Memphis OBDC Director Joann Massey and a team of 14 colleagues published a two-hour video highlighting opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses to secure millions of dollars in city contracts.

Massey said that Mayor Jim Strickland has “made it his commitment to change the way the city of Memphis does business while becoming a local and national model for how supplier diversity and equity and inclusion strategy development is done well.”

“Mayor Strickland has not only championed minority and women business development but he has gone a step further and institutionalized the prioritization of diversity and inclusion in the city government,” she continued. “Today, every contract that is executed by the city must have the mayor’s review and signature for M/WBE participation.”

Mayor Strickland also makes an appearance in the video, as well as a number of other high-ranking city officials who share tips for small businesses looking to do business with the city.

Efforts to raise M/WBE participation in city contracting have resulted in a “21 percent overall participation spend last fiscal year,” according to the mayor.

Opportunities available for minority and women-owned businesses in the city include construction projects at Shelby County Schools, 14 contracts in the downtown area, five capital projects with Memphis Area Transit Authority, and future contracts with the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority.

A wide array of bid opportunities were also announced, ranging from public works projects to first responders, engineering, and community development.

The application for your business to become certified in Memphis as a M/WBE is available here