Brooklyn's Progress
December 2003

By Khadija Batuta

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Minority and Women Business Owners Committee (MWBO) met on Nov. 21, to prepare for a productive 2004.  Con Edison hosted the meeting at their 30 Flatbush Avenue location.

Fredderick Graves, Manager of the NYC Business Solutions Center at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, will be serving as the Chamber liaison to co-chairs Samuel Dunston of National Allotment Insurance, and Antonia Yuille Williams of Con Edison, who was also one of the honorees for this year’s Dinner Dance.

The MWBO Committee reviewed plans for events for the first quarter of 2004, such as a Certification Seminar for January, and a Procurement event for February combining both public and private sector opportunities.  Some long-term goals discussed by the committee at this meeting included:

• Partnering with the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee to work towards successfully strengthening and reauthorizing Article 15-A of the Executive Law, which charges State agencies with establishing and promoting employment and business participation goals for minorities and women.  Article 15-A is scheduled to expire at the end of the year.  For more details on Article 15-A, please visit http://www.nylovesbiz.com/pdf/artcl15a.pdf.
• Streamlining the Minority & Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) certification process across federal, state and city agencies, each of which have specific requirements, and providing this comprehensive service through the NYC Business Solutions Center at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

The MWBO Committee welcomes participation from Members, and encourages interested parties to become active in helping this important and fast-growing segment of the Brooklyn business community.  The next MWBO Committee meeting is scheduled for Fri., Dec. 19, from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., at a location to be determined.