Grand opening of Cleveland’s Minority Business Center set for Sept. 1

Friday, August 12, 2011

U.S. Senator Brown, Congresswoman Fudge, U.S. Dept. of Commerce MBDA to present $1.125M check

Cleveland, Ohio—The grand opening of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center—Cleveland, Ohio will be held Thursday, September 1 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. at the Wyndham Hotel Grand Ballroom, 1260 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland. The Cleveland office is one of 27 MBDA centers located throughout the U.S. and the only center in the State of Ohio.

The program will feature remarks by U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Joseph D. Roman, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP), and MBDA National Director David A. Hinson. It also will include presentation of a $1.125 million check representing a grant from the MBDA Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will help fund the center for five years. Guided tours of the center, located in the new offices of the GCP, 1240 Huron Road in downtown Cleveland, will be available between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Click here to RSVP.

The MBDA Business Center – Cleveland, Ohio is a key component of the MBDA’s overall portfolio of minority business development services, focusing on securing large public and/or private contracts and financing transactions, stimulating job creation, and facilitating entry to global markets for “eligible minority-owned businesses.” It will serve minority-owned businesses throughout the state. The ultimate goal of the MBDA is to create $6 billion in contracts and financing opportunities for minority businesses and 10,000 new jobs nationwide.

The MBDA Business Center—Cleveland, Ohio is a collaborative initiative operated by the Commission on Economic Inclusion, a program of the GCP. Joining the Commission as partners are the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), the GCP’s small business partner; JumpStart; the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; the Northern Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council; Team NEO; and WECO Fund, Inc.

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As an association of business members, the Greater Cleveland Partnership mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create jobs and leverage investment to improve the economic vitality of the region. www.gcpartnership.com

A program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Commission on Economic Inclusion works to significantly improve the level of inclusion-the meaningful involvement of minority businesses and individuals-in the economic engines that drive Northeast Ohio." www.commission-inclusion.com

COSE is one of Ohio’s largest small-business support organization, striving to help small businesses grow and maintain their independence. www.cose.org

JumpStart is a nationally recognized nonprofit that transforms the economic impact of entrepreneurial ventures and the ecosystems supporting their growth. www.jumpstartinc.org

Based on a growing membership, the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is committed to promoting and supporting the domestic and international economic development of Hispanic commerce and to serving as a liaison to the Hispanic market in Northeast Ohio. http://neohcc.org/

The Northern Minority Ohio Supplier Development Council supports economic development and growth in Northern Ohio by encouraging the procurement of goods and services from local minority owned businesses. http://affiliate.nmsdc.org/nomsdc/

Team NEO is a private-sector-led regional economic development organization that advances Northeast Ohio’s economy by attracting businesses worldwide to the 16-county Cleveland Plus region. www.clevelandplusbusiness.com

WECO Fund, Inc. is a provider of financial services and programs to low and moderate-income individuals and families and the companies, organizations, and institutions in which they are involved. www.wecofund.com
 

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