) and many more. Nash said he has worked for the state bothas a prime contractor and a subcontractor. Hesaid using other MBE firms to meet minorityparticipation goals is viable. “I recommend working with folks thatyou have established a working relationshipwith as co-MBE firms subcontracting tolarger firms,” he said in an email response toquestions. “You need to get a sense of theirstyle and their ethics level. “Some small businesses are very aggressiveand only seek win-lose opportunities, wherethey win and you lose. You need to pick firmsthat think and operate from a win-win per-spective. This is often difficult to determine(but) ignoring this advice could result in awaste of time.” Recently, Oakland was awarded a multi-year, $104-million contract to acquire andimplement a cloud-based human resourcesand financial management system for thestate of Maryland. Oakland Consulting grew by 40 percentlast year and about 70 percent the year before

that, and Nash expects 50 percent growth thisyear. Nash, who grew up in California and holdsa degree in computer science engineering fromCalifornia Polytechnic State University and anMBA from Pepperdine University in SouthernCalifornia, remains enthusiastic over his prox-imity to the lucrative federal government anda state he finds quite amenable to minoritybusinesses. He said he has no plans to leave. “To come here not knowing anyone andto be given the opportunity to support mycounty and my state, and my local agencies atthe level we have — it’s kind of a dream cometrue,” Nash said. “I’m here to stay.” Asked what advice he would give otherminority-owned companies seeking to makeit in Maryland, Nash offered a list of 10 tips.They included such standard business adviceas “leverage relationships to get introductionsto project managers and department direc-tors” and “gain the client’s trust.” His final bit of advice was perhaps tellingfor someone who moved to Maryland withonly a few contracts and in a decade builtwhat amounts to a mini-IT consulting em-pire: “Never quit!”


Bonding is the life blood of any successfulcontractor. Recognizing this fact, the UnitedStates government has required surety bondson public works projects since 1894, and in-creasingly, many primes and general contrac-tors use bonds for prequalification and thepayment and performance assurance on pri-vate work. Often, however, when bonding ismentioned to small, emerging or minoritycontractors, there is a great deal of trepidationand a sense of defeat. The Surety & FidelityAssociation of America (SFAA) is leading theeffort to educate these contractors on bondingas an empowerment tool that leads to con-trolled growth, economic empowerment, jobcreation and legacy wealth. The successful contractor understandsthat construction is risky business and thatrisk mitigation includes not only achievingexcellence in one’s craft, but also handlingthe backroom issues such as contracting,accounting, engineering and law. A surety professional helps contractorsdetermine their strengths and weaknesses.Bonding benefits small contractors thatwork as subcontractors and suppliers byensuring payment, but also because thebonding process helps contractors under-stand their viability. The surety industry has a longstandingcommitment to assisting small, emergingand minority contractors with becomingsustainable contractors. SFAA developed theModel Contractor Development Program(MCDP)® in 2000 to give disadvantagedcontractors the educational and practicaltools necessary for them to become success-ful business owners and bond ready. TheMCDP® consists of an educational compo-nent and bond-readiness component, dur-ing which participants work one-on-onewith surety professionals to get their fi-nances and bond applications in order. The MCDP® has been successful acrossthe U.S., and in 2010, SFAA partnered

with the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion (DOT) to implement the BondingEducation Program (BEP) to assist Disad-vantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) inbecoming bond ready and meeting require-ments to bid on and win transportation-re-lated construction and services contracts. Through these programs, contractorslearn to develop a trust-based relationshipwith a licensed surety, become bondable,and have the ability to successfully bid oncontracts and win profitable work. DOT,SFAA and the Maryland Transit Adminis-tration, through its Economic Empower-ment Program, will be partnering to bringthe BEP to the Purple and Red Line proj-ects in Maryland. The federal government’s commitmentto DBEs is further exemplified in the SmallBusiness Administration’s (SBA) program.Working in conjunction with the surety in-dustry to assist DBEs, the SBA’s BondGuarantee Program provides surety bondguarantees between 70% and 90% to par-ticipating sureties on qualified yet morerisky businesses. In the SBA Program, sustainable con-tractors are developed through the com-bined effort of private industry and publicsupport. Prime contractors also are supportive ofSFAA’s approach. For example, SFAA haspartnered with Skanska‘s Community Ad-visory Team (CAT), the mission of whichis to provide small business development,workforce skills and resources to the resi-dents of Maryland, Virginia and the Dis-trict of Columbia in order to enableconsistent employment in the constructionindustry. The key CAT components areyouth development, small business devel-opment and community support and out-reach. SFAA is involved in contractordevelopment with the CAT Small BusinessDevelopment Committee.

Even private owners understand the ben-efits of bonding and are focused on empow-ering contractors to take advantage of jobopportunities all over Maryland. For example,MGM Resorts, because of its interest in im-proving the community where its projects areconstructed, has provided educational oppor-tunities for contractors to learn how bondingserves as an empowerment tool. Since obtaining bonding is a continuingprocess, taking advantage of educational op-portunities will benefit the contractor foryears. Bonding may seem intimidating at firstfor small, emerging and minority contractors. However, for those that are willing tolearn about the process and put in the timeand effort to build their businesses, theywill come to recognize that being bondableis an invaluable asset that leads to strongsustainable businesses.

