Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston and the board that Alston runs have both been very, very serious lately about increasing the number of Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) entities that the county does business with.

Guilford County government has had a particular focus on the “minority” part of the equation since those numbers, in particular, have been very low for the county over the years.

The Board of Commissioners has paid roughly $300,000 for an MWBE study, welcomed a new MWBE Department director, purchased new comprehensive software to aid MWBE efforts – and the board also nearly tripled the department overnight by adding five new MWBE Department positions in one fell swoop in the middle of the fiscal year.

Now the county is taking its effort to the public.

On Monday, April 17, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., women and minority-owned business leaders, and anyone else who wants to know more about the program and its offerings, are invited to an information and connection event.

The Guilford County MWBE Department and East Greensboro NOW for a free information session to learn about the technical and financial assistance that the county is offering to MWBE business owners.

The event will be held at Barber Park Event Center at 1502 Barber Park Dr. in Greensboro.

According to promotional materials from the county, Guilford County’s MWBE Program is designed “to advocate for Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise businesses and provide equal access to opportunities to participate in all aspects of the County’s contracting and procurement programs, which include Professional Services; Goods and Other Services; and Construction.”

The notice adds, “This program is dedicated to the success of minority and women owned businesses.”

More information about the county’s MWBE program can be found at the following site…

https://www.guilfordcountync.gov/mwbe.