INTERAGENCY, INTERCONNECTIVE, INNOVATIVE

Interagency Network of Enterprise Assistance Providers (INEAP)

March 26, 2008, Meeting Summary

THEME: Minority- and Women-Focused Business Assistance

Purpose:

Monthly forum where business and technical assistance program partnership catalysts meet in support of small businesses to initiate relationships and exchange information across organizational boundaries for the purpose of leveraging public-private resources and promoting innovative activities that accelerate domestic economic development.

Attendees:

Senora Coggs, Department of Commerce, Office of Civil Rights

Becky Cool, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics/Pollution Prevention Division - Community Action for a Renewed Environment

Calvina Dupre, U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

Philip Gibson, Small Business Administration, Office of Veterans Business Development

Gus Grace, Export-Import Bank, City-State Partners Program

Carlos Guzman, Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency

Brad Hess, Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Market Development Cooperator Program

Sonia Klukas, Department of Treasury, Office of Financial Education

Chitra Kumar, Environmental Protection Agency, Community Action for a Renewed Environment

Kim McClellan, Small Business Administration, Office of Veterans Business Development

Tom Murray, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics

Margy Phillips, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Technology Innovation Program

Steve Rietske, Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

Carroll Thomas, Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Kevin Thompson, Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

David Widawsky, Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Innovation

Joanne Winter, Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

Introductions:

Ms. Senora Coggs, Department of Commerce (DOC), Office of Civil Rights, expressed her appreciation for being asked by Carroll Thomas, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), to host this month's INEAP meeting.  After all attendees introduced themselves and before her presentation, Ms. Coggs distributed a handout that provided a description of the Minority-Serving Institutions Community of Partners Council (MSI-COPC).

Presentation:

COPC was formed by participating Federal agencies to provide a forum where Minority Serving Institution (MSI) representatives could share information and lessons learned.  COPC addresses all five groups of MSIs: Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities.  The Council is not a governing body.  It is an interagency organization that works with 303 minority-serving institutions (143 HSIs, 104 HBCUs, 36 TCUs, 10 Alaska Native-Serving Institutions, and 10 Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions) to help them find funding sources and execute programs, activities, and services that meet their constituents' and communities' educational, financial, and physical infrastructure needs. 

Recent activities that mark COPC's efforts to expand its reach and educate more organizations about the availability of grants and the positive impact MSIs have on communities include the March 17th meeting for the White House Initiative for HBCUs hosted by DOC, where more than 80 people representing multiple Federal agencies discussed their initiatives for the upcoming months.  In addition, Department of Education will hold a meeting on March 27, 2008 with the White House Initiative for Tribal Colleges and Universities and Federal agencies.

Also, DOC and the Nuclear Regulator Commission (NRC) sponsored a Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Workshop for Minority-Serving Institutions in Dallas, TX, the last week of September 2007.  Speakers provided the academic communities that serve minorities with information about various partnership opportunities that are available with DOC, NRC, and other Federal agencies through grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and internships.  Ms. Thomas was one of the speakers at the workshop.  The workshop was so successful that requests have been made to extend it to three days.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), one of the founding members of COPC and represented by Calvina Dupre, Minority Serving Institutions Program Coordinator, collaborates in the council meetings of typically 20 to 30 representatives from federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration. COPC meetings, hosted by different agencies, have included timely input with participants representing White House Initiatives from Historically Black and Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions of Puerto Rico, and MSI advocacy groups including the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO).

One goal is to develop a web site, similar to INEAP's, that will serve as a central repository where schools can find information in one location on funded programs, current projects being conducted with schools, and grants and partnerships.  Ms. Thomas mentioned that it appeared that many INEAP members would be good partners.  Ms. Coggs added that effective collaboration depends on what the school is looking for.  In-depth discussions on forming partnerships will take place in future COPC workshops.

There is available funding for a range of projects that schools may want to undertake.  These include projects on the environment, veterans' assistance, energy, agriculture, and health issues.  A lot of program funding was tied to an agency's strategic objectives; however, now the primary goal is to ensure that MSIs have the strength and capacity to meet the needs of the communities in which they are located.  Forming partnerships requires looking at and sharing the resources provided by the private sector as well as by DOC, other government agencies, and both minority and mainstream institutions and then linking MSIs with the appropriate organizations.

