Test Drive MBE Magazine May June 2013 | Page 43

advocates on their behalf, helping
them subcontract with larger corporations, and petitioning the public and
private sectors for greater inclusion of
women-owned businesses in contracting portfolios.
Andrea Harris, president of the
North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development (NCIMED), the organization that manages
the North Carolina Women’s Business Center (NCWBC), says many
women-owned businesses don’t have
access to information on ways to grow
their firms. According to her, the

NCWBC touches upward of 7,000
people a year directly, furnishing
information on tax breaks and other
provisions about which they otherwise
might never know. Former bankers are
on staff to assist new businesses with
loans . Some businesses even use the
NCWBC as a startup office.
While she has not seen a direct
impact from sequestration yet, NCIMED’s preliminary budget for the
year anticipates cuts, and has stepped
up fundraising efforts. “Uncertainty
causes caution on the corporate side,”
Harris says. “Big corporations know

We’re always looking for character.

™

At Kellogg, our success comes from people.
Unique ideas, drawn from diverse perspectives, are what strenghen the character of our company.

To explore your opportunities, visit www.kelloggsupplier.com

®, TM, © 2011 Kellogg NA Co.

they’ll get less money from government contracts and have changed the
way they pay smaller subcontractors
like women-owned businesses. This,
combined with longer payment times,
has the potential to cause a host of
problems for small business.”
Legislators Take Positions
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio),
chairwoman of the Congressional
Black Caucus,
voted against
the 2011 bill
that created
the sequestration because
of its potential
negative effect
on MWBEs.
According
to her office,
Fudge
t h e Minority Business Development Agency
(MBDA) will lose $1.5 million in
supplemental funding for its centers
across the country. “In the past four
years, the MBDA has helped to secure
$15 billion in contracts and capital to
minority businesses,” says Belinda
Prinz, press secretary to Rep. Fudge.
“The sequester-induced cutback will
certainly affect this figure.”
While federal agencies continue to
feel the brunt of budget cutbacks, individual lawmakers in Washington are
addressing the issue of small business
contr