Event to aid minority, women-owned firms in winning contracts

How minority- and women-owned businesses can participate in large projects in the metropolitan area, including on Long Island, is the topic of a conference on Thursday at Nassau Community College.

The Build Your Business With the Primes Expo will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in NCC’s College Center Building at 1 Education Dr. in Garden City.

The free event has been organized by NCC, the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Nassau County, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Las Vegas Sands, said Phil Andrews, president of the 400-member chamber.

Attendees will hear about subcontracting opportunities from representatives of BNL, NCC, the county and Sands, which wants to build an entertainment and casino complex on the site of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

There also will be sessions on the assistance programs of Empire State Development, the state’s business-aid agency, Hofstra University and the county’s Office of Minority Affairs.

Andrews said there will be rooms where prime contractors will meet with entrepreneurs who are women or members of minority groups who want subcontracting work.

The event “is an excellent opportunity … to learn from prime contractors what steps are needed to navigate the process of being selected as a subcontractor on major projects,” he said. Attendees “will gain valuable information and insights regarding how to establish working relationships with primes and tips that may help in landing future subcontracts.”

To register or get more information, go to bit.ly/3pIUwzr or call 516-572-7121. Andrews said pre-registration is strongly encouraged. 

The NCC event follows the first Minority Enterprise Development Week on Long Island in October, which was organized by the chamber.

President Joe Biden has pledged to boost the amount of federal contracting money spent with small businesses owned by members of minority groups from 5% to 15% by 2025. New York State has exceeded a goal set by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to spend at least 30% with minority- and women-owned firms per year.

However, to compete for the contracts, entrepreneurs must pursue certification as a Minority and Women Business Enterprise, or MWBE. They then may want to serve as a subcontractor on a government project before attempting to become a prime contractor, said Charlene Thompson, president of Thompson Economic Development Services LLC, a government contractor in Baldwin.

“We have a federal government and a state government that has in mind to help small businesses, particularly those of us who have often been underserved, underrepresented,” she said in October. “But we have to make sure that we are ready … There are resources and corporate partners that can help you get your house in order.”

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.