The Nashville Minority Business Center is funded in part by the State of Tennessee and operated by the Community Resource and Development Center, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation. The Center’s mission is to foster the establishment and growth of competitive minority owned businesses in the State of Tennessee. The Nashville MBC is charged with providing management and technical assistance, and market development services to minority entrepreneurs. The benefits to the community are successful, competitive minority-owned firms, wealth and profits for the investors and entrepreneurs, higher paying jobs, increased tax revenues and strong local community development.

MISSION STATEMENT

To create an environment in which no American is confronted with barriers that inhibit entrepreneurial development simply because of racial, ethnic, or cultural biases.

PURPOSE

To coordinate existing resources in the public and private sectors for minority business enterprises, offer a full range of management and technical assistance services, and serve as a conduit for information and assistance to and about minority businesses. Furthermore, to increase the formation of new minority-owned businesses; expand existing minority-owned firms and minimize business failures among minority entrepreneurs.

SERVICES PROVIDED

Construction Related Services; Loan Packaging; Market Plan Development; Financial Packaging; Procurement Identification and Other Specialized Assistance.

COMMUNITY REACH

The Center is geographic specific to the Nashville MSA’s ethnic minority community, e.g., African Americans; Hispanic Americans; Native Americans; Asian Americans; Aluets; Hasidic Jews; and Eskimos.

TriState MSDC is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit organization and since the consolidation on January 1, 2014, our geographic footprint is now the States of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, which includes major cities such as Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Charleston, Wheeling, Morgantown, Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga etc. Our headquarters are located in Nashville, TN with an office presence in Louisville, KY and soon to be Charleston, WV.

TriState is one of 24 affiliate Councils under the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and receives support from some of the largest public and privately owned companies in the United States.

The national network, as a whole, offers certified minority owned companies access to over 1,750 National Corporate Members and conversely, national and local Corporate Members have access to a database of over 12,000 certified minority owned companies – MBEs.

GOALS

• Identify, certify and assist in the development of high quality MBEs in a wide range of product and service areas
• Assess the needs and objectives of Corporate Members regarding their supplier requirements and identify appropriate MBE suppliers in response to their needs
• Develop and implement programs, tools and events that market the value of Supplier Diversity and promotes the successful programs of our current recipients in order to increase member participation
• Measure and track business opportunities provided to certified MBEs to ensure continued economic growth each year