WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina recognizes minority-owned businesses, including those owned by women, as key drivers of economic success at the national, state, and local level; according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, in 2019 approximately 1 million firms were minority-owned while an estimated 1.1 million were owned by women; and
WHEREAS, despite the devastating impacts of the pandemic, minority and women-owned businesses proved resilient, continuing to rebuild and recover with support from the North Carolina Department of Administration’s Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB Office), the NC Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Office of Civil Rights, and the North Carolina Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), among other state government agencies and organizations; and
WHEREAS, MBDA increased the number of federal, state, and local contracts awarded to these historically underutilized businesses in fiscal year 2022-23, with over $21 million in contracts awarded and over 875 jobs sustained and/or created; and
WHEREAS, from 2020 to 2022, the HUB Office distributed more than $40 million through the RETOOLNC small business grant program, administered in partnership with NCDOT, the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, and the Carolina Small Business Development Fund to aid the state’s HUB and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms post-pandemic; and
WHEREAS, due to statewide support, spending with HUB firms for building construction, goods, and services in the past fiscal year reached the highest level in 10 years with more than $213 million in building construction spending and more than $640 million in goods and services spending in fiscal year 2021-22; and
WHEREAS, NCDOT's Office of Civil Rights continue to play a vital role in advancing various initiatives aimed at fostering workforce and enterprise development, empowering emerging talent, and increasing supply chain opportunities to promote small, minority, and women-owned businesses through outreach, development, match making, and membership programs; and
WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina recognizes and celebrates the achievements of historically underutilized businesses, and encourages participation in programs that honor their contributions and impact their expansion of access to economic opportunities statewide;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October, 2023, as “MINORITY ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.