Small Business Today Magazine FEB 2015 TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGMENT | Page 23

The Office of
Business Opportunity

F

ormerly called the Office of Affirmative
Action and Contract Compliance, the
Office of Business Opportunity (OBO)
has helped local historically underutilized
businesses succeed and thrive in Houston’s
competitive and diverse economy since 1984.
Businesses owned by minorities, women, and
persons with disabilities look to the OBO for
information about certification, answers to everyday business concerns, networking opportunities, special designations, capacity building,
and opportunities to showcase their many
achievements.

Above all, the OBO looks to assist businesses at the critical stages of their development.The challenge for most entrepreneurs,
of course, starts with the paperwork. Processes like local certification may seem exclusive; acronyms like DBE/ACDBE are analogous to alphabet soup; and contracts with
agencies like METRO and Port of Houston
Authority appear unattainable. The OBO,
though, approaches that confusion with
decisive action. The OBO certifies Minority,
Women, Persons with Disabilities, Small Business, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
(MWPDBE, SBE, and DBE). The OBO has a

Certification Team that hosts a free weekly
Pre-Certification Workshop every Thursday
at 2 PM, a staff ready to facilitate the certification process once businesses decide to
begin, and certification that is accepted by
many other agencies. As a result, businesses
have increased exposure to the government
procurement process and several lucrative
opportunities within their reach. In essence,
complicated processes become helpful
solutions to early-stage problems.
Granted, there will always be growing
pains as a business grows. The Houston
Business Solutions Center, a part of the
OBO, works to provide permit information
at all levels of government, management
counseling, resource referrals for financial assistance, workshops for prospective
business owners, and even access to loan
financing. When technical questions are
answered, many businesses then look for
help to expand their network and gain new
customers. The OBO helps with that too
by sponsoring or co-sponsoring events that
help connect small businesses with key individuals and contracting opportunities. These
events include: Meet the Buyer, Runway to

Business Opportunities, and Government
Procurement Connections.
Another valuable resource is the TweetMyJobs! Houston online platform that has
connected more than 20,000 individuals to
over 100,000 jobs in Houston.
While these events and generalized solutions help the vast majority, sometimes specialized help is greatly needed.The OBO has
a Business Development Manager on staff
for certified businesses needing further development assistance.

“The Office of Business Opportunity exists to
serve as a resource for individuals thinking
about starting their own business as well as
established businesses looking to grow or do
business with the City of Houston.”
- Carlecia D. Wright,

Director for the Office of Business Opportunity

Members of the Office of Business Opportunity Advisory Board serve 2 ^YX\