Bay Area Foundation and Citi Community Development Join SF Transit Authority to Boost Small Business Success, Job Creation and Community Revitalization

"Opening Doors" program will provide small businesses with San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority contracting opportunities and create jobs

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Economic Empowerment Fund, Citi Community Development and the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA) today launched "Opening Doors: Doing Business with the SFMTA," an innovative strategic alliance that will prepare companies for certification as minority businesses and provide them with training and access to contracting opportunities with the SFMTA. 

This unique collaboration not only provides opportunities for small business development and job creation but also ensures that critical Transit Authority contracting work gets done by local vendors. Current contracts available are in excess of $210 million.

The innovative Opening Doors partnership will empower service-disabled-veteran-owned, minority-owned and women-owned businesses to take advantage of additional contracting opportunities that will enable them to grow and create jobs.  Through the program, up to 90 such "Disadvantaged Business Enterprises" (DBEs) that currently are not certified to do business with San Francisco will become part of the network of vendors utilized by the SFMTA. 

"The program will make local entrepreneurs eligible for DBE contracts; enable them to access the contracting opportunities efficiently, saving them many administrative hours; and prepare them to expand their capacity so they can to take on the additional work and create jobs," said Richard Ventura, Economic Empowerment Fund CEO and former San Francisco Small Business Commissioner. "This is a win for them, for the people they'll hire and for the community."

"This collaboration draws on the complementary strengths of leading institutions from the public, nonprofit and private sectors to answer the deep need for job creation and economic revitalization," said Jenny Flores, Northern California Regional Director for Citi Community Development.  "This is a model that we already have implemented elsewhere and on the national level and we will continue to expand its reach and impact."

The Opening Doors initiative is consistent with legislation, introduced by San Francisco Board of Supervisors (SFBOS) President David Chiu and passed by the SFBOS, to make entry into the vendor pool easier and expand access to contracts for local small and micro businesses. 

The Economic Empowerment Fund will administer the program and participation is free. Interested companies can complete the application online at www.eefsf.org or email questions to [email protected]. The deadline for applications is July 23, 2012.  Companies that apply must be San Francisco Bay Area based, have at least three years in business, be at least fifty-one percent minority-, woman-, and/or service-disabled-veteran-owned businesses and have annual revenues under $5m.

Providers of the following construction-related products and services are invited to apply: General Engineering, Electrical, Elevator, Flooring, Fire Protection, Glazing, Insulation/Acoustical, HVAC, Masonry, Painting, Roofing, Sheet Metal, Rough Carpentry, Reinforcing Steel, Structural Steel, Ceramic Tile, Cabinets, Millwork, Finish Carpentry, Concrete, Drywall, and Doors.

In addition, the following types of companies are invited to apply: Copywriting, Graphic Design, Printing and Outreach Coordination.

About Economic Empowerment Fund
A 501c3 not for profit formed in 2008 to promote opportunities for under-served communities through education, informational programs and advocacy. Learn more by visiting www.eefsf.org.

About Citi Community Development
Citi Community Development (CCD) is leading Citi's commitment to achieve economic empowerment and growth for underserved individuals, families and communities by expanding access to financial products and services, and building sustainable business solutions and innovative partnerships.  Our focus areas include:  commercial and philanthropic funding; innovative financial products and services; and collaborations with institutions that expand access to financial products and services for low-income and underserved communities. For more information, please visit www.citigroup.com/community.

Contact: Richard Ventura
Phone: 415-793-2551
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.eefsf.org 

CONTACT: David Roskin
Phone: 212-559-4767
email: [email protected]

SOURCE Economic Empowerment Fund