Research remains a significant source of funding and an area to help MSIs become more aware of the range of programs they can participate in. Issues include how to tap into research funding and then move into technology transfer and commercialization; implementing contracts, managing funds, and reporting; and maintaining communication.  An example of the importance of communication as an infrastructure issue given was from last year when an MSI that had received a significant amount of funds was ineligible to compete for another five years because e-mails and phone calls went unanswered and the agency funded its program with another college.

Because there is such a strong need for MSIs to standardize operations, Mr. Guzman, DOC, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and Ms. Coggs are initiating a program to convene a one-stop conference where MSIs and other attendees have a full week to network and become educated about the funding-application process, funding sources, and best practices. 

COPC's Executive Board initiated plans for a day-and-a-half next spring for the many agencies working with MSIs to showcase their services and resources and share best practices.  This venue would promote even further communication and collaboration among agency program managers and increase leveraging resources of programs such as the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer to benefit MSIs.

Program Updates and Comments:

The following INEAP members provided updates and spoke about their specific activities:

Department of Commerce (DOC), Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), provided a brief overview of MBDA, the only Federal agency created specifically to foster the establishment and growth of minority-owned businesses in America.  Currently funding 45 projects, the agency is broken into five regions, each run by its own regional director who has 10 to 12 funded projects.   Providing $100,000-$300,000 a year for individually funded projects, the agency also provides direct management, technical assistance, and one-on-one help to bring opportunities to minority businesses.  In addition, it can help broker assistance to companies with revenue of $500,000 or above or that are deemed to have potential for high performance.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Innovation, reported that a conference focused on promoting sustainable green jobs that also could be high paying was held two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, PA, and was attended by nearly 1,000 people.  The primary conveners of the conference were U.S. steel workers and the Sierra Club, and the event fostered talks between representatives from labor and manufacturing and environmental and regional development agencies about developing opportunities that could support the growth of minority business.

Another resource now available to help minority businesses grow in a green economy is Green for All, a partnership of organizations that came together to spur the creation of green-collar jobs and find new opportunities for disadvantaged populations.

Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA), discussed a recent Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative event, held March 18-20 in Memphis, TN, that focused on transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL).  WIRED grantees with an interest in this area convened to learn more about how to obtain grant money and identify skills needed for these growing industries.  There is a plan to develop a web site focused on TDL that will enable a core leadership group to share best practices and create momentum for building a community of practice that can drive projects in specific regions.  A similar type of web site focused on helping communities obtain grants in bioscience went live in February.

The EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) representative, added that that EPA was dabbling in Web 2.0 methodology and experimenting to see if it could create momentum for building an online community of best practices that would attract educators and economic developers, who could become leaders in areas such as transportation that could spur economic growth in specific regions.

DOL, ETA, representative on exchange from Canada, said that she is working closely on similar issues regarding the labor force.  She informed the meeting attendees that there will be an invitation-only seminar on March 27 that will focus on how different countries make economic adjustments and assist workers.  She also mentioned that there will be a summit on nursing-education capacity in June and that state teams are being organized to come to the summit and discuss workforce challenges around nursing education.

EPA representative mentioned that there is a group called Practice for Green Health that educates doctors and nurses on how to eliminate toxics, and he can provide help with this topic.

DOL ETA representative mentioned that the agenda is being shaped now and that organizers are looking for input from workforce-development and nursing associations.  In addition, they are looking for nursing educators to participate.

When a question was asked if students could participate, another DOL representative suggested that it was not unprecedented to have students participate and referenced a similar summit for the aerospace industry where students attended.  The organizers of the June summit, however, have not addressed student participation.

