Overview

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the only federal agency dedicated to advancing the establishment and growth of minority-owned firms in the United States. Through a network of minority business centers, including the Pennsylvania Minority Business Enterprise Center, and strategic partners, MBDA works with minority entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses in size, scale and capacity. These firms are then better positioned to create jobs, impact local economies and expand into national and global markets. MBDA has spent more than four decades increasing the competitiveness of minority firms.

MBDA National Director David Hinson

• Black Enterprise.com
• CNNMoney.com
• Anderson@Large

MinorityBiz Fast Facts

The State of African American Business

Recovery at MBDA

• Stakeholders Outreach Initiative

The Minority Business Development Agency: Enhancing the Prospects for Success

On October 15, 2009 , the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection held a hearing titled, "The Minority Business Development Agency:  Enhancing the Prospects for Success."  The hearing focused on how the Minority Business Development Agency, in consultation with the Department of Commerce, can optimize use of its resources in order to create more opportunities for minority business owners and workers.

Witness List:

• David Hinson, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce
• Sheila Hill, President, Chicago Minority Business Development Council
• Cindy Ramos-Davidson, President and CEO, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Susan Au Allen, President and CEO, U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce

Reports

Disparities in Capital Access between Minority and Non-Minority-Owned Businesses

Source: Minority Business Development Agency (January 2010)