Council member Willie Davis convened an inaugural “Banking on Your Business” symposium in Houston to connect lenders, city agencies, prime contractors and community organizations around one goal: expanding access to capital and contracting opportunities for small, minority-, women- and veteran-owned firms.

The event brought together the mayor, agency directors, commercial and community banks, nontraditional lenders and faith-based nonprofits for a series of panels and “fireside chats” that combined practical advice, program announcements and personal testimony. "I am overwhelmingly pleased because this is something that I have dreamed and vision for so long," Council member Willie Davis said in opening remarks, citing a decades-long commitment to improve access to city contracts and financing.

Why it matters: speakers framed capital access as a bottleneck that prevents business survival and growth. In a keynote-style presentation, the Office of Business Opportunity’s presenter said many startups fail because they lack capital, and urged entrepreneurs to build banking relationships and financial records that lenders can evaluate. Mayor John Whitmire told attendees the administration backed the effort and praised the city’s role in creating opportunity.

Key program and policy details discussed

- City procurement and contracting: Houston Public Works and other agencies described a pipeline of infrastructure work and steps to help small firms compete. Houston Public Works said it expects to spend heavily on infrastructure over the next decade and is working on prequalification and smaller-package procurement to expand opportunities for smaller firms. The mayor and agency directors repeatedly urged firms to register as city vendors and to use the Office of Business Opportunity for assistance.

- Agency payment practices for small-business goals: Metro’s director of economic opportunity highlighted payment policies intended to speed cash flow to firms participating in projects with small-business goals (discussed at the panel as a 15-day target), and noted other agencies also are reviewing payment timing to help subs manage payroll and equipment costs.

- Practical steps for business owners: multiple panelists stressed basic financial preparedness — bookkeeping, tax records and a relationship with a bank — before seeking a loan. Greg Reyes, a Houston prime contractor, described starting as a one‑truck subcontractor, then creating an internal small-business loan program to help subcontractors avoid expensive factoring and maintain payroll while projects are underway.

What officials said about scale and timing

- The mayor and public works director emphasized the size of the work ahead and the resulting opportunity for businesses. The public works director described a multi‑billion‑dollar infrastructure program over the next decade and framed that as a market for contractors, engineers and supporting financial services.

- Agency leaders recommended that entrepreneurs "know your banker before you need your banker," register as vendors, attend industry days and use agency and bank outreach to learn procurement rules and requirements.

Voices from the room

- "You need to know your banker before you need your banker," Mayor Pro Tem Martha Kastings Tatum said while moderating a fireside chat, urging attendees to build relationships in person and online.

- "If I can do it, you can do it," Greg Reyes told the audience, recounting his progression from a small subcontractor to a company that has completed hundreds of millions in public work and now lends to its subcontractors to bridge payment timing.

What organizers plan next

Council member Davis said the symposium is intended to be recurring and that organizers will follow up with participating banks and agencies to help attendees turn contacts into concrete leads. Event speakers encouraged attendees to collect business cards, register for agency email lists and return for future meet‑the‑buyer events and workshops.

Ending

Panels and speakers at the symposium emphasized two consistent themes: the city is planning a large volume of infrastructure and capital activity, and small businesses must pair preparation (books, certifications, vendor registration) with relationships (bankers, prime contractors, agency procurement staff) to win work and access lending. Attendees were directed to the Office of Business Opportunity and the participating banks and nonprofit counselors for next steps.