Department of Treasury, Office of Financial Education, formerly with the Department of Justice, explained that in her new capacity she is working in financial education.  The office financial education performs public outreach, sets standards to help raise the effectiveness of financial education programs, gives technical assistance, brokers partnership, and coordinates federal efforts such as the President's Financial Literacy.  The attending representative along with a colleague, are charged with implementing the Community Financial Access Pilot under the President's Financial Literacy Council.   The initiative is designed to get people into the mainstream financial system and open accounts (View the link for an overview of the Office of Financial Education, the Financial and Education Commission, and the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.)  Eight communities were selected for the pilot.   The representative illustrated the importance of this initiative by describing a multibillion-dollar industry of alternative financial institutions (pay lenders, check cashers, etc. ) that evolved as a result of charging people $20 to $40 to cash paychecks or issue money orders.  Through financial education and access to mainstream financial institutions low income-and-moderate income families become more financially sustainable.  Teaching people about the importance of establishing credit will enable them to build assets such as savings or investment accounts or start a business.  Her role is to build community coalitions in four of the communities and connect people to Federal and community resources.  A key goal is to find incentives that will make a difference in people's lives that will motivate them to open bank accounts.  The representative requested that INEAP members who have ideas or connections with minority institutions and other resources to contact her.

NIST, Technology Innovation Program (TIP), reported that TIP will be developing outreach mechanisms that provide people with a broad brush of opportunities and hopes to run a competition later this year for high-risk, high-reward research.  Institutions of higher education, small and medium-sized enterprises, and non-profits are eligible for cost-shared research grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts based on merit.  Because TIP is still in the early legislative stage, specific details on the program will be part of a larger presentation that will be available in May.  NIST's Advanced Technology Program staff is now part of TIP.

USAID, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, suggested that TIP consider posting advance notice of opportunities on Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/, as well as the Federal Register.  She noted that USAID makes use of Grants.gov, the relatively new portal for federal funding, to announce the development and revision of programs and request comments. This provides additional critical time for all potential applicants.

EPA, OPPT/Pollution Prevention Division (PPD)-Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE), recapped several points of a presentation on CARE.  CARE is a cooperative agreement program for local organizations to convene their members and build partnerships so they can see what is going on locally and implement risk-reduction actions. CARE encourages collaboration by funding nonprofits, universities, and local government economic-development organizations along with local businesses, MSIs, and women-owned businesses.  Recently, regional offices in underserved areas have initiated outreach programs to improve the quality of applications while another region wants to provide education about the grant process in the Federal government.  A lot of organizations have a problem writing grants.  The representative expressed that if any INEAP attendees know of organizations that are conducting grant-writing training or have consultants or contractors working with them, it would be helpful for CARE to have this information.  CARE also is looking at improving the pipeline of organizations that are looking at broad partner-based initiatives as well as environmental issues.

EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) talked about the Green Suppliers Network and the benefits that could be provided by combining NIST MEP's Lean manufacturing expertise with EPA's green initiatives.  Getting suppliers to employ these two practices involves working with all suppliers in the supply chain on conducting assessments and then making recommendations as to how companies can significantly improve their environmental footprint and becoming more efficient.  The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation passed a resolution in support of forming a green supply chain in the three countries.  A lot of attention is focused on Mexico because it needs more help than Canada. MEP has been a reliable contributor to U.S. companies; however, it cannot use Federal or state money on projects that are across the borders.  Consequently, organizations that can supplement the work of MEP, such as with SBA in its role of mentoring Mexico in the formation of small business development centers (SBDCs), are needed.  It would be helpful it there was a way to pass along materials and training documents, collaborate with Mexico's university-based SBDCs, and provide Lean training.

In April, it is expected that the three automotive companies manufacturing in Mexico will launch a green suppliers network.  Each will bring 15 suppliers to a kick-off meeting where one of the topics will be on taking a Lean clean approach.  Canada is looking at launching a similar initiative.  An environmental issue the automotive industry is addressing now involves the reduction of the amount of chemicals that find their way into the interior of cars.

Another EPA representative added that there is an interagency work group on biofuels that addresses many of the sustainability and other issues that surfaced during international negotiations in the European Union.

SBA, Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD), discussed the agency's focus on providing training for female Iraq-war veterans along with disabled veterans to help them transition into the work place.  There will be an employment fair for women veterans on June 1.

In addition, SBA put out a press release on March 25th to promote its Emerging 200 Initiative. This program will identify 200 inner city businesses and invite them to participate in training that is focused on developing strategies to promote growth and attract capital (see Appendix A for more information).

