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Small Business Roundtable comes to Apopka Incubator

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From Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson

The SBE Roundtable will be a collaboration of SGL Construction, Central Florida ExpressWay Authority and Florida Department of Transportation.

During this workshop, SGL Construction, CFX, and FDOT will give short presentations on subcontracting opportunities they currently have with their companies. There will be a question and answer segment as well.

FDOT will be doing DOT certifications on the spot for those companies that are interested in applying.

This is a perfect opportunity for those small businesses that want a chance to get involved with major companies. Opportunities available include concrete flatwork, class 5 painting, lighting, MSE Wall Installation and Concrete Grinding, Noise Wall Installs, as well as Bridge Demolitions. The Small Business Enterprise Roundtable will be hosted at the Apopka UCF Incubator on May 16, 2017, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The UCF Business Incubation Program was designed to help “create and sustain jobs in the community” as well as promote economic growth in the Central Florida region. UCF Business Incubation Program caters to small business in the region in their startup development stages. “The National Business Incubation Association found that 87% of incubated companies are still in business five years after graduating from their program”. (incubator.ucf.edu) UCF Business Incubation’s program is a partnership between cities such as Apopka, Kissimmee, Orlando, and Winter Springs, along with Volusia, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, and the driving force behind this program, University of Central Florida. This program is publically-funded and has returned $7.95 for every $1.00 earned through the UCF Business Incubation.

The Florida Department of Transportation offers a DBE Certification Program. This Federal program is deemed for businesses considered “socially and economically disadvantaged. According to FDOT, the qualifications to achieve the DBE Certification are as follows.

  1. Must be an existing "for-profit" business that is currently operational;
  2. Must meet the federal definition of a small business concern;
  3. Must be an independent business which does not depend on its relationships with another firm or firms. If it is a subsidiary of a corporation, the business must still operate in a self-sufficient manner;
  4. The qualifying owner(s) must meet the federal definition of "socially and economically disadvantaged" individuals;
  5. The qualifying owner(s) must own a minimum of 51% of the company; and have an investment in their company;
  6. The qualifying owner(s) cannot have a net worth that exceeds $1.32 million (excluding the owner's business and primary residence);
  7. The qualifying owner(s) must have day-to-day control of operations and possess an expertise in their work specialty.

Another resource for small business is the National Entrepreneur Center (NEC) and Hispanic Business Initiative Fund (HBIF), located at the NEC. NEC offers free marketing workshops, financial planning workshops, contract management workshops and more. Orange County Florida is one of the proud sponsors of NEC. HBIF’s mission is to “strengthen the economy of Central Florida through quality business development and training to Hispanic entrepreneurs.” HBIF meets their mission’s goals by offering free educational programs all year in Spanish. These programs include weekly orientation sessions that discuss topics such as licenses and permits, state regulations, financing options for small businesses and how to start a small business here in Central Florida. HBIF also offers various seminars on marketing, import/export, and other topics to help local entrepreneurs succeed and hone their business skills. One program that is unique is the Contractors Academy also sponsored by HBIF. This 7 week bilingual program facilitates the development of successful constructions businesses in our region. Over 68 attendees have graduated from the Contractors Academy. HBIF also offers business development programs to help provide a “thorough analysis” of prospective businesses to determine their successes, strengths, weaknesses and how to develop both short and long term goals in meeting their business needs. Training is also offering in QuickBooks, website development, business and marketing, legal and accounting advice, loan preparation and financial planning. For more details please contact HBIF or the National Entrepreneur Center. NEC is located right here in Central Florida at 3201 E. Colonial Drive, Suite A-20, Orlando, FL 32803. NEC also offers online resources through the Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center website https://flvec.com/ .

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please RSVP for the Small Business Round Table by Friday, May 12, 2017 to Ms. Mina Robinson at mmrconsultingfirm@gmail.com or 407-255-0538

Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Greater Orlando, Inc. (HBIF)

315 East Robinson Street, Suite 190

Orlando, FL 32801

Phone: 407.428.5872

Fax: 407.428.5873

Email: contact@hbiforlando.org

www.hbiforlando.org

Central Florida Expressway Authority

https://www.cfxway.com/

Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson, Small Business Enterprise

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