COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE MEL FRANKLIN HOSTS FIRST EVER 2023 MINORITY BUSINESS ADVOCACY DAY IN DOWNTOWN LARGO
Inaugural Event Focuses on Making Equity and Generational Wealth a Reality for the County’s Black and Brown Business Community
Prince George’s County Council Member At-Large Mel Franklin will host the 2023 “Business (MBE) Advocacy Day” in Downtown Largo on Tuesday, March 28th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building, 1301 McCormick Drive in Largo.
Minority Business Advocacy Day will focus on minority and women-owned businesses in Prince George’s County, providing opportunities for their engagement and networking with public officials, procurement officers, state officials, and one another, concerning critical priorities and policies for building equity and generational wealth within Prince George’s County’s Black and Brown business communities.
Council Member Franklin, host of Minority Business Advocacy Day, says the County’s minority business community needs financial support, stronger enforcement, and organized advocacy to become a successful and thriving economic engine in Prince George’s County.
“Our minority business community is the lifeblood of Prince George’s County’s economy. We are home to literally thousands of minority firms, who create jobs, grow our business tax base, and contribute to funding critical public services. When they thrive, we thrive. But the progress of our minority business community must be intentional for policy makers, through increased access to capital, stronger enforcement of local minority business laws, and opening doors to new economic opportunities in our county. Minority Business Advocacy Day in Downtown Largo will give our minority and women-owned businesses the opportunity to network, advocate for their interests, and gain useful information to help sustain their businesses now and into the future.”
The event will feature a main lunch reception from 12:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. with several key speakers of interest, followed by a Q&A. The speakers will include:
- Kevin Anderson, Maryland Commerce Secretary;
- Delegate Nick Charles (District 25), Prince George’s House Delegation, Chair;
- Jonathan Butler, Director of Central Services, Prince George’s County;
- Wes Owens, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Minority Business Enterprise Coordinator;
- Malcolm Jackson, Supplier Diversity Program Manager, and Lawrence Taylor, Corporate Procurement Specialist, Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission (MNCPPC);
- Nena Charity, Procurement Manager, Prince George’s Community College (PGCC);
- Courtney Edmonds, Office of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC);
- Tobias Thornwell, Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager, MGM National Harbor; and
- Dawn Medley, President & CEO, FSC First
This year’s MBE Advocacy Day in Downtown Largo priorities will be:
- Increasing access to financial capital for the local minority business community;
- Expanding local minority business opportunities in procurement with local non-county agencies, institutions, and municipalities;
- Advancing our local minority businesses from subcontractors to general contractors;
- Improving compliance, accountability, and enforcement of local and state minority business procurement laws; and
- Increasing ownership opportunities for local minority developers in private sector projects
Minority Business Advocacy Day is already at capacity, with approximately 105 minority businesses registered to attend.
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