MBE Certification
Definition of Minority-owned Business | Reasons to Be Certified and Involved in the Council
Certification processing fees may now be paid online by credit card or electronic check. However, all application forms and requested documentation must be COMPLETED, PRINTED and MAILED (not e-mailed or faxed unless requested to do so) to:
Wisconsin Iowa and Central Illinois Supplier Development Council
Attn: Floyd Rose, President
P.O. Box 8577
Madison, Wisconsin 53708-8577
Initial Certification Application |
Recertification Application/ |
Reciprocal Services Certification Application |
Definition of Minority-owned Business
Referred to as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), an MBE is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States or its trust territories, which is owned, operated and controlled by minority group members.
For purposes of the National Minority Supplier Development Council's (NMSDC's) program, a minority group member is an individual who is at least 1/4 or 25% minimum (documentation to support claim of 25% may be required from applicant) of the following:
- African American: A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Sub-Sahara Africa.
- Hispanic American: A U.S. citizen of true-born Hispanic heritage (true-born meaning "authentically" or "genuinely" as per Webster), from any of the Spanish speaking areas of Latin America or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean basin only. For the purposes of certification, persons from Brazil will be designated under this category.
- Native American: A person who is an American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, or Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part. Native Americans must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the continental United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e.: tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number).
- Asian-Pacific American: A U.S. citizen whose origins are from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. trust territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas.
- Asian-Indian American: U.S. citizens whose origins are in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Reasons to Be Certified and Involved in the Council
- Increasing the overall number of contracts given to minority businesses
- Improving capacity and capabilities so that MBEs can grow and retain larger projects over a longer period of time
- Involving minority businesses in national contracts
To achieve this, we offer a variety of workshops, resources, and tools that complement our three core focus areas:
- Opportunity
- We encourage major corporations to include minority vendors in their contract selection process, to increase the number of national contracts given to minority businesses, and to increase capacity and capabilities so that MBEs continue to grow and perform at the highest levels possible.
- Financial
- We provide project funding up to $1 million and other financial services to certified MBEs through the Business Consortium Fund Guaranty/Loan Participation Program.
- Education
- We spur growth and development among MBEs by providing educational programs that bolster business expertise, proficiency levels, and technical confidence. Through a series of classes, seminars and workshops, many of which are offered at major colleges and universities.
Other Programs Include:
- Business and training seminars that help MBEs gain a firm command of all aspects of their business operations.
- Identification of minority-friendly funding sources, such as the Business Consortium Fund (BCF) and the Urban Enterprise Loan (UEL) program.
- Networking forums, such as the annual Business Opportunity Fair (HOI), general membership meetings, and annual golf and sports outings, that enable MBEs and buyers to cultivate business relationships.
- Mentoring opportunities with corporate members who are committed to leveraging their size, competencies, buying power, and financial resources to help MBEs expand their capacity and capabilities.
- Referral service that forwards to MBEs bids and other business opportunity notices received by Wisconsin Iowa and Central Illinois Council. A list of purchasing contacts at member companies.
- Buyer/supplier forums that match corporate buyers and MBEs from the same industries to explore business opportunities.
Also, certification applications can be found on the Council website by accessing http://www.suppliercouncil.org/PDF/Certification_MBEApplicationforCertification.pdf.