Joanne Brooks is Vice President & Counsel ofThe Surety & Fidelity Association of America, aWashington, DC-based nonprofit corporationwhose members are engaged in the business ofsuretyship.

BONDING: AS ANEMPOWERMENT TOOLBY JOANNE BROOKS, ESQ.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUTTHE BONDING

EDUCATION PROGRAMCONTACT:

The Surety & Fidelity Association of America

1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW,Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036

202-463-0600202-463-0606 [fax]

[email protected]


BY PETE PICHASKE


When heating and air conditioning spe-cialist Roger Schiflett grew tired of dealingwith balky customers and contractors whowouldn’t pay him, he and his wife came up

with a new plan for their company. They de-cided to stop working for general contractorsand instead work as a general contractor onstate and federal projects. Five years later, they couldn’t be happierwith the change. Their Orchard Beach firm, RLS Heating,

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, is thriv-ing, winning regular work with state, federaland local governments. A key to their success has been the SmallBusiness Reserve (SBR), a state program es-tablished in 2004 to boost small companieslike RLS. Under the program, 23 of thelargest state agencies must reserve 10 percent

ORCHARD BEACH HEATING COMPANY ENJOYS SUCCESS

WORKING WITH STATE

RLS Heating Air Conditioning and Refrigeration is thriving and credits its success, in part, to Maryland’s Small Business Reserve (SBR), a state program established in 2004 to boost smallcompanies.

MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

Small Business Reserve program aims to boost small firms

See ORCHARD page 16

of their procurement expenditures for biddingby small businesses. The Schifletts heard about the SBR Pro-gram several years ago through a contractorwho told them about eMaryland Market-place, the state’s Internet-based procurementportal. They visited the website, discoveredthe SBR and registered as a vendor. “We were just looking for different waysof finding work,” Roger Schiflett, 48, said. “And it just went from there,” Dorothy,38, added. Their first job was doing vent work at theCaroline County courthouse, in Denton.Other jobs followed, including work at thestate data center in Annapolis, and soon RLS

had a steady stream of state contracts. “We’ve had good success with it,” saidDorothy. “Everybody’s easy to deal with,they’re very understanding with things, andwe understand them. And the paperwork is abreeze.… I have no complaints whatsoever.” While the SBR Program, which is admin-istered jointly by the Governor’s Office of Mi-nority Affairs and the Department of GeneralServices, has never achieved its statewide 10percent goal, more than 6,000 businesses par-ticipate in the program. Between fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2013, theSBR saw a 131 percent increase in payments—from $122 million to $3.12 billion. Thestate also reports a 50 percent increase in over-all registration. Working out of a small, one-story store-

front office on Hilltop Road, RLS (the busi-ness is Roger’s initials: Roger Lee Schiflett) isnot just a small business; it’s a classic mom-and-pop business. Dorothy is the owner and office manager,Roger is the vice president and project man-ager, and his seven-man crew includes his twosons, Peter and David, a brother and twocousins. “We hired outside, but it didn’t alwayswork out,” Roger said. “So we keep our familymembers in it. I guess we can trust themmore.” About half of RLS’s work now is state con-tracts won through the SBR. But the com-pany also works as a general contractor withfederal agencies, such as the Naval ResearchLaboratory and a Health and Human Servicesfacility in Perry Point, and with several countygovernments and a smattering of private com-panies. Today, RLS has close to $1 million in an-nual sales, Roger Schiflett said. It has a num-ber of state contracts, including a $325,000contract at the Workforce & Technology

About half of RLS’s work now is state contracts won through the SBR. The company also works as a general contractor with federal agencies, county governments and some private firms.MAXIMILIAN FRANZ


SBR INCREASES PAYMENTS 131 PERCENTSINCE 2007 TO $3.12B TODAY

ORCHARD continued from page 15

Center in Baltimore, and a $150,000 contractat Spring Grove Hospital Center inCatonsville. Of course, there are pitfalls with govern-ment programs as well. Dorothy Schiflett said the paperwork hasto be perfect and done exactly as the statewants. “They like certain things a certain way,and you have to [give them] what they want,because they are the customer,” she said. Al-though if it isn’t perfect, she said, “you canemail procurement [questions], and they haveno problem getting back to you.” Also, she said, friendliness counts. “If I can give anybody one piece of advice,organization is the best thing. You have to beorganized,” she said. Roger, who handles the bidding, said hehas to be especially careful with the bids be-cause small companies, unlike large ones, havea small margin for error. You‘ve got to make sure your numbers areright,” he said. “You have to dot your ‘I’s’ andcross your ‘Ts.’ ” Dorothy Schiflett is the owner of RLS Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. Her husband, Roger, is the vice president

and project manager. Their crew includes the couple’s two sons, Peter and David.

MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

Nurturing minority and women-owned business growth

�� Greater Baltimore Committee.

�� !�� "��"# ��$��%&

Contact Sara Garbarino at 410-727-2820 x29 or at [email protected]


BY PETE PICHASKE


When Kiyomi Endo, owner of Davis’Pub in Eastport, needed a loan to rebuild adilapidated storage building behind herpub, she first tried her regular bank, BB&T. We’d be happy to give you a loan, she re-called being told, but you could save a “tonof money” by getting it at a much lower in-terest rate from the state’s VLT Loan Fund.

