To apply for certification as a Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE), read our Certification page thoroughly, as it covers all aspects of the certification process.

Because the certification application is only online, companies will need a working email address and regular internet access.

Companies that benefit most from certification have established business operations and are able to provide goods and services to Fortune 500 companies or their prime suppliers. If the application process or fees are too demanding, WRMSDC strongly suggests that you develop your business and consider applying for certification at a future date.

WRMSDC is one of 23 regional affiliates of the National MSDC, which administrates the only nationally recognized ethnic minority business enterprise (MBE) certification program, using standards established by our Fortune 500 Corporate Members. WRMSDC oversees programs and development in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawai‘i. WRMSDC helps businesses to prepare certification applications that will be reviewed by the Certification Committee and Board of Directors.

The certification process typically takes between 45-60 days (and, in some cases, up to 90 days) depending on when the application is submitted and the completeness of supporting documentation.

Certification fees are paperwork processing fees only and can be found here.

Women-owned Business Enterprise certification is a different type of certification than what WRMSDC provides. Our certification is ethnicity-based rather than gender-based. Therefore, WRMSDC does not certify companies as being women-owned. As we are not part of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), we do not have further information on their certification process.

Small Disadvantaged Business certification is a different type of certification than what WRMSDC provides. Our certification is ethnicity-based rather than income-based or wealth-based. Therefore, WRMSDC does not certify companies as being small disadvantaged businesses.

Joint Ventures can only be certified under very specific circumstances. Contact WRMSDC’s Certification Department at certification@wrmsdc.org for clarification of joint venture policies.

During the Certification Process, does WRMSDC require a site visit? What if I have a home-based business?

Site visits are a mandatory part of the certification process. After the Certification Committee has reviewed your application and you have submitted all additional requested documents, WRMSDC will schedule a site visit with you during the second, third, or fourth week of the month. Your site visit will be conducted at your company’s headquarters by WRMSDC staff. If you have a home-based office, you may be required to meet with the site visitor at the WRMSDC office in Oakland, CA; Las Vegas, NV; or another, mutually agreeable third-party location, or via videoconference. Applications will not be approved without a completed site visit.

Certification is valid for one (1) year and you are required to renew your certification each year. It is your responsibility to maintain up-to-date certification annually. Your certification expiration date will be listed on your PDF certificate and online MBE profile. While your current registered contacts may receive a courtesy notification warning that your certification is due to expire, WRMSDC is not responsible for ensuring that an MBE gets recertified. Recertification remains the sole responsibility of each MBE.

Your anniversary date will not be moved or changed and will remain with your company throughout your time as a WRMSDC MBE. We recommend that you start the renewal process sixty (60) to ninety (90) days before your expiration deadline. Please allow for four (4) weeks of processing time. Learn more about the process for: Certification Renewal

If you believe that you have been denied certification or have been decertified in error, you may file an appeal with the WRMSDC Board of Directors within thirty (30) days of your denial or termination; you may NOT introduce new information during the appeal process. The appeal must be signed and dated. The Board will review your case and make a recommendation to the WRMSDC President, who will notify you in writing of the Board’s decision. Please note that the Board’s decision is final.

Any applicant whose certification application is denied may reapply after one (1) year. You will be required to submit information and documents that reflect a change in status and resolve the issues or circumstances that resulted in your initial denial.

If my company was once certified through WRMSDC but my certification expired, do I have to submit a new application?

If your certification expired you must go through the application process from the beginning, just as if this is your first time applying.

The Certification Committee, made up of volunteers from our Corporate Members, and WRMSDC staff have access to the application. All staff and committee members are required to sign confidentiality agreements with the council before receiving access to applications and files. Only certification staff have regular, ongoing access to applications, which is tightly controlled by the council. Applications, once received, are not released to anyone under any circumstances and may only be viewed by committee members and staff.

Once your application has been approved by the Board of Directors, Corporate Members throughout the country will have access to your basic profile information, which includes your company’s name, contacts, product and service description, and contact information. Details about your company’s financial position and other sensitive information is not released.

The Certification Committee reviews minority ownership, managerial operations, and control.

“Ownership by minority individuals” means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of a corporation or an LLC, such individuals own at least 51% of the shares and control the corporation’s Board of Directors or the LLC’s Board of Managers. The minority owner(s) shall possess the title and power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of the business and to make independent, day-to-day business decisions as well as other major decisions on matters of management, policy, and operations. The business shall not be subject to any formal or informal restrictions through, for example, by-law/operating agreement provisions, partnership agreements or charter requirements for cumulative voting rights or other arrangements that prevent the minority owner(s) from making a decision for the business without the cooperation or vote of any owner who is not a minority. In summary, the certifiable minority business owner must demonstrate operational and managerial control of the firm. This control shall be real, substantial, and continuing and shall go beyond the pro forma ownership of the business as reflected in the ownership documents. If the non-minority owners of the business are disproportionately responsible for the operation and management of the business, then the firm is not controlled by minorities and shall not be considered eligible for Ethnic Minority Certification through WRMSDC.