RiverLink announces minority and women-owned business seminars

RiverLink has announced its upcoming series, “Contracting for Minority and Women Businesses,” which begins Feb. 26 with a look at the City’s contracting and purchasing procedures. Reservations are required. Contact RiverLink at 828-252-8474, ext. 10 or email melinda@riverlink.org.

From the press release:

Join Riverlink and Brenda Mills as they team up once again to provide a 2-hour session for minority and women businesses or those who are considering a business to learn more about public contracting, getting registered and marketing their businesses. This special interactive session at Riverlink’s Warehouse Studios, 170 Lyman Street from 10-12 starting February 26th will contain an overview of the City’s contracting and purchasing process, provide information on businesses getting registered as minority and women owned as well as how to find out more about contracting and purchasing opportunities. Subsequent programs will be held on April 30, June 23, August 25, October 27, December 8. Reservations are a must so make yours by calling RiverLink at (828) 252-8474, ext. 10, or even better, emailing melinda@riverlink.org.

All attendees should bring their business cards or information, tax identification number if they are already set up as a business and questions you have about public contracting, registering as a minority or woman owned business, etc. In this session, we will assist you in the initial registration for those who are interested and then provide information for follow up.

Brenda Mills is an Economic Development Specialist with the Office of Economic Development for the City of Asheville. Brenda has been in Western North Carolina (WNC) since 1992 working in the public sector for over 25 years which an emphasis on entrepreneurship supporting both Buncombe County and the City of Asheville’s initiative on minority business & community outreach. She served eight (8) years on the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium as the city’s representative and recently joined the Land of Sky Regional Council’s board as minority representative for Buncombe County.

She currently works on economic initiatives to include minority business outreach for all city contracting, public art acquisition which includes staff liaison to the Public Art & Cultural Commission and works with the city’s current and future incentives supporting job growth and increasing tax base for the City. Brenda has worked extensively in WNC with other business assistance agencies, colleges, universities and non-profits to support a vibrant region with such efforts as Minority Enterprise Development Week, the City’s Reverse Vendor Fair, community visioning in the French Broad and East End neighborhoods and recommendation and implementation of the city’s living wage policy.

This next phase of training minority and women owned businesses on how to be public contractors and to register their companies is to increase and encourage a greater response to the city’s future projects. This session will be a general overview of public contracting basics, resources and how to connect.

RiverLink is a regional non-profit spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River and its tributaries as a destination for everyone to work, live and play. RiverLink’s popular Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan calls for economic development that focus on the core strengths in our watershed – recreation in all its forms from manufacturing to retail, health & wellness and arts and crafts.