She took the bank’s advice, applied for aloan through the Anne Arundel EconomicDevelopment Corp. and got the $245,000she needed — and indeed saved a ton ofmoney on interest. “It was a windfall,” Endo said. “I was ex-tremely pleased. What a great resource forsmall businesses. “Three, four or five percent might notmean that much to a bigger business whenit comes to interest points they’re paying,

but for a small business — especially onethat still sells $2-beers — that’s a big deal.” The VLT Loan Fund (VLT is anacronym for video lottery terminals) isfunded by Maryland’s casinos. Under a2007 law, 1.5 percent of the total revenuesfrom the casinos are set aside for loans tosmall, minority- or women-owned busi-nesses. Loans range from $25,000-to-$500,000,and half of the loans must go to businesses

OPENING OF 2 NEW GAMING FACILITIESTO GROW LOAN PROGRAM

SameGrain, which is based at the Emergency Technology Center in Baltimore received a $250,000 VOLT Fund loan.MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

within a 10-mile radius of a casino. While created in 2007, the program wasnot funded until last year, when the successof the Maryland Live casino, in Hanover,made it possible. Three fund managers were initially ap-proved to oversee the funds, including theAnne Arundel Economic DevelopmentCorporation (AAEDC). A total of $7.6 mil-lion was allotted last year, according to GregCole, director of finance programs for thestate Department of Business and EconomicDevelopment, which oversees the program. About $3 million of that was given tothe AAEDC, which had five years to parcelout the money. But with a high volume ofeager, qualified applicants like Endo, themoney was gone in less than a year, accord-ing to Stephen Primosch, the AADEC’s vicepresident of financial services, who managesthe fund. This year, four additional fund managershave been approved and the funding is $9.2million. AAEDC’s allotment is $2 million,Primosch said. “We think this is a great program for

small businesses throughout the state,” Pri-mosch said of the VLT Loan Fund. “It’s ajob creator; it creates capital investment;and it’s serving under-served populations.” With the economy still weak, he said,“access to capital, especially for small busi-nesses, is difficult.” AAEDC funded 21 loans through thisunique program last year, Primosch said.The loans resulted in 134 retained jobs and132 new jobs. More than half his agency’s loans wentto start-ups, which he said have an especiallydifficult time getting loans. One of the start-ups funded last year was

SameGrain, Inc. a social discovery platform,which, according to its website, “helps any-one privately locate, connect with, and grownew connections with other people thatshare similar demographics, backgrounds,interests, beliefs, health, life experiences,and much more — whether they are aroundthe corner or around the globe.” Based at the Emergency TechnologyCenter in Baltimore, SameGrain got a$250,000-loan and, according to co-founder Anne Balduzzi, used the money pri-marily for mobile app development and

See SAMEGRAIN page 22

“We think this is a great program for small businesses throughout the

state. It’s a job creator; it creates capital investment; and it’s serving

under-served populations.” - Stephen Primosch, vice president of

financial services, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation

The Daily Record

brings you BREAKING NEWSin our fastest method yet –

text messaging to your cell phone!

Text tdrnews to 444888. (Standard text messaging rates apply.)


hiring. “It jump-started our ability to secure theresources we needed to build our mobileapp, while extending our timeframe to lo-cate a lead investor,” Balduzzi said in anemail response to questions. She added thatshe has since located a lead investor: BillMiller, a well-known investor with LeggMason Capital Investment.

“In short, the loan freed us to focus onproduct development and grow our com-pany,” Balduzzi said. Cole said the loan program is off to a“good start,” noting that all of the $7.6 mil-lion allotted the first year has been parceledout. “Overall, it’s been very successful interms of deployment of money,” he said.“We still have to let some time go by to lookat the portfolio and see if these are good

loans or just loans. But the money has beendeployed in a timely way, and it’s been de-ployed to people it was intended for and inareas it was intended to be deployed in.” Cole expects the VLT Loan Fund tokeep growing in the next few years, fueledby the new Horseshoe Casino that openedin Baltimore this summer and the expected2017 opening of the MGM casino at PrinceGeorge’s County’s National Harbor. “Just as the fund exploded with Mary-land Live, those two should provide [addi-tional] huge jumps in funding,” he said.

SameGrain used its $250,000 VOLT Fund loan for mobile app development and hiring.MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

SAMEGRAIN continued from page 21

Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp.

[email protected]

Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce

Development410-887-8000

[email protected]

Baltimore Development Corp.410.837.9305

[email protected]

Howard County Economic Development Authority

[email protected]

Meridian Management Group Inc.