SBA, OVBD, reported on the development of a database that collects information on veteran-owned small businesses.  This information helps the agency determine the best ways to assist veterans, especially those in the Reserves and the National Guard, who were called overseas and saw their businesses go downhill.

See Appendix B for information on the General Services Administration's Veteran Outreach Program (21 Gun Salute).

Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank, City-State Partners, reported that his agency does not have separate products for men- or women-owned businesses when providing financing for exporters and buyers.  However, the Ex-Im Bank continually reaches out to small businesses and conducts training and conferences.  Another Ex-Im Bank representative is responsible for mentoring.  Additionally, the Ex-Im Bank forms partnerships with a variety of agencies.  It is especially interested in partnering with SBDCs, and, therefore, it has marked San Antonio's SBDC a priority. The Ex-Im Bank representative also mentioned that the Ex-Im Bank 2008 Annual Conference will be held April 17-18 and that INEAP members can register online.

DOL, ETA, noted that many of the meeting's attendees may have seen the article in The Washington Post that profiled an administrator who presents his thoughts through a blog.  Although INEAP's web site has a flurry of announcements, it may be time to start thinking about publishing all INEAP members' news releases and other information so that there is a central location where everyone can find the most current information.  Items could be identified and organized into cascading priorities and level of interest.  Additionally, The Public Manager could have this information feed into its web site. The representative would like to push forward this concept as a best practice.

An example of the value of this technology would be that when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announces $1.5 million in cooperative agreements for land-grant universities, computer technology can be used to conduct outreach and link people to available economic information.

The representative also provided information on an Occupational Safety and Health Administration grant (see Appendix C).

Check back for next month's meeting theme: Workforce Development and Training.

Appendix A

SBA Emerging 200 Frequently Asked Questions

WASHINGTON, March 24

U.S. Small Business Administration

What is the SBA Emerging 200?

The goal of the SBA Emerging 200 initiative is to identify 200 inner-city businesses across the country that show a high potential for growth -- and to provide them the network, resources and motivation required to build a sustainable business of size and scale within a designated inner-city geographic location.

Why is SBA launching this initiative?

SBA is increasing outreach to areas historically challenged by high levels of unemployment and poverty. Bolstering entrepreneurial success in these areas will generate new jobs, attract investment, and provide a more sustainable economic base in distressed areas. Current efforts also include a program to improve access to credit to small businesses located in rural areas.

According to SBA's Office of Advocacy, small businesses are the greatest source of net new employment in inner cities and account for 80 percent of total employment. However, the job growth rate in inner cities still lags behind the rest of metropolitan areas ("State of Inner City Economies: Small Businesses in the Inner City," Oct. 2005). SBA hopes to accelerate inner city small business growth in inners cities through the Emerging 200.

Which cities have been selected to participate?

Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA; Atlanta, GA; New Orleans, LA; Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL; Des Moines, IA; Milwaukee, WI; Albuquerque, NM; Oakland, CA.

How were the cities selected?

SBA commissioned research by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner-City (ICIC) in October 2007 to identify the largest inner cities (40,000+ inner city jobs) with low or negative compound annual job growth rates (below 1%) from 1998-2005. Fifty-five eligible cities were identified, at which time SBA sent a broad invitation to the inner city economic development community in these cities to participate in this pilot year of the program. This announcement was also made though public speeches by agency officials, conference calls with the Inner City Economic Forum membership and local SBA District offices who notified their local governments.

SBA District Offices and SBA Regional Administrators with eligible cities within their jurisdiction were provided information on the program design and intent, to determine the interest, commitment and capacity for participation in their communities.

A seven-member panel from SBA extensively reviewed each proposal to ensure that they met or exceeded the criteria established in the proposal process. Each panel member scored every proposal. The scores were then tallied and grouped by score category. Their recommendations were provided to SBA's Administrator for his approval.

How many proposals were received?

In total, 23 proposals (out of the 55 cities eligible) were received and evaluated on the basis of local community support, vision for program development and ability to support with staff and in-kind contributions. The proposal essentially outlined the city's interest, community support and capacity.

