New Electronic Business Tool Puts Information at Minority Entrepreneurs Fingertips

Washington, DC - U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans today unveiled a new Internet portal that will electronically identify, match and deliver contracting opportunities to minority-owned firms. Evans made the announcement at the Minority Business Development Agency's (MBDA)19th annual Minority Enterprise Development Conference.

"Today MBDA's new Internet portal is being unveiled. This site, at www.mbda.gov, allows minority businesses to register online, making it possible for the Department of Commerce to match businesses with sales opportunities. It will provide the latest information about the minority business world, including capital opportunities," said Commerce Secretary Don Evans.

Evans added, "The web portal is just one of the steps the Bush Administration is taking,under Ron Langston's leadership,to make MBDA more entrepreneurial, with a new focus on innovative solutions to enhance minority business development."

MBDA has developed a number of electronic tools accessible via the Internet including; a contract matching database (Phoenix-Opportunity); and the Resource Locator, which assists minority businesses in identifying public and private business assistance within the user's local market.

"The Minority Business Internet Portal can dramatically change the way minority-owned firms do business. By combining the Phoenix-Opportunity Database, and the Resource Locator, minority entrepreneurs will have significant amounts of information available at their fingertips, twenty-four hours a day," said National Director for the Minority Business Development Agency Ron Langston.

MBDA is the only Federal agency specifically established to foster minority business growth in the U.S. The agency provides management and technical assistance to minority individuals through its nationwide network of funded Minority and Native American Business Development Centers, Minority Business Opportunity Committees and Business Resource Centers. MBDA headquarters is in Washington, D.C.