[email protected]

Tri County Council for Western Maryland

[email protected]

THE SIX VOLT FUNDMANAGERS


BY ERIN CUNNINGHAM

The Daily Record

Charles Ramos was 31 years old when hewas laid off from a company where he handledlogistics, marketing and sales. He spent some time working for somesmaller firms before deciding to take a riskand start his own business. He launched CR Dynamics & Associates,Inc. out of his home 20 years ago with a$5,000 investment. The Baltimore-baseddatabase management and customer servicefirm now averages about $1 million in salesannually. In his best year, Ramos recallsachieving $4.5 million in sales. Ramos says he owes a lot of his success tothe state’s Minority Business Enterprise(MBE) Program, which has allowed his smallfirm that employs between five and 20 peoplefull-time, to earn contracts with state agenciesas well as major Maryland companies thatsupport supplier diversity, including Lock-heed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Ramos said he first got involved in theMBE Program in 1998. “It gives you access to compete,” he saidof the program. “It’s not a guarantee, but itdoes help you work with larger contracts.” At the time, the Internet was still in its in-fancy, and he says it was much more difficultto get information about the program. “A lot was done by fax, paper, mail,” hesaid. “Imagine that.” Ramos recalls using a type writer to com-plete some of the paperwork – all of whichcan now be found online. At the time, it took him six to ninemonths to be certified and complete the nec-essary paperwork. Today, he said the processtakes less than three months. “[Entrepreneurs] have a lot more going intheir favor now than we did then,” he said. Minority and women-owned businessesthat are eligible for the state’s MBE Programmust complete the certification process ad-ministered by Maryland Department of

Charles Ramos launched CR Dynamics & Associates out of his home in Maryland 20 years ago and now averages about $1million in sales annually.

MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

MBE PROGRAM GIVES BUSINESS OWNERACCESS NEEDED TO SUCCEED

See CR DYNAMICS page 24

Transportation’s (MDOT) Office of MinorityBusiness Enterprise (OMBE) – Maryland’sofficial certification agency for the MBE pro-gram. Currently, there are more than 5,600certified minority business enterprises – ofwhich more than 530 are Hispanic American-owned businesses, like Ramos’. His company works with between sevenor eight different companies at a time, withthe state of Maryland currently his largestclient. For companies that don’t have their owncall centers, Ramos said he is able to offerorder-taking, collections, surveys, data col-lection, customer service and more. Ramos, who is Puerto Rican, was born inNew York, but moved to Maryland in 1990. “I am a major advocate of these [state]programs,” he said, referring to the MBE Pro-gram. “It helps lower competition, and youkind of need that to get started. These pro-grams, they are really the best way to get intothe game.”

According to the Governor’s Office of Mi-nority Affairs (GOMA), Maryland’s MBE Pro-gram created and/or retained 26,796 jobs andstimulated $2.9 billion in economic activity infiscal year 2013. The state received $1.60 ofeconomic impact for every dollar paid toMBEs. Ramos said his involvement with theMBE program and certification from MDOT

has paid off, with his firm landing a lot morestate contracts over the past decade. For other small business owners lookingto get their foot in the door, Ramos says thebest advice is to be patient. “Know your customer, know your com-petition, know who the major players are,” hesaid. “You may have to do work for them be-fore you become a prime contractor yourself.”

“It gives you access to compete.

It’s not a guarantee, but it does

help you work with larger con-

tracts” - Charles Ramos, CR

Dynamics & Associates

CR Dynamics’ call center works with up to eight different companies at a time.MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

CR DYNAMICS continued from page 23

Maryland Department of General Services

Find out how DGS can connect your business to opportunity @ dgs.maryland.gov

✓ eMaryland Marketplace✓ Small Business Reserve Program✓ Small Business Preference Program

✓ Veteran-Owned Small Business Enterprise✓ Disabled Veteran-Owned Small

Business Enterprise


BY MARGIE HYSLOP


Maryland businesses are increasingly opt-ing to tap a free consultation service to createa safer workplace. By working with consultants from MarylandOccupational Safety and Health (MOSH), partof the state’s Department of Labor, Licensing and

Regulation (DLLR), employers and employeescan identify and eliminate, or avoid, hazards thatcould lead to injury or illness. They also can earn a year-long exemptionfrom MOSH compliance inspections by suc-cessfully completing the safety and health sur-veys run by MOSH’s consultants. Marlin Steel Wire Products presidentDrew Greenblatt said he likes invitingMOSH consultants into his Baltimore fac-tory, which makes baskets and racks used onconveyor belts in manufacturing a wide arrayof products, including pharmaceuticals, heavyequipment, electronics, aerospace and auto-mobiles. Finding risks before they produce prob-lems protects workers and Greenblatt said

he’d rather do that than wait for a surprise in-spection. “This is definitely a better way to go,”Greenblatt said. DLLR Secretary Leonard J. Howie IIIagrees. The consultation program is “absolutelycritical” to reducing workplace injuries andsaving companies money, Howie said. Many Maryland businesses appear con-vinced of the value. DLLR reports that MOSH consultantscompleted 305 company-requested visits inthe 2013 budget year. MOSH began offering the free-of-chargeconsulting service to small businesses in high-

FIRMS TAP FREE CONSULTATION SERVICE TO PROMOTE SAFETY

Marlin Steel Wire Products president Drew Greenblatt works to identify risks in the workplace before they produce problems for employees.MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

State completed 305 company-requested visits in the 2013 budget year

See CONSULTATION page 26

hazard industries in 1981. In that year theU.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration began offering to pay 90 percent ofthe service’s cost if states funded at least 10percent. Full-service consultation is available toemployers with 250 or fewer employees on-site or no more than 500 employees com-pany-wide. Larger companies are eligible forlimited services. Information collected from company sur-veys remains confidential and would not bereferred to the agency’s compliance unit forenforcement except on the “rare occasion[when] a company refuses to correct serioushazards within a reasonable period of time”after consultants have made every attempt towork with the company, according to expla-nations on MOSH’s website. Maryland has funded about 18 percent ofconsultation costs, DLLR spokeswomanMaureen O’Connor said. That commitmentfollows a belief that providing technical assis-


CONSULTATION continued from page 25

Marlin Steel Wire Products employs 28 people at its Baltimore plant.

