I’d like to thank The St. Louis American for scratching the surface on a problem that affects all St. Louisans: the lack of qualified minority contractors in the region.
There is one glaring issue in the story Rebecca Rivas penned on May 10: using qualified minority contractors in St. Louis should not cost more money. In fact, it should represent a total cost savings for your individual project and benefit the region. When corp4rations partner with local MBE companies who hire local labor, everyone wins.
The fact that we don’t have a surplus of minority firms is an opportunity to grow our minority workforce. The goals for minority inclusion are not going away.
As the May 10 story illustrates, these goals continue to grow, and minority firms need to be built, mentored and stabilized to meet the increasing demand of our changing economy. We need a program in place to assist minority entrepreneurs who can help St. Louis compete on a national and global scale.
The current lack of minority inclusion is a major problem for St. Louis and is preventing us from becoming a renewed player in today’s competitive global market.
St. Louis companies must do a better job of locating, vetting and employing MBE’s for projects. Again, doing business with MBEs should not cost more if MBE companies are truly certified and on solid ground.
That’s where the St. Louis Minority Supplier Development Council (St. Louis MSDC) can help. In 2011, we launched the St. Louis MSDC Billion Dollar Impact. Over the next three years, the Impact has a goal to increase spending with local MBE firms by $1 billion. We’re already making significant progress towards that goal, but there is more work to be done.
Through the St. Louis MSDC, local MBEs can be certified and better positioned to grow and thrive with public and private-sector opportunities. The St. Louis MSDC has a track record of successfully providing assistance to corporate members to find the right MBE for their project.
It is time that St. Louis and the industry as a whole quit using the MBE participation goals as an excuse. It is an opportunity to spend locally and grow industries, the tax base and skilled workers.
This is about jobs, the economy and bringing this great city back to its place of national prominence. We’ve lost business to cities like Atlanta, Chicago and others for long enough. We must form meaningful partnerships to make our city’s transformation a reality. If we don’t, years from now, St. Louis will have the same conversation, be dealing with the same issue, and we may be deeper in an economic crisis with no end in sight.
Our bright future lies with corporations that have the vision to expand their footprint with minority partners and minority entrepreneurs who have the insight to grow their business long-term. We need to grow small and minority businesses to help employ the tens of thousands of workers who want and need a job.
Will this be easy? No, but doing something right and sustainable is rarely easy. However, it is attainable. Look at World Wide Technology and Rose International, right here in St. Louis. These are two minority-owned firms that are not only sustainable, but growing. Let’s not take the easy way out. Let’s push this issue with minority companies into the future. Let’s tackle the issue now, compete now and grow in the future. It’s just good business!
James Webb is the President of the St. Louis Minority Supplier Development Council.
