Our Mission:

It is the policy of The Office of Diversity in Business Practices (ODPB) to provide all persons an equal and fair opportunity to participate in procurement and contracting opportunities sponsored by the District.

Our ultimate goal is to support sustainable growth and economic opportunities for small, women-owned, and minority businesses. School Board Policy 6.143

Celebrating Black History Month

Each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History selects a theme for Black History Month. This year’s theme is Black Resistance - Equality through Justice. Although permanently shaped by slavery, Jim Crow, the Reconstruction Era, legalized segregation, and discrimination, Black history comprises so much more. It is an integral part of American history that should be recognized, embraced, and commemorated for its role in shaping this great nation. However, recent tragedies such as the death of Tyre Nichols remind us of the work that lies ahead.

The Black History Month 2023 campaign acknowledges the past and present in service to a brighter future. Black or African American colleagues face workplace issues such as unlawful employment discrimination, limited opportunities for career advancement, lack access to mental health care, and standardized processes for inclusive hiring. The Office of Diversity in Business Practices at the Palm Beach County School District remains dedicated to creating a culture free from discrimination and promoting a safe environment for all small and minority-owned businesses in the community.

Today’s socioeconomic climate and persistent health inequities are stark reminders that despite our progress in the world, there is still much work to dismantle systemic injustices that disproportionately affect Black or African American people. We must continue to fulfill the vision of Dr. King by resisting the racial inequity and economic injustice in the business community and personal lives of African Americans.

"2" SBW & Associates, Inc., Javin L. Walker, Owner

155 US Highway 27 S, South Bay, FL, 33493

Office: (561) 992-0306, 2-sbw@2-sbw.com

https://2-sbw.com/

"2" SBW & Associates, Inc. has serviced Palm Beach County School District for over eight years! In fact, we are the only licensed, bonded, and insured minority-owned, small business enterprise domicile in Western Palm Beach County. Our business acumen is Construction Management and General Contracting. However, we specialize in acoustical ceilings, demolition, interior/exterior painting, and pre/post cleaning. Our certifications include government, local, municipal, state of Florida, and many more! Building for a better 2morrow is our mantra!

Smoothie Me Please is a beach side cafe specializing in Açaí Bowls, Smoothies and Sandwiches. Most recently named “top 5 places to visit in the Palm Beaches” by Travel Noire. SMP is a local favorite known for its fresh food menu items, which are nostalgic after familiar people and places of Riviera Beach. SMP is also a breakfast and lunch catering company and specializes in food/beverage concession operation.

We look forward to sharing our food and services with you and your guest. We know that planning an event can be stressful, so we promise to do everything we can to ease the burden on you. We would like to assure you that our food and services will meet your high standards and suit your personal tastes. Our staff is dedicated to creating and executing your perfect event. No event is out of our realm, we have turnkey solutions for any type of event. Our core belief is that our client's needs come first. We want to earn our clients' appreciation and loyalty by tailoring events to match their needs and giving every event, large or small, our best effort. Listening to your needs, paying attention to details, providing a quality product, and going above and beyond in providing exceptional service are the cornerstones on which our business is built.

At BDS Catering & Productions, "Its More Than An Event, It's An Experience."

Founded in 2017, Prestige Medical Coding Institute is a comprehensive learning destination that specializes in training students to earn the credentials of a certified professional medical coder. As a student of Prestige Medical Coding Institute, you will be enrolled in a comprehensive 20-week program. The program is tailored to cover all the necessary information to get students prepared for the CPC certification examination.

Jump Start Tutoring is an award-winning Pre-K to 12 education company providing educational services both in-home and online. Our mission is to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and life after graduation. As such, we empower students with the technical, transferable, and soft skills needed to achieve their fullest potential. Featured in the Forbes Under 30 list, we've served 4,000+ students specializing in test prep, college entrance, and financial literacy. We are certified vendors in all three school districts in SFLA and have recently secured a 3-year contract to provide high-dosage tutoring to students in Broward County.

With over 25 years of experience, K.W.A. Group Branding is a certified M/WBE that utilizes custom imprinted promotional products to increase student retention, improve staff morale, and boost parent engagement; all within your budgetary guidelines. Some examples are:

• School spirit and incentive items

• Staff appreciation programs

• Awards & recognition gifts

• Banners, signs & displays

Randolph Construction Group, Inc (RCG) provides a broad range of construction management, site development, steel buildings and general contracting services through a " hands on" approach that thrives on hard work, dedication, integrity and client satisfaction. With more than 85 years of collective experience in the construction industry, RCG has successfully managed and completed numerous projects throughout the South Florida Region. Building Relationships, Building Bridges to the Community and Building your Vision!

We offer professional development programs to empower individuals to reach their personal and professional goals effectively and efficiently through one-on-one coaching, group coaching, leadership training, keynote/inspirational speaking and business consulting, both virtually and in-person. We also offer an asynchronous online career development course to help individuals to reach their career goals at their pace.

Journey C&D Group, Clifford Moore, Owner

561-320-2566, cmoore@journeycdg.com

www.journeycdg.com

Journey C&D Group, founded in 2018, is a full service, Veteran and Minority certified commercial construction company specialized in providing solutions for clients in preconstruction. construction management, and design build services in Florida.

At La Vie Counseling, we want to destigmatize mental health and increase mental health awareness. We strive to provide therapeutic interventions, educational resources and a safe, judgment-free environment for individuals to process life’s stressors.

Integrity Consult Solutions, LLC is a Business Development consulting firm serving both the private and public sector through government contracting opportunities and solutions. We serve the private sector by offering solutions with hands on technical assistance with all government certifications, bid preparations and submissions, contract compliance, and procurement training. Specification development, contract administration, acquisition management, and outreach support with Supplier Diversity Initiatives are offered to our public sector clients. We also offer ancillary services such as business insurance assistance, capability statements, notary services, and marketing consulting. Our team can address challenges within small to medium-sized firms and provide viable solutions to increase revenue and develop a plan for business growth opportunities.

Ultimate Image Coach, Pamela Toussaint, MBA and CEO is on a mission to help clients boost employee engagement by developing and delivering a comprehensive leadership and soft skills training program, tailored to meet their specific objectives. Through our UIC Leadership and Soft Skills Academy, we deliver programs in an e-Learning format, as virtual and in person instructor led workshops, and in a hybrid fashion.

Critical Path Construction is a professional General Contracting & Roofing company that has over 20 years of experience. We provide a service that