MAXIMILIAN FRANZ


tance, when it is requested, is critical to help-ing keep workers safe, she said. In 2014, costs of the consultation servicewere about $1.24 million (with 82 percent ofthat paid with federal funds), which wasabout 12 percent of MOSH’s budget. Since 1988, when the agency begankeeping electronic records, MOSH consult-ants have performed more than 7,600 sitevisits, which led to correcting more than77,800 hazards. Collectively those hazardshad posed potential harm to upwards of360,200 employees at work sites where em-ployers requested advice. “We pursued this because we want ouremployees to be safe,” Greenblatt said. “Who better than someone who doesthis day in and day out?” Greenblatt said.“They are astute, trained people with a keeneye to what we need to do to up our game.” Consultants take from a couple of hoursto a full day to complete a survey, depend-ing on the scope of the review and the facil-ity’s size. Safety surveys cover fire, mechanical,electrical, material handling and workingsurface hazards. Industrial hygiene surveys cover chemi-cal safety, personal protective equipment,blood borne pathogens and exposures tonoise, radiation, heat and air contaminants. Exposure monitoring, when included,requires additional days. Marlin Steel began asking MOSH con-sultants to survey its plant about six or sevenyears ago. One hazard MOSH identified involvedan area of a cage surrounding a robot wherea (human) worker could get a hand caught. To eliminate that risk, Marlin Steel gota safer cage from the robot manufacturerand the manufacturer changed its cage sup-plier, Greenblatt said.

According to OSHA estimates, an acci-dent that causes an employee to lose a limbcan cost a business more than $133,000 indirect and indirect costs. A business with a3-percent profit margin would have to gen-erate about $4.4 million more in sales tocover that cost. With 28 employees at its Baltimoreplant, Marlin Steel competes with manufac-turers in China, Canada and Germany forbuyers. “We count on each other for our mutualsuccess” and Marlin has gone more than2,000 days without a lost-time injury,Greenblatt said in July. Acadia Windows and Doors, with 46manufacturing employees in its Baltimoreplant, has used MOSH consultants since2003, after getting a call from a MOSH em-ployee promoting the no-charge service. As of July 11, Acadia counted 2,575days without a lost-time injury at its 64,000square-foot factory, said the company’s vicepresident of manufacturing Neill Christo-pher. He estimated that MOSH’s advice andchanges the company made probably savedAcadia 20 percent in worker’s compensationcosts that were avoided. Christopher said MOSH consultants

want to make sure the safety program andpractices are “getting through to employees[and] they spend a lot of time talking to[them].” “One of best questions they ask is‘When the owner comes out on the factoryfloor does he wear his [personal protectiveequipment], and if he did not what wouldyou do?’” Christopher said. MOSH consultants hope that workerswould remind the owner to put on protec-tive gear because, “they want to see a cultureof safety,” he said. After workers on Acadia’s safety commit-tee asked MOSH about the risk of a personfalling into the back of a large machine thatcuts patio door frames, Christopher said theconsultants suggested drawing a line on thefloor for people to stand behind and placinga bar behind the saw to guard against some-one falling in. Acadia did both, he said. Working with MOSH has taught work-ers how to analyze a “near-miss,” Christo-pher said. Now “we track product qualitythe same way” and apply the near-miss con-cept to a small product defect, he said. Companies spend a lot of money onteam-building exercises, Christopher said,but involving employees in improving safetyis team building with a real payoff.

“We pursued this because we

wanted our employees to be

safe.” - Drew Greenblatt,

Marlin Steel Wire Products

Marlin Steel Wire Products got a safer cage from a robot manufacturer after an inspection by MOSH that found a worker’shand could get caught.

MAXIMILIAN FRANZ

BY ALISON TAVIK

Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs

Successful entrepreneurs invest inthemselves. It isn’t always easy to carveout the time and often comes with a heftyprice tag, making educational and profes-sional development a hurdle – particularlyfor small, minority- and women-ownedbusinesses. In 2009 the O’Malley-BrownAdministration saw an opportunity tobring resources together to host a free day-long conference that would help these

