{"id":9129,"date":"2023-06-08T12:10:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T16:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/?page_id=9129"},"modified":"2025-03-07T09:23:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T14:23:44","slug":"business-certification-hub","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/business-certification-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Certification Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>GLI is proud to launch the Business Certification Hub, an official partnership with the Louisville Small Business Development Center (SBDC) <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">to specifically support business owners from underrepresented communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why certifications?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While certifications are not needed by every business, many of the region\u2019s largest corporations require them for contracting and procurement purposes and they provide access to certain grant and funding opportunities that are only open to certified minority businesses.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9152 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/MWBE-Certification-min-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Businesses and organizations that often require certification during the procurement process include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>State, local, and federal government agencies<\/li>\n<li>Public education systems, including JCPS and the University of Louisville<\/li>\n<li>Public utilities and transportation<\/li>\n<li>Louisville Regional Airport Authority<\/li>\n<li>Large corporations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, governments often set a percentage of contracts aside for certain minority groups to ensure they spend taxpayer dollars equitably. Organizations like the Minority Development Business Agency (MDBA) offer grants and loans specifically for certified minority businesses.<\/p>\n<p>GLI\u2019s Business Certification Hub aims to remove barriers to obtaining these certifications and help you and your business access more capital.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How does GLI\u2019s Business Certification Hub work? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The program is simple. Fill out the form below, and GLI will connect you with a certified coach to walk you through the certification process. While GLI and SBDC do not charge any fees to help your business get certified, some certifications do require fees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What certifications can this program help me with?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are a range of certifications that might apply to you or your business. Below are a few of the most common, although we have the capability to help you with many others: <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9908 \" src=\"http:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Minority-Certification-Hub-600x600.png\" alt=\"Quote for Minority Certification Hub\" width=\"463\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Minority-Certification-Hub-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Minority-Certification-Hub-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Minority-Certification-Hub-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Minority-Certification-Hub.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>8(a) Business Development Program, or SBA 8(a)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses at least 51% owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals as defined by the SBA\u00a0(one criteria is that personal net worth must be less than $250,000, excluding home &amp; business)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE<\/strong>) \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (defined by race and gender groups found to be disadvantaged by the U.S. Small Business Administration, or those who are assessed on an individual basis for \u201csocial\u201d and \u201ceconomic\u201d disadvantaged status)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disabled Business Enterprise (DBE\/DiBE)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by persons with physical or mental impairments that substantially limit major life activities<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender- Owned Business Enterprise (LGBTE)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by LGBT individuals<\/li>\n<li><strong>Minority Business Enterprise, or Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by representatives of a racial group classified as a minority<\/li>\n<li><strong>Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by a minority and\/or a woman<\/li>\n<li><strong>Women Business Enterprise, or Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE)<\/strong> \u2013 for businesses that are at least 51% owned by women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What comes next? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This service is for any underrepresented business interested in obtaining free certification at the state or local level, or learning more about the certification process. Our coaches will walk with you step by step to make sure the certification is right for you and ensure a seamless process.<\/p>\n<a class=\"maxbutton-13 maxbutton maxbutton-minority-certification-hub\" href=\"https:\/\/airtable.com\/shrAIPuGhyCN03w9B\" target=\"_blank\"><span class='mb-text'>Get Started<\/span><\/a>\n<p>For questions about this offering, contact GLI\u2019s VP of Economic Inclusion, <a href=\"mailto:djohnson@greaterlouisville.com\">Dana Johnson.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GLI is proud to launch the Business Certification Hub, an official partnership with the Louisville Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to specifically support business owners from underrepresented communities. Why certifications? While certifications are not needed by every business, many of the region\u2019s largest corporations require them for contracting and procurement&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9129","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Business Certification Hub &ndash; One Louisville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"GLI is proud to launch the Business Certification Hub, an official partnership with the Louisville Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greaterlouisville.com\/business-certification-hub\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Certification Hub &ndash; 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