Legacy 2016 Miami: Top Black Educators Issue | 页面 14

14BB

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MIA MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS GROUP TO MIAMI HERALD

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
By: Gary T. Har�ield

Business
Outreach and
Educa�on
(BOE) is a
Unit within
Miami-Dade
County’s
Small
Business
Development, a
Division of
the Internal
Gary T. Har�ield, Director
Services
Miami-Dade County
Department.
Small Business Development At the core of
its charted
ac�vi�es is that of conduc�ng and
collabora�ng outreach events, for the
purpose of recrui�ng and preparing small
businesses for cer�fica�on in one or more of
the four small business programs the
Division administers. Addi�onally, and
equally important is that of providing
training and educa�on for firms once they
are cer�fied. These efforts are u�lized as a
means of adding value to their growth and

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

Adding Value to Small Business

development of small businesses and is
a�ained through a number of ac�vi�es and
ini�a�ves. BOE, in partnership with industry
experts, conducts monthly forums on
various topics, consistent with the needs of
a small business. Over the years these
forums have covered areas including, but
not limited to: Joint Venture, Social Media
Marke�ng, Understanding Construc�on
Contract Language, How To Avoid Contract
Liens, and The Essen�als of Having a
Business Plan, just to list a few. BOE has also
collaborated on events geared to educa�ng
the public at large on “How to Do Business
with the County”; using these mediums to
enlighten and inform the public on the steps
and processes that are required to ensure
no�fica�on of contrac�ng opportuni�es
consistent with the services they provide;
and, how to proceed with pursuing these
contract opportuni�es. BOE also focuses on
training and development geared towards
understanding and implemen�ng the
technical requirements essen�al to
successfully comple�ng A&E, construc�on,
Design-Builds, goods and services contracts.
Topics include Planning and Scheduling, Cost

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Es�ma�ng, and Mobiliza�on, just to name a
few. BOE also conducts training and
development, specific to the needs of small
businesses providing defined scopes of
services, for related industry and/or state
requirements, in areas such as security,
janitorial, and grounds maintenance scopes
of services. As experts in iden�fying
opportuni�es for small businesses in the
areas of architectural, engineering,
construc�on, goods and services, for
Miami-Dade County and any Public Private
Partnerships, BOE have served as subject
ma�er panel members for the Annual
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Educa�on Program; The District 8 Business
Academy Series, and the Going Global
Workshop Series, hosted by Miami-Dade
County’s Economic Development and
Interna�onal Trade Division.
Through “One on One” Needs Assessment Mee�ngs, BOE provides training and
development, based on a SWOT Analysis of
the small business enterprise firm. Through
a training and development format, a more
personalized tailor-made experience is
provided; allowing a team of

professional Technical Assistance
Coordinators to explore the firms’ areas of
strength and to discuss how to leverage
those areas; to determine the areas of
weaknesses and to iden�fy avenues of
overcoming those challenges; and then to
look at where the opportuni�es exist and to
then strategize on how to compete for
them. Finally, we explore how to be
cognizant of what the threats to a firm’s
success are, and how to mi�gate them.
In the end, Small Business Development
realizes small businesses have been the
engines of economic growth, in America,
crea�ng two-thirds of net new jobs*.
Con�nuous ongoing training and
development must be the catalyst for all
small businesses to con�nue to effec�vely
compete for opportuni�es. In addi�on, small
businesses must be savvy, informed, and
stay relevant to the ever evolving and
dynamic demands of the market place. To
this end, we say to all small businesses:
Don’t limit your challenges; challenge your
limits!
*Small Business Administra�on,
www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf

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Don’t delay. Register today.
Visit the Internal Services Department
website at
http://www.miamidade.gov/smallbusiness/
enterprise-programs.asp
or call 305-375-3111.

Curating tomorrow’s

VISIONARIES
through,LEADERSHIP
CHARACTER,
and SERVICE.
@FLMemorialUniv
fmuniv.edu