RITCHIE TO HOST WORKSHOP, INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS TO HELP WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAND STATE CONTRACTS

***CLICK HERE TO PRE-REGISTER***

Central New York women looking to grow their small businesses through contracts with state government are invited to attend a workshop and informational sessions hosted by State Senator Patty Ritchie and the state Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development. 

The day-long event will be held on Friday, May 6th at SUNY Oswego.  Attendees will be given the opportunity to receive guidance from state business development experts on becoming a certified minority and/or women-owned business enterprise (MWBE), a designation that can help small businesses land state contracts.

“By becoming MWBE certified, local businesses can have the potential to land state contracts and in turn, grow their businesses and create jobs in our region” said Senator Ritchie. 

“This event is the perfect opportunity for business owners to access the information they need, as well as meet on-one-one with business development experts, who can guide them on the path to potentially securing valuable state contracts.”

In 2014, certified women-owned and minority-owned businesses participated in state contracts valued at more than $2 billion—that’s double the amount of just five years ago.  Recently, Governor Cuomo announced he will expand the requirement for certified women-owned and minority-owned firms participation in state contracts. 

While similar MWBE events have been held throughout the state to help businesses become familiar with the new rules, none have been held in Oswego County.  The May 6th event was scheduled at the request of Senator Ritchie, who sought to bring state business development experts to our region in an effort to help local business owners potentially land state contracts.  In addition to the Oswego County events, Senator Ritchie will host a similar workshop in Jefferson County on May 5th. 

Details of the May 6th event are as follows:

Location: SUNY Oswego’s Culkin Hall, Room 211 (second floor), 7060 NY-104

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.: “Train the Trainer Workshop,” a “how-to” guide on NYS MWBE certification for technical assistance providers.

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: One-on-one meetings with state business development experts.  Please note, appointments are required, and can be made by calling (212) 803-3243. 

Senator Ritchie encourages those planning to attend any of the day’s events to pre-register here.