Economic & Trade
Spring 2008 Small Business Roundtable Series
Who Should Attend:
- Business owners, business managers, or leaders of companies with under 20 employees
- Businesses owned by women, ethnic, racial and other persons of color are encouraged to attend.
- Start-ups and sole proprietors looking to expand.
When and Where:
Tuesday May 20
7:30-11 a.m.
Longview, WA
Cowlitz County Expo Center
Thursday May 22
7:30-11 a.m.
Bremerton, WA
Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside
Wednesday May 28
7:30-11 a.m.
Everett, WA
Snohomish County Administration Building
Thursday May 29
7:30-11 a.m.
Wenatchee, WA
Confluence Technology Center
Call 360.902.0883 or visit www.ora.wa.gov to register
Diversity Business Summit
Supplier Diversity Change Agents | Evaluation Results (Microsoft Word 41Kb) | WEBS
On November 9, 2006, Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, along with the other Washington State ethnic commissions and OMWBE, sponsored the Diversity Business Summit, Seattle Sheraton. There were approximately 280 attendees that included independent business owners, firm representatives, and agency/supplier diversity representatives.
The objective of this summit is to promote the State's Supplier Diversity Initiative for increased diversity in certification, with a focus on informing diverse small businesses about the tools and technical resources available for them to successfully compete for state contracting and procurement opportunities, as well as increased certification with OMWBE.
We would like to thank the following organizations who gave generously to make this event happen:
- Boeing
- Washington Mutual
- Port of Seattle
- Washington State Department of Transportation
- Washington State General Administration
Please click on the following links to view video clips of the Summit covered by TVW:
- Welcome/Diverse Business Success Stories/WEBS
- Private Sector and Local Jurisdiction Diversity Initiatives and Best Practices
Please look for future announcements regarding a follow-up event.
Link Deposit Program
The Link Deposit Program was created in 1993. The stated purpose of the program is to increase access to business capital for the states certified minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Under the program, certified businesses can obtain reduced interest rate loans from participating financial institutions.
The State Treasurer is authorized to use up to $50 million of short-term state treasury surplus funds. These funds are deposited with public depositories as certificate of deposits on the condition that the public depository make "qualifying loans" under the program. These funds are used to purchase certificates of deposit (CD's) equaling the total amount of money loaned to certified business.
The state forgoes up to two percent in interest on the CDs and passes along the savings to the public depository with the condition that the depository reduces up to two percent in the interest rate for the loan recipients.
