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Hamilton County reports rising MBE spending after BOLD outreach; mentorship initiative links primes and subcontractors
Summary
The county's Office of Economic Inclusion and Equity presented metrics April 1 showing increases in minority business enterprise (MBE) spending and described the BOLD vendor directory and a mentorship/partnership initiative that connected small, local contractors with prime firms on several large public projects.
Robert Bell, director of Hamilton County’s Office of Economic Inclusion and Equity, told commissioners on April 1 that the office’s outreach and procurement changes have increased minority-owned business participation in county contracting.
Bell said the county recorded total Board/County Commission departmental expenditures of $58,100,000 in 2024, of which $9,800,000 was spent with minority business enterprises (MBEs). He described an aspirational overall minority-spend goal of 16% established after a disparity study and said the county is using contract-specific goals and a four-part approach called PSPE — policy, strategies, practices and expectations — to raise participation.
Why it matters
Bell and small-business guests said greater MBE participation keeps public dollars circulating locally and helps build…
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