Disparity Study Past the Half-Way Point

For the past seven months, Hamilton County’s consultant firm, BBC Research & Consulting Co., has been heavily engaged in conducting our very first Disparity Study. The Study is evaluating the utilization of small, minority, and women-owned companies versus the availability of such businesses as a percentage of all firms in the County’s market area and relevant industries to determine where disparities exist.   The study includes the collection and analysis of over five years of spending (close to $2 billion) by 16 Board of County Commissioners Departments and Elected Offices. It also evaluates anecdotal and statistical evidence, when available, of any disparities in the local marketplace.   A Disparity Study Mid-Term Progress report was presented to area stakeholders and community members on February 10th and to the Board of County Commissioners on February 22nd.  Click here to view the presentation.   Please plan to attend our Disparity Study Final Report presentations to stakeholders and community members, which is projected to be completed in June, 2022!   Sincerely, Robert Bell, Director Department of Economic Inclusion and Equity

Special Thanks to the Economic Inclusion Advisory Council

Created by County Commissioners in 2017, the Hamilton County Economic Inclusion Advisory Council (EIAC) serves as a public advocate for the Office of Economic Inclusion and Equity and makes recommendations to increase economic inclusion in Hamilton County hiring and procurement.   The 15 committee members are recommended by a host of business development and support organizations, such as the various local chambers of commerce, as well as non-profits, union and non-union business support organizations, and Commission appointments. We can’t say enough about the many Hamilton County professionals who have supported and continue to support this effort by voluntarily serving on the EIAC. EIAC Accomplishments: Helped create the structure and purpose of the original Office of Economic Inclusion at Hamilton County. Developed much-needed new Small Business Enterprise (SBE) policies and procedures for all BOCC Departments' solicitations and contracts - which contributed to a minority spend of more than $4 million in 2021. Advocated for the use of Economic Inclusion Procurement and Purchasing Software that is now being acquired. Provided equity recommendations to the Administration regarding the $14 million Hamilton County Small Business Relief Grant Program, resulting in minority-owned and women-owned businesses making up two-thirds of all 1,400 businesses funded. A special thanks to HCDC, Inc. for their efforts implementing this program! Promoted the addition of Economic Inclusion Key Performance indicators (KPIs) for management, which are being put into place for 2022. Served as an advocate for Hamilton County’s first Disparity Study, which is now more than half-way to completion.  Collaborated with Human Resources on increasing staff inclusion activities, many of which are now part of Human Resources programming. These activities include: Staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Training Succession Planning for Managers and Department Heads Enhancing Diverse Employees Recruitment Strategies Establishing an Employee Advisory Group Developing Mentoring Programs, Internships, and Scholarships to Increase Diversity Utilization of Diverse Job interview and Selection Teams Additional Equal Employment Opportunities Policies that help Support Diversity in Hamilton County  Again, our thanks to the EIAC for their invaluable leadership and their support of Hamilton County’s Economic Inclusion and Equity Initiatives! For more information on the EIAC, click here.

513Relief Bus Impact

The 513Relief Bus has nearly completed its first full year of service utilizing a mobile and community-based service model. The 513Relief Bus helped to overcome transportation and technological barriers that exist in many of Hamilton County’s vulnerable communities. It provided access to COVID-19 vaccinations, social services, and economic resources available from Hamilton County Public Health and Hamilton County Job & Family Services. During its operation in 2021, over 1500 vaccinations were given and over 4,100 citizens received services at 79 locations. A big thank you to HCJFS, Public Health and all our community partners. A special thanks to Aiesha Howard, our Community Engagement Administrator for all her efforts in making this a success.   513Relief Bus services will relaunch this spring with community-based locations. Check 513Relief.org for updates.

Hamilton County Co-Sponsors the “We Mean Business” Annual Conference

As part of the County's efforts to develop small business capabilities and increase outreach activities to small businesses regionally, we co-sponsored the 2022 “We Mean Business” Annual Conference the weekend of February 15th - 17th. This was the fourth annual conference presented by the Minority Business Assistance Center Cincinnati and the African American Chamber of Commerce.   More than 300 participants attended numerous workshops for small businesses, such as current business trends, digital transformation with cryptocurrency and blockchain, managing supply chains, accessing federal and state funding opportunities, building banking relationship and access to capital, and much more.   Hamilton County hosted the “What is a Disparity Study” presentation and Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas (pictured above) presented closing remarks on the second day of the conference. Click here to view her remarks.

Hamilton County Small Business Enterprise Program is Looking for Contractors Hamilton County’s SBE program was developed as part of the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners' (BOCC) commitment to promoting the economic inclusion of all people in Hamilton County. Specifically, the County aspires to have: 30% SBE participation in construction and rehab projects, 15% SBE participation in goods and supplies projects, and 15% SBE participation in professional services projects. We encourage all vendors who want to do business with Hamilton County to register for our BOLD Contractors Directory. This list is reviewed by all BOCC Departments that are looking for potential contractors for their projects. Go to the Economic Inclusion and Equity Department webpage here and click on the BOLD Registration Form link. To learn more about Hamilton County’s SBE program, contact Robert Bell at 513-946-4428 or [email protected].

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