Since its inception, the South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency’s mission has been to make things as easy and efficient as possible for small, minority and women-owned businesses, and even in the midst of a pandemic, that mission has remained the same.
SCTRCA, a 501c3 nonprofit, was founded in 1998 following the model of its sister agency, the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, founded just five years prior. Covering 16 counties in South Central Texas, this agency was created by a team of councilmembers to make it simple for small businesses to obtain their certification in just one place.
“As history shows, there has long been an uneven and unfair disadvantage to small businesses,” SCTRCA Executive Director Charles Johnson said. “SCTRCA has positioned itself to be an agency that provides certifications in a one-stop-shop format, making it easier for these small businesses to participate in all contract opportunities available to them.”
As the executive director, Johnson oversees a staff of individuals ranging from certification specialists to intake clerks who work to ensure that the certification of small businesses is done seamlessly. They engage with the SCTRCA member entity consisting of the different counties, the City of San Antonio, the Housing Authority and several quasi-governmental entities including school districts like Alamo Colleges, and San Antonio Independent School District. They also correspond with corporate sponsors to give them access to contract opportunities in their extensive database and find vendors that are currently certified to do business with them.
“My job is to engage with the business community as well as the corporate sponsors and government entities to ensure that everybody has a shot at soliciting one of those contract opportunities,” Mr. Johnson said.
There are two avenues of membership with SCTRCA. One option is their interlocal agreement. This yearly agreement is a commitment to the agency, which in turn is a commitment to helping the small, minority and women-owned business community. The second avenue is a corporate sponsorship. Becoming a corporate sponsor is a way of showing the small business community that they are sensitive to the needs of small business and are available to do their part in participating and helping.
Gaining memberships requires outreach, another area SCTRCA excels in. Their efforts consist of hosting expos and trainings for members and potential members as well as joining in on partners events and offering support through certification information and tips.
“We like to get out into the community to let people know who we are and what we have to offer,” Mr. Johnson said. “We want them to know we are here to help and connect them with the right resources for their businesses to succeed.”
However, since the pandemic, operations at SCTRCA have required some adaptation. Much like other businesses during this time, the agency has made a shift to focus on offering their services virtually. In just a week’s time, Johnson was able to coordinate all the necessary steps to have his team working safely at home while still being able to carry out their essential services.
“I am very pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Mr. Johnson said. “Our numbers have actually continued to go up during this whole pandemic. People are still getting certified while this is happening. And this just indicates to us that businesses are still out there working, which is great to hear.”
Like many organizations, SCTRCA had their entire year planned regarding events, trainings, etc. And while the events were cancelled physically, the information they had to offer is still accessible through online trainings and virtual access to the staff for answers to important questions.
The accomplishment Johnson is most excited about however is the agency’s transition to offering certification requirements completely online. Though it has been set up since fall of 2019, the timing is nothing short of perfection.
“Thanks to this new online certification setup, we have been able to safely and efficiently continue certifying these businesses,” Mr. Johnson said. “We have been able to keep our members as well as ourselves safe by giving them the avenue to simply go online. We are excited for this to continue to be an option even after the pandemic.”
It is clear that SCTRCA places high priority on ease and efficiency. This shows the value they see in honoring the time of the members. Many of these small businesses consist of only one or two employees, adding even more value to how their time is spent.
“Being able to offer these businesses one place to get all certifications, ranging from a local to a federal level, shows them we care about their time,” Mr. Johnson said. “Their time and efforts are incredibly valuable, and our goal is to be here, ready to help their business succeed in any way we can.”