What will be the responsibilities of the selected cities?

The SBA district offices, along with its city-based collaborators, will provide in-kind training facilities, engage community outreach to identify and market the training to potential participants, handle registration, onsite logistics, and developing an ongoing relationship with the chosen Emerging 200 businesses. The SBA will provide a uniform, national training curriculum that will form the baseline for the initiative.

What are the criteria for business participant's eligibility?

Businesses must be located in one of the chosen inner cities. Companies that will most benefit from the program will be headquartered in the inner-city, have achieved $400,000 in revenue, and are at least three years old. The SBA district director and partners have the option of narrowing the geographic scope to certain quadrants within the targeted geographic area.

What are the benefits to eligible participating small businesses?

The SBA Emerging 200 initiative will enable the participating small businesses to engage in an intensive curriculum focused on developing a winning, expansion strategy for their business, including options for capital access and contracting. Participants also will have the opportunity to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial community.

How can interested business participants register?

All details on where and how to register will be distributed to the public in host cities. Registration will be through the local SBA district office.

What is the long-term plan for this initiative?

SBA is committed to serving and supporting inner-city companies. There is an identified need and, based on the response to the call for proposals, a demonstrated interest in this type of targeted development effort. This year will serve as a pilot year, and the hope is to expand to a broader set of inner cities in 2009. The agency has requested funding in FY09 for this initiative.

What is the current initiative timeline?

• March - Announcement of Host Cities
• March-April - Recruitment of business participants; local partnerships and support identified
• March/April/May - Business participants registered
• June - November - Emerging 200 commences and runs in each host city; concurrently, SBA will convene a community development roundtable in each host city
• August - Begin planning for potential expansion of program in 2009
• December - E200 inaugural class completes program.

Appendix B

The General Services Administration (GSA) is announcing a public meeting of the GSA Small Business Advisory Committee (the Committee).

DATES: The meeting will take place April 21, 2008. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude no later than 6:00 p.m. that day. The Committee will accept oral public comments at this meeting and has reserved a total of thirty minutes for this purpose. Members of the public wishing to reserve speaking time must contact Aaron Collmann in writing at: sbac@gsa.gov or by fax at (202) 501-2590, no later than one week prior to the meeting.

ADDRESS:  Marriott Anaheim, Gold Key I and II, 700 W Convention Way, Anaheim, CA 92802

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Aaron Collmann, Room 6029, GSA Building, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20405; (202) 501-1021 or email at sbac@gsa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463). The purpose of this meeting is to develop the topics generated during the previous meetings; to receive briefings from small business topical experts, and to hear from interested members of the public on

proposals to improve GSA's small business contracting performance.

Topics for this meeting will include discussion on GSA's Veteran Outreach Program (21 Gun Salute) and GSA's role in the Presidential Transition. Other topics to be discussed may include, but are not limited to, topics from previous meetings. The agenda will be published online at http://www.gsa.gov/sbac at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

Information and agendas from previous meetings can be found online at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.gsa.gov/sbac.

Appendix C

OSHA Grant Announcement

OSHA today (March 26) has announced it is seeking applications for Susan Harwood Training Grants.  Nonprofit organizations, including community- and faith-based organizations, that are not state or local government agencies, are eligible to apply.

The application deadline is May 23, 2008.

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program provides funds for programs to train employees and employers to recognize, avoid, and prevent safety and health hazards in their workplaces. The program emphasizes four areas:

• Educating employees and employers in small businesses. For purposes of this grant program, a small business is one with 250 or fewer employees.

• Training employees and employers about new OSHA standards.

• Training at-risk employee and employer populations.

• Training employees and employers about high risk activities or hazards identified by OSHA through the Department of Labor's Strategic Plan, or as part of an OSHA special emphasis program.

Approximately $6.7 million is available for the Harwood targeted topic training grants. For this grant announcement, 18 training topics were selected. These include combustible dust; falls from scaffolds, ladders, roofs in construction; and food processing health hazards such as diacetyl exposures in popcorn and other food flavoring facilities. Grants will be awarded for a 12-month project performance period.

Full details: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-6108.pdf