firms learn how to do business with theState as well as private sector companiesthat support diversity. Now in its fifthyear, the MBE University Conference &Expo serves as the state’s premiere educa-tional and networking forum for the smalland minority business communities. “That our conference is still well-at-tended and highly regarded after five yearsand 11 conferences shows that it continuesto be relevant and responsive to the needsof our stakeholders,” said Zenita WickhamHurley, Special Secretary of the Governor’sOffice of Minority Affairs (GOMA), whoseagency plans and hosts the semi-annualevents. “Knowing that we have been able tohelp the 2,700 business men and womenwho have attended the conferences is a greatsource of pride for the entire GOMA team.” The event’s programming has grownover the years and now features four key el-ements: educational workshops; an expan-sive Expo Hall; a power luncheon keynotespeaker; and one-on-one matchmaking ap-pointments. The most recent conference,held in Baltimore City, included 20 match-makers, 40 exhibitors, a lively presentationon the State’s current economic climate and

nine different workshop offerings. “We continue to look for ways to updateour educational offerings and recently dividedour workshops into three tracks; beginners,intermediate and advanced,” stated SpecialSecretary Hurley. “This allows us to keep allof our stakeholders engaged, no matter wherethey are in their business cycle.” The success of the MBE University plat-


Bookmark GOMA's website and visit often to keep up on MBE University events

throughout the year.www.goma.maryland.gov

Five Years Young and Going Strong

MBE UNIVERSITYCELEBRATES MILESTONE

MBE University conference workshops are taught by career professionals and offer on a wide variety of topics at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. COURTESY OF GOMA


form continues to hinge on GOMA’s abilityto align with partners who support the smalland minority business community, likeCongressman Elijah Cummings. “The MBE University concept I love somuch because it is so important that we notonly exist, but that we thrive,” said Con-gressman Cummings. It is also a platform to provide valuableinformation that is not readily accessible tothe small business community. Keynotespeaker Anirban Basu, owner of the SagePolicy Group and a certified Minority Busi-ness Enterprise (MBE), addressed 200 con-ference attendees at the Reginald F. LewisMuseum in May, 2014. While economicscan be a tough topic, his unique presenta-tion style kept the audience engaged. “The MBE University Conference’sprincipal role is to help emerging businessesunderstand what their value proposition isor could be,” said Basu. A unique collaboration between publicand private entities has been a big part ofthe conference’s success. “Our sponsors, vendors and matchmak-ers bring resources that are not always easilyaccessible to small and minority-ownedbusinesses who are trying to establish newrelationships,” commented April Williams,GOMA’s Outreach Manager who plans theconference. “Putting them all togetherunder one roof for one day is really mean-

Top: The Expo Hall is a feature of every MBE University Conference. Attendees get to meet with exhibitors who are interestedin doing business with minority and women business owners.

Bottom:Congressman Elijah Cummings and Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs Special Secretary Zenita Wickham Hurley.

COURTESY OF GOMA

MBE UNIVERSITY 2014 CONFERENCE & EXPO

SPONSORS

Verizon

State Farm

BGE/An Excelon Company

Maryland Department of Transportation

Whiting-Turner Construction

Maryland Department of Healthand Mental Hygiene

City of Baltimore

The Daily Record

See MBE UNIVERSITY page 30

ingful to our participants.” The conference has been so successfulthat GOMA is expanding the brand to in-clude smaller, regional workshops and an in-dependent matchmaking event. “While the large conference formatworks well in the metro areas, we are alsohaving success with smaller group sessionsin the outlying regions. We’ve had tremen-dous support from county partners andchambers of commerce that want to bringeducational programs to their communitiesand we are eager to partner with them,”Williams said. Plans to expand the MBE Universitybrand even further include a Business-2-Business/Business-2-Government match-making event in December, 2014. The next conference & expo will be heldin Prince George’s County in November.GOMA hopes to conduct its spring 2015event in Anne Arundel County. Stay connected to MBE Universityevents through GOMA’s website. Visitwww.goma.maryland.gov today.

Find business resources at www.ChooseMaryland.org Martin O’Malley, Governor | Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor

Mei Xu, Chesapeake Bay Candle Creator & President

LOOKING TO START OR GROW YOUR BUSINESS?

MBE UNIVERSITY continued from page 29

During the MBE University 5th Anniversary Re-ception (Baltimore City, May 2014), GOMA rec-ognized Wells Fargo as the 2014 OutstandingCorporate Partner for their unwavering supportover the past five years. “Wells Fargo truly believes in the value of sup-plier diversity, minority business inclusion and eco-nomic parity,” said Secretary Hurley, “Thiseducational event would not be possible withoutthe continued support of our sponsors and part-

ners like Wells Fargo which is why we chose tohonor them.” “Wells Fargo’s is proud of the partnership itshares with the Governor’s Office of Minority Af-fairs,” said Ed Meister, Regional Marketing Man-ager for Wells Fargo in Maryland. “Together, we’reimproving lives and strengthening communities.We’re honored to receive the Outstanding Cor-porate Partner Award, and we look forward tocontinuing our partnership well into the future.”

(L-R) Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs Special Secretary Zenita Wickham Hurley, Wells Fargo Regional Marketing Manager Ed Meister, Wells Fargo Vice President & District Manager Clarence Campbell.

WELLS FARGO AWARD

OUTSTANDING CORPORATE PARTNER

IN BRIEF

Red Line/Purple LineEconomic Empowerment ProgramThe mission of the Maryland Transit Admin-istration’s Economic Empowerment Program(EEP) is to provide focused assistance and pro-mote opportunities for small and disadvan-taged business enterprises (S/DBEs), to ensurecompliance with S/DBE laws, and prepare in-dividuals in the workforce for job opportuni-ties on both the Purple Line and BaltimoreRed Line light rail transit projects.

