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Ethnic minority-owned companies in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii can gain valuable access to different tier level benefits with WRMSDC.
Click below to see where you should start.
The National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification is the gold standard for Ethnic Minority Business Certification in the United States.
WRMSDC administers NMSDC’s certification in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii. Certification offers minority suppliers the opportunity to connect face-to-face with many of America’s largest publicly-owned, privately-owned, and foreign-owned companies, as well as universities, hospitals, and other buying institutions.
Certified MBE Benefits
- Nationally recognized Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification.
- Exposure to business opportunities with Corporate Members and MBEs
(more than 2/3 of certified MBEs confirm an increase in revenue by partnering with Corporate Members). - Listings in the National MSDC supplier database, accessible by Corporate Buyers nationwide.
- Access to WRMSDC’s monthly and weekly communications highlighting our events and bidding opportunities.
- Participation in technical training seminars hosted by leading corporations
(learn about what they buy, how they source, and how suppliers can compete for opportunities). - Second Tier and MBE-to-MBE Spend business opportunities.
- Invitations to private networking and corporate matchmaking and procurement events.
- Opportunities to compete for prestigious local, regional, and national supplier excellence awards.
- Regional and National advocacy for ethnic minority owned businesses.
Criteria
- Must be a US Citizen
- Must be at least 51% ethnic minority owned.
- Must be managed and controlled by individual(s) belonging to the following groups: African-American/Black; Hispanic/Latino-American; Native American; Asian-Pacific American; and Asian-Indian American.
- Must be physically located and headquartered in the United States or its trust territories – if your business is NOT located in Northern California, Nevada, or Hawaii, refer to NMSDC.
- Must be for profit businesses
Certified MBE Application Process
Create a Login in the Certification Portal
Create a login to gain access to your Certified MBE application. Once registered in the certification portal, you may take as long as necessary to complete the online application. Your information will be saved for your next session and is completely confidential.
Application Deadline & Timeline
Applications that are fully submitted and paid online by the 21st of the month will be reviewed by the end of the month. Applications received after the 21st may not be included in the current review cycle. The certification process typically takes between 45 and 60 days (and, in some cases, up to 90 days) depending on when the application is submitted, the completeness of the supporting documents, and the responsiveness of the applicant.
Site Visit
Site visits are a mandatory part of the certification process and will be carried out by the council with the ethnic minority owner(s) of the company.
Approval/Denial
The Certification Committee reviews all applications and recommends approval or denial based on the evaluation and analysis of your application data and a site inspection of your business. WRMSDC’s Board of Directors reviews the recommendation for approval or denial in the first week of the month following the site visit and renders a decision then. Companies will hear from WRMSDC during the second week of the month after the Board review regarding their certification status.
Application Fees
Recertification
More Resources
If you are not sure you are ready to start the certification process, we have many resources for new applicants. We offer a live pre-certification briefing on the second Tuesday of every month and offer all the same information in a written format.
Certified MBE Subscription Services
Are you already a certified MBE in another region and want to engage directly with WRMSDC?
NMSDC Certification is a national certification and is good anywhere in the country, but MBE Companies that are already
certified in another region may want to take advantage of our unique offerings and partnerships.
If you are already certified with another regional council and want to participate directly with WRMSDC by subscribing to our
services, just fill out the form linked below and pay. WRMSDC will take care of the rest!