Xavier University of Louisiana to Launch Minority Business Enterprises
Readiness Project with City of New Orleans

New Orleans, LA -- Xavier University of Louisiana will announce the launch of its Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) Readiness Project with the City of New Orleans Thursday, March 21, at 11:00 a.m. in the Library Resource Center (Nissan Room, 6th Floor).

 Representatives from Xavier, the City, and Jo Ann Lawrence, Deputy District Director, Small Business Administration, are expected to be in attendance.  

A $465,894 grant awarded to Xavier by the Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce will fund the MBE Disaster Readiness Project, an initiative whose objective is to disseminate pertinent information about disaster preparedness and about obtaining disaster related contracts to minority owned businesses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The project will incorporate a website whereby minority businesses and small businesses can register with the System of Award (SAM.gov) for bid and contracting opportunities in the aftermath of a disaster, and a national platform to provide resource agency information, technical assistant providers, and procurements officials throughout the USA, Virgin Island and Puerto Rico.

Xavier will also host a call center to provide direct person contact to MBE’s and small business support in navigating the website, educational resources and procurement opportunities to increase/leverage business growth and expansion opportunities; and network connections.

 The project is being managed through the Xavier Division of Business’ Entrepreneurship Institute under the direction of Mark Quinn, the Conrad N. Hilton Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. 

“$306 billion in clean up contracts were distributed in 2017 and this project is designed to help more minority owned businesses to be in position to obtain some of the disaster cleanup work that is likely to occur in the future,” said Quinn. “We are excited to address this issue with the support of the Minority Business Development Agency.”

 Joe Ricks, Chair of the Division of Business at Xavier, said that the project is another example the Division and the University’s commitment to socially responsible business leadership, supporting entrepreneurs, and complementing the activities of our award winning Small Business Development Center.”

More information on the MBE Disaster Readiness Project is available by contacting Mark Quinn at mquinn@xula.edu.