The Purple Line is 16 miles and will connectBethesda in Montgomery County to NewCarrollton in Prince George’s County. It is a$2.37 billion Public Private Partnership (P3)project, and there are currently four teamsshortlisted to compete for the project – Mary-land Purple Line Partners, Maryland TransitConnectors, Purple Plus Alliance, and PurpleLine Transit Partners.

The Baltimore Red Line is 14 miles and willconnect the Woodlawn area of BaltimoreCounty to Hopkins Bayview in BaltimoreCity. It is a $2.6 billion project that will be letin several contract packages beginning in2015.

The EEP’s work will continue throughout theprojects’ lifecycles, from engineering and con-struction to operations and maintenance.The main components of the EEP include:

Providing advocacy for S/DBE participationon both projects - S/DBE firms may partici-pate in the EEP’s intake process, which in-cludes setting up a company profile and takingan Opportunity Readiness assessment (seeweb links below.)

Developing and managing workforce develop-ment and targeted hiring programs.

Developing and assisting project teams in im-plementing business sustainment strategiesduring construction.

Developing and managing a compliance pro-gram for S/DBE requirements.

Accomplishments of the program so far in-clude the creation of a Workforce Develop-ment Model for each project and thequalification of 16 Preferred Training Partnerorganizations that individuals can go to for rel-

evant training and/or certification; hostingthree Awareness Sessions and two Meet thePrimes Speed Dating events for S/DBE firmsinterested in working on the Purple Line proj-ect; and the forming of a partnership with theU.S. Department of Transportation and theSurety and Fidelity Association of America tooffer a 2-part Bonding Education Program forS/DBE contractors for both projects.

For more information about the projects andEEP, please visit either project’s website:

www.purplelinemd.com/en/economic-empowerment

www.baltimoreredline.com/economic-em-powerment

You may also contact the EEP via email:[email protected] or phone: 443-451-3799for assistance.

MDOT Launches New Small Business Enterprise ProgramThe Maryland Department of Transportation(MDOT) has implemented a new race andgender neutral small business program – theSmall Business Enterprise (SBE) Program.Certification through the SBE Programshould increase contracting opportunities forsmall businesses interested in working ontransportation projects that receive federalfunding.

Like Maryland’s Small Business Reserve (SBR)Program, the goals of the SBE Program are tofacilitate competition, eliminate obstacles andincrease opportunities for small businesses, in-cluding Disadvantage Business Enterprises(DBEs), to participate as prime contractors onfederally-aided contracts administered byMDOT without competing against larger andmore established businesses. Successful bid-ders will gain practical experience and developexpertise that will enable them to better com-pete on successive projects as prime contrac-tors and expand their business opportunities.

“I want to get as many qualified small busi-nesses certified as possible,” states RandyReynolds, Director of MDOT’s Office of Mi-nority Business Enterprise (OMBE), the unitresponsible for overseeing the new program.

Unlike the SBR program, the SBE Programapplies only to contracts with the State High-way Administration (SHA), Maryland TransitAdministration (MTA), and Maryland Avia-tion Administration (MAA) that are funded

Capitol College Goucher College

Hood College Johns Hopkins University

Loyola University Maryland Maryland Institute College of Art

McDaniel College Mount St. Mary’s University

Notre Dame of Maryland University

St. John’s College Sojourner-Douglass College

Stevenson University

Washington Adventist University Washington College

Maryland Independent College and University Association

MICUA

MICUA is proud to support expanded opportunities for

minority- and women-

owned businesses.

www.micua.org/mbe

in whole or in part with the United States De-partment of Transportation (USDOT) funds.The SBE program is not applicable to MDOTcontracts that are completely State funded oron contracts that receive funding from federalagencies other than USDOT.

Firms that currently hold DBE certificationhave automatically been certified as SBEs andare designated as such in MDOT’s online di-rectory of certified firms. All other firms thatmeet eligibility requirements must apply toMDOT’s Office of Minority Business Enter-prise (OMBE) for SBE status. Detailed infor-mation on qualifications, the free certificationprocess and OMBE outreach events that pro-vide valuable information and assistance, canbe obtained online at:

www.mdot.maryland.gov(Minority/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise)

GOCI Reaching Growing Ethnic CommunitiesThe Governor’s Office of Community Initia-tives (GOCI) coordinates community andvolunteer activities statewide and advises theGovernor on policies to improve communityprograms. Part of this mission includes out-reach to the growing ethnic communitiesacross Maryland. Maryland’s minority popu-lation grew from 36% to 41.2% between2000 and 2010. As such, the Governor hasseven ethnic commissions, four of which werecreated during Governor O’Malley’s adminis-tration to reflect the changing population ofMaryland. The seven commissions are theGovernor’s Commissions on African Affairs,Asian Pacific American Affairs, Caribbean Af-fairs, Hispanic Affairs, Middle Eastern Affairs,South Asian American Affairs, and the Mary-land Commission on Indian Affairs.

