Minority business enterprise

A Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) is an American term which is defined as a business which is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled on a daily basis by one or more (in combination) American citizens of the following ethnic minority classifications:

1. African American
2. Asian American (includes West Asian Americans (India, etc.) and East Asian Americans (Japan, Korea, etc.))
3. Hispanic American - not of the Iberian peninsula.
4. Native American including Aleuts

MBE's can be self identified but are typically certified by a city, state or federal agency. The predominant certifier for minority businesses is the National Minority Supplier Development Council with its 35-40 regional affiliates.

Purpose

Many MBE's believe that the benefit of being an MBE is acquisition of contracts via government mandated MBE requirements, but that would be a shallow view of the MBE status. The purpose of the MBE designation is to partner with larger firms to gain access to the resources to which few MBE's have access.

Miscellaneous links

• DBE GoodFaith Inc. A Minority Focus and Trade journal that publishes the latest news and information for the minority, women, disadvantaged, and disabled veteran business community.
• Compliance News A national internet publication that promotes the interests of Minority owned, women owned, disadvantaged and disabled veteran owned businesses. It provides lists of federal and state jobs that are looking to hire companies with these state and federal certifications.
• M/WBENEWS.com A site launched in April 2010 covering the most important stories in the M/WBE news world. New stories are posted daily.