Metro And SBA Partner To Bolster Regional Small & Diverse Businesses During Black History Month

Shown, left to right, are SBA Central and Southern Ohio District Director Everett Woodel and Metro CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley. (Photo courtesy of Metro)

Metro (Cincinnati, OH) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) formally entered into a strategic partnership — focusing on bolstering regional small businesses — during a recent event at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, in Cincinnati.

The initiative is aimed at connecting local XBE businesses, minority-, women-, veteran-, and disability-owned small businesses with the many opportunities at Metro and to foster new partnerships with a diverse array of businesses across the region.

Following the announcement, Metro and the SBA hosted an XBE vendor networking event to offer attendees the opportunity to learn about the upcoming $500 million in procurement opportunities available through Metro over the next three years.

“It’s important to us that we continue our efforts of strengthening our commitment to inclusion and social equity while growing our diverse vendor partnerships,” Darryl Haley, CEO and General Manager of Metro, said. “In 2023, we doubled our contracts with XBE businesses from the previous year to $8.4 million, and we remain intentional and steadfast in continuing that trend in 2024 and beyond.

“We understand the importance of ensuring that small and diverse businesses in our region have the opportunity to reap the economic benefit from the impact of the community’s investment in Metro.”

“The SBA Central and Southern Ohio District office is honored to sign this Strategic Alliance Memorandum with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority/Metro. This agreement further solidifies our regional partnership to assist and to boost regional small business contracting opportunities,” District Director Everett Woodel said.

Interested businesses and organizations can learn more about partnerships and business opportunities with Metro by visiting https://www.go-metro.com/about-metro/about2/doingbusiness.