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OMWBE Needs Your Feedback
OMWBE’s Small Business Assistance Program is new to our agency, and we are interested in hearing what is beneficial to certified firms. Please take this quick two question survey to help our efforts in tailoring our support services to your business needs.
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Julie Campos is OMWBE’s Small Business Advocate. Julie’s role at OMWBE includes developing a Small Business Assistance Program for state certified firms to increase their sustainability and success in public contracting and procurement. She also manages the Linked Deposit Program which provides access to affordable capital for OMWBE state certified firms.
Prior to this position, Julie worked as a Certification Analyst for over a year and before joining OMWBE, she worked with early learning providers and childcare businesses providing technical assistance and training. Julie is excited and eager to learn how our Small Business Assistance Program can support certified businesses in government contracting and procurement. If you are a state certified business with any questions about navigating your certification or need resources, connect with Julie via phone at 360-561-7261 or email at juliec@omwbe.wa.gov.
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The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) has reformatted their Planned Procurements page, making bidding on master contracts easier to navigate. The 'Project Schedule' column to the right of the page has all the important dates for each master contract in one place. Visit the link button below to see upcoming master contract opportunities.
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WSDOT Minority and Women Business Enterprise Support Services Intake Survey
The Washington State Department of Transportation’s Minority and Women Business Enterprises Support Services (MWBESS) state-funded program provides supportive services and training to minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged firms.
To get started click here
For more information in receiving support, please contact Adam Powers, Program Manager, for more information.
You can also email WSDOT directly at DBESS@wsdot.wa.gov or call 360-705-7090 for more information.
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OMWBE has updated the badge we provide for certified businesses to use for websites and marketing materials. The badge is available for download at our website.
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Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington (ABC), Washington Minority Business Development Agency (WA MBDA), Northwest Small Business Transportation Resource Center (NW SBTRC), and Sound Transit have partnered to present Construction Business School.
The goal of the 10-week virtual program is to provide capacity-building knowledge, instruction in the skills it takes to run a successful construction firm, and an opportunity to meet others in your industry. This comprehensive collection of session topics is designed to help contractors face the competition, embrace daily business challenges, and collaborate with industry peers.
The workshop is taking place every Thursday (2:30pm - 4:30pm) weekly from 3/31/2022 - 6/2/2022 for 10 weeks. Scholarships are available to businesses that meet the attendance requirements (no more than 2 absences), first come first serve. Qualified scholarship recipients may also receive a one-year ABC membership to access construction industry resources, business roundtables, and training to further their network and careers. The association membership offer is only for new businesses and not for existing ABC members.
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Yeni Castaneto joined OMWBE in January as our new Administrative Assistant. Yeni comes to us from the Liquor and Cannabis Board where she worked as a Customer Service Specialist. Prior to LCB, Yeni worked in the Commissioner’s office with ESD where she provided administrative support to her team and ensured the business operations of the division were carried out effectively and efficiently. Additionally, Yeni serves as the Executive Assistant to BUILD and is a member of the Latino Leadership Network.
Yeni is extremely motivated to work where her heart is. She is excited to join OMWBE whereby supporting our mission of providing opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women, and other under-represented communities. Yeni said “As a first generation Mexican American, I take pride in my heritage and culture. Seeing how my parents struggled in my childhood with having dreams of opening a business, and never finding fruition gives me a completely different lens.”
Yeni is a vital team member in OMWBE's day to day office operations and we are so happy to have her on board!
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New Certifications
37 businesses obtained OMWBE certification in February! We share these monthly lists of newly certified firms with our contract and procurement contacts at State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education.
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