Minority-Owned Business Support - Efforts and Partnerships Copyrig hted
April 5, 2021
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 5.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: Minority-Owned Business Support- Efforts and Partnerships
SUM MARY: City Manager providing an update on City efforts to support minority
owned businesses in Dubuque through programming and partnerships.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Minority-Owned Business Partnerships-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
Dubuque
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Minority-Owned Business Support - Efforts and Partnerships
DATE: March 31, 2021
Economic Development Director Jill Connors is providing an update on City efforts to
support minority owned businesses in Dubuque through programming and partnerships.
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Mic ael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jill M. Connors, Economic Development Director
Dubuque Economic Development
Department
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TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Jill M. Connors, Economic Development Director
SUBJECT: Minority-Owned Business Support— Efforts and Partnerships
DATE: March 31, 2021
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum serves as an update on City efforts to support minority-owned
businesses in Dubuque through programming and partnerships.
BACKGROUND
The City Council has identified as a goal having a Robust Local Economy: Diverse
Businesses and Jobs with Economic Prosperity. It has also identified Partnership for a
Better Dubuque: Building Our Community that is Viable, Livable, and Equitable.
As part of reaching these goals, City staff have been working to find ways to support
minority-owned businesses in tandem with local and regional partners.
DISCUSSION
In January 2020, Northeast lowa Community College (NICC) convened a group of
potential partners to brainstorm how to work together to support small businesses in
Dubuque by identifying logical roles for each of the partners. After two meetings, the
COVID-19 pandemic began to monopolize each organization's time in order to address
urgent needs in the community. One early effort was to create a local helpline that
companies large and small could call in order to be advised of federal, state, and local
resources available to them. This helpline continues to operate today, staffed by NICC.
In an effort to address the City Council's equity goals in relation to small business, a group
City staff began meeting in the summer of 2020 to discuss what role the City could play
in assisting minority-owned businesses, especially in light of the negative economic
effects of the pandemic. This group included staff from Economic Development,
Engineering, Human Rights, and the Multicultural Family Center. The group had internal
meetings, as well as with regional partners from the Northeast lowa Chapter of SCORE
and the Empower Program out of Cedar Rapids to do some brainstorming with several
minority business owners from Dubuque on how we could better support them.
In August 2020 NICC launched a program to provide $500 grants to minority-owned
businesses. Eighteen (18) grant awards were disbursed in October — November 2020.
They were made available in the greater Dubuque area, but with a strong focus within
city limits.
In January 2021, Economic Development staff began coordinating with Fountain of Youth
staff to develop a grant program designed to assist low- to moderate-income business
owners. The grant provides $3,000 to the business for eligible expenses — provided that
they take part in a minimum of 10 personal and professional development sessions. The
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and NICC helped market this program to
their networks, including their list of minority-owned businesses. There is enough funding
to provide nine (9) grants. As of this writing seven have been approved, and one is
pending—leaving enough funding for only one more grant. Of the eight approved/pending
applicants, seven are minority-owned businesses and six are women-owned businesses.
As a result of gathering these grant applications, City staff now have a short list of
minority-owned businesses. This list is being used to distribute information on resources
and opportunities that may be applicable and helpful to these business owners.
One opportunity sent to this listsery was a registration link to a statewide Black & Brown
Business Summit, hosted by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. In addition
to having several local businesses register for the summit, it has prompted several local
partners to begin planning a way to offer a summit in Dubuque in the fall of 2021 for
minority-owned businesses. Among the multiple potential partners City staff have
contacted, four have already agreed to participate in the planning and implementation:
Chamber of Commerce, ECIA, NICC, and the Community Foundation. We are hoping
that additional partners will find a role in this effort.
RECOMMENDATION/ ACTION STEP
I recommend continuing to focus adequate City staff time to identify and fill the City's role
in a community-wide response to supporting minority-owned businesses.
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