The commissions are vital in connecting com-

munity organizations to State government, in-creasing awareness and addressing needswithin each respective community. Commis-sions have four commission meetings a yearwhere commissioners report on new issues orproject updates. The meetings also allow forgovernment or non-profit organizations topresent to the commission and the publicabout issues relevant to the respective commu-nity. Outside of commission meetings, com-missioners meet in subcommittees that focuson projects and events related to education,health, legislation, and business. Examples ofthe work accomplished by the commissionsinclude health fairs, legislative nights with theMaryland General Assembly, communitysummits, and business conferences.

The Hispanic Commission, the Asian PacificAmerican Commission, and South AsianCommission have all participated in or createdbusiness conferences to provide their respec-tive communities with workshops and semi-nars to help minority-owned businesses grow.In partnership with the Governor’s Office ofMinority Affairs, these conferences have alsoprovided businesses with information on cer-tification in the State’s Minority Business En-terprise (MBE) Program and have had animpact in increasing MBE procurement num-bers in the Hispanic and Asian communities.

To learn more about Maryland’s ethnic com-missions, please visit www.community.mary-land.gov or contact Jimmy Kwak [email protected].

Commercial Non-Discrimination Policy

The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights(“the Commission”) represents the interest ofthe State to ensure equal opportunity for allthrough enforcement of Title 20 of the Anno-tated Code of Maryland, State GovernmentArticle. The Commission also enforces the

State’s Commercial Non-Discrimination Pol-icy (CNDP) which is found in AnnotatedCode of Maryland, State Finance & Procure-ment Article Title 19. The CNDP is a policywhich mandates that the State shall not enterinto a contract with any business entity thatdiscriminates in the solicitation, selection, hir-ing, or commercial treatment of vendors, sub-contractors or commercial customers on thebasis of race, color, religion, ancestry or na-tional origin, sex, age, marital status, sexualorientation or disability.

In order to initiate action under the CNDP, acomplaint must be filed by a business entitywho claims to have been harmed by an act ofunlawful commercial discrimination prohib-ited by the policy. The complaint will be re-viewed to determine whether any matters existthat may prohibit an investigation of theclaim. Such concerns include, whether theCommission has jurisdiction, standing of theparties, and the timeliness of the complaint. Ifthe complaint is found to be appropriate, aninvestigation will be authorized and it will beassigned to a Commission staff member. Theinvestigation will consider whether there wasan intent to discriminate, whether there was apattern and practice of discrimination, and ac-tions to correct the alleged discrimination.

If the Commission finds probable cause of dis-crimination once the investigation is com-pleted and the complainant is successful aftera hearing on the merits, possible remedies in-clude termination of the violator’s current statecontract. The violator may also be prohibitedfrom bidding or receiving future state con-tracts or be referred for criminal prosecutionof fraud and other violations of Maryland law.

Should you have any questions regarding theCNDP, please contact the Commission’s Of-fice of the General Counsel at 410-767-8606.

It is the policy of Howard County Government to encourage increased participation by Minority, Women and Disabled Business Enterprises in the procurement of all goods and services through all solicitations by the County.

Howard County, Maryland, O�ce of Purchasing, Department of County AdministrationEqual Business Opportunity Program, Darla H. Herbold, CPPO, Purchasing Administrator

Contact us to �nd out how your business can bene�t from the Equal Business Opportunity Program by getting certi�ed as an EBO vendor.

Howard County O�ce of Purchasing , 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Ste. 501 Columbia, MD 21046, 410-313-6370 Phone 410-313-6388 Fax

www.howardcountymd.gov/purchasing

“Get Howard County EBO Certi�ed!”It’s Free, Quick and Easy!

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

www.goma.maryland.gov

MBE & SBR Program Information

MBE University Events | Legislative Updates

Business Resources | Reports | News & Events

Visit us 24/7 and get connected to

valuable information and resources

regarding Maryland�s Minority Business

Enterprise (MBE) and Small Business

Reserve (SBR) programs.

Be sure to check out the FORECASTING

recurring procurements and projected

solicitations expected to be $100,000

way to identify which agencies buy what

you sell and with what frequency.

Sign up for Daily News Alerts.

TheDailyRecord.com

When business happens in Maryland, It’s...

Lizzy McLellan Business Reporter

Daily.InPrint.Online.

Lizzy McLellan covers the technological, finan-cial and small business sectors in Maryland.She’ll shine a spotlight on quarterly earnings re-ports, SEC filings, major corporate initiatives anddraw-downs, key position changes and businesstrends and analysis.

When it happens in

Business,it’s...

Gap Financing For Small Businesses Flexible Terms, Below Market Rates &

Subordinated Financing

410.514.7237 MICHAEL HALOSKEY - DIRECTOR, BUSINESS LENDING PROGRAMS EMAIL: [email protected]

Martin O’Malley, GovernorAnthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor

www.mdhousing.org (CLICK ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS TAB)

Neighborhood BusinessWorks HAS YOU COVERED.

Clarence Snuggs, Acting Secretary

m. luis products, llc - amazon s3 · m. luis products, llc certiﬁed mdot mbe & wbe asphalt...

Documents