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Director Green updates committee on OSBO Connect; Penny Project participation totals $11.2M
Summary
Director Green told the committee that OSBO Connect — launched June 2025 to link certified SLBEs with private-sector and departmental partners — drew about 400 attendees at last year's annual event and that Penny Project contracts including SLBEs total $11.2 million.
Director Green presented an overview of OSBO Connect on March 17, telling the Richland County Office of Small Business Ad Hoc Committee that the program — launched in June 2025 — is intended to connect certified small, local, and disadvantaged business enterprises with private‑sector partners and county departments.
Green said the initiative uses both internal department sessions and external meet‑and‑greet events to help SLBEs learn about upcoming projects and to put larger bidders in contact with local firms. "So part of the goal with OSBO Connect is to connect our small local businesses with partners that we've identified in the community," Green said.
Green highlighted the program’s events: an annual event held last October that drew "about 400 plus attendees," and a recent access‑to‑capital workshop that had about 48 participating businesses. Packet materials provided to the committee also included a Penny Project summary; Green reported total projects with an SLBE as a prime or subprime amount to $11,200,000, compared with about $3,000,000 tracked in an earlier period of the penny program.
Green said the office launched a liaison program in January to brief county departments on OSBO objectives and to identify opportunities that might involve SLBEs. Committee members asked clarifying questions and raised no objections to continued outreach and workshop programming.
The committee asked staff to provide additional detail and supporting materials on program comparisons and requested a spreadsheet or matrix to make program characteristics easier to compare.
