According to small business statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses make 99.9% of U.S. businesses and employ 47.1% of U.S. employees. Each year, thousands of new business enterprises open, and many businesses are currently struggling to stay afloat, adapting to unexpectancies brought on by the pandemic.
And while statistics continue to come together in regards to the impact COVID-19 had on the small business economy, some indicators are:
- 38% of essential SMBs stayed open in 2020
- 37% remained open by adjusting business style with safety
- 10% switched to remote operations
- 8% shut down but planned to reopen
- 7% reopened after a temporary closing
- 59% of entrepreneurs expect the COVID-19 impact to affect their bottom line for two years or less
- 31% of owners and managers reported that their business was not operating (May 2020)
**Sources: Bank of America, Data for Good, and JPMorgan Chase**
METRO Salutes the 2021 Class of the Interagency Mentor Protégé Program
As our world continues to be in the midst of COVID-19, there are questions about the expectations of small businesses’ ability to pivot and thrive during this time. But the good news is that despite statistics and predictions, many small businesses have not given in, remaining resilient in moving forward for opportunities and resources. And continuing to answer the call of small businesses is METRO’s Office of Small Business, led by its Director Otis Johnson. Through their Interagency Mentor Protégé Program (IMPP), under the leadership of Shurronda Murray, External Relations Officer Procurement and her partner, Alex Sandoval, Business Development Officer, METRO continues this partnership with the City of Houston, HISD, Port Houston, Houston Community College, and Houston First Corporation, for small and disadvantaged businesses to advance.
“METRO’s Office of Small Business remains in the trenches, advocating for our small and disadvantaged businesses. The team and I have the passion, heart, commitment, and competency, working with small businesses, so they receive opportunities to do business with METRO. I am proud that this department continues to meet and exceed the agency’s contract goals with SBEs and DBEs,” said Murray.
METRO’s Office of Small Business is a trendsetter when it comes to training, certification and contracting, with METRO being the first to:
- Have 35% contract goals
- Require primes to commit to goal with identified SBEs/DBEs prior to contract award
- Graduate 7 SBEs/DBEs from the IMPP
- Offer multi-trades contracting
- Offer full calendar year of SBU training
- Offer one-on-one business assessments
- Offer 100% secure on-line certification application
In 2020 IMPP was briefly on hold for Murray and her department to properly plan and prepare for this year’s participants to have the same effective and impactful experience, but virtually, through their Five Star Virtual Program. “All of our IMPP partners met and unanimously agreed to move forward with the program this year on a virtual platform. Last year met us all with some unexpected opposition, but we were not going to give up on our SBEs and DBEs, as so many of them were affected by the pandemic, needing mentoring and support to rebuild their firms,” Murray explained.
This year IMPP had a substantial increase in mentor (prime contractor) participation and commitment to protégés, with the workshops, Mentor-Protégé Meet & Greet, and graduation (held July 6, 2021) all hosted virtually. Murray said, “The IMPP partners’ and mentors’ response to support small businesses and participate with the Five Star Virtual Program was absolutely touching. We are grateful for their commitment to partner with IMPP, meeting the needs of small businesses. Houston has an exceptional heart. Time and time again we see how our city pulls together to support those in need. Our mentors are a shining example of that selfless spirit.”
2021 WORKSHOPS
| Week | Session Topic |
| Week 1: May 11 | Doing Business with Government Entities |
| Week 2: May 18 | Back Office – (HR/Compliance/PO’s/Invoices, etc.) |
| Week 3: May 25 | Learning To “Market” Your Company |
| Week 4: June 1 | How To Price Your Product/Project |
| Week 5: June 8 | Financial Management |
| Week 6: June 15 | Mock Request for Proposal |
| Week 7: June 22 | Mock Request for Proposal (2) |
| Week 8: June 29 | RFP Presentation and Evaluations |
| Week 9: July 6 | Graduation |
2021 APPLICANTS, PROTEGES & GRADUATES
- Agha Engineering, LLC
- BJackson Enterprises
- CDM7, LLC
- Disha Services, Inc.
- Environeer, LLC
- Evolution Alignment, Inc.
- GK Engineers, LLC
- Gradient Group, LLC
- Janissary, LLC
- JMAC Group, dba Craft Safety Inspections & Craft Safety Industries
- Lucky 8 Cabinetry Corporation, dba Quick Qabinets
- MarshWagner, Inc.
- Nuksy’s Fine Catering, LLC
- One Day Came, Inc.
- Source2Load Electrical Consulting, LLC, dba Source2Load Engineering and Consulting
- T.R. Grace & Company, Inc., dba Houston Elite Risk Management
- TRT Abatement, LLC
- V&M Contractors, LLC dba Paperwork Consulting
- Vizion Crane & Industrial Support, LLC
2021 Interagency Mentor Protégé Program
- Received 108 Applications
- Accepted 20 Protégé’s into the Program
- Graduated 19 Protégé’s from Program
2021 INDUSTRIES AND FIRMS
| Industries | No. of Firms |
| A&E | 6 |
| Construction | 7 |
| General Services | 1 |
| Professional S’ | 5 |
MENTORS
- AAA Asphalt & Paving, Inc
- AECOM
- Austin Commercial
- Freese & Nichols
- Gilbreath Communications
- HHS
- HNTB Corporation
- Level 3 Business Consulting
- Levy Restaurant
- M Scott Construction, Inc.
- Manhattan
- MStrategic Partners
- Parsons Corporation
- Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc.
- Sundt Transportation
- TD Industries
- Tellepsen
WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
- Joi Beasley, GOGO Business Communications
- Ervin Hughes, Level3 Business Consulting
- Latoshia Norwood, L’Renee & Associates, LLC.
- Julie Irvin & Susan Repka
What do some of the mentors and protégés have to say about this year’s IMPP Five Star Virtual Program?
I have had the good fortune of being a mentoring firm with the IMPP from its inception, and over the years I have seen both mentor and protégé firms benefit from their participation in the program. The program is invaluable in that it allows multiple agencies to work together to provide small businesses with access to training and ongoing mentorship from subject matter experts and industry insiders that they would ordinarily not have access to due to time or economic constraints. – IMPP Mentor, Ervin Hughes, Jr., Executive V.P. of LeveL3 Business Consulting
The IMPP has been a fantastic experience, learning all aspects of government bidding and the procurement process that we were able to immediately implement into our routine operations. Our goal is to become a prime in the next few years and provide other protégés with the same support we received. And the partnerships and friendships we formed with all of the participants; we will continue to cultivate. – IMPP Protégé, Michael (Xiaoyu) Zhang, PE, PMP, CHMM, Managing Consultant of Environeer Engineering Consulting
The METRO Office of Small Business provides strategically designed and results-driven outreach programs and partnerships to assist small businesses in reaching their goals. In addition to the IMPP, the agency’s development of an in-house training program and METRO Small Business University (SBU) are just some of the results-producing efforts equipping and preparing SBEs and DBEs on how to do business with METRO. For more information about the METRO Office of Small Business, the Interagency Mentor Protégé Program, and all of their programs, please visit www.ridemetro.org/pages/SmallBusiness.aspx
Sources:
fitsmallbusiness.com
Smallbiztrends.com
sba.gov
Bank of America
Data for Good
JPMorgan Chase
