Prince George’s Minority Business Center Marks First Year

[GAZETTE]  LARGO PROGRAM OFFERS COMPANIES ASSISTANCE WITH WIDE RANGE OF NEEDS

The Center for Minority Business Development (CMBD) at the Prince George’s Community College in Largo has much to celebrate.  Not only has the center turned one year old, but it has also helped numerous small businesses during its short lifetime.  Its purpose is to promote minority and nonminority-owned businesses by enhancing their skills, abilities and accessibility to necessary resources.  In all, the center works to close minority business participation gaps in the county, especially when getting major contracts with large projects such as the National Harbor.

The Petersons Cos., developer of the National Harbor Development, provided a $5 million grant to the community college through an agreement with the county in exchange for its resources.  The center gives classroom and online seminars, twice a month, that sharpen business-owners skills through the Entrepreneurial Development Program.  Over 300 people have attended these seminars over the past year.

The center also houses the Local Minority Business Enterprise Accelerator Program which provides instruction, counseling and assistance to construction companies looking to grow their businesses.  Companies that have benefited from the CMBD include: Shepherd Design and Construction in Bowie that landed a $50,000 contract with National Harbor and The Warren Brothers Group of Upper Marlboro which used the center’s offerings on weatherization to start a program for the county’s Department of Housing.

Carl E. Brown Jr., the executive director of the center, said “the quality of the folks we have here is unbelievable.  We have a lot of experts in each specific career and we’re always looking to replenish with new ones.”  There are about 25 resource partners and numerous other consultants that are a part of the center.

“The key thing is that we pair companies with mentors who are in the field. For example, if a company has safety regulation problems, we get them a best-practices expert,” said Michele Adams Proctor, an adjunct professor with the college.  She expects the seven companies that are presently in the Accelerator Program to grow to 30 once all current applications are processed.  

To learn more about the Center for Minority Business Development and what it is doing to support local businesses, read this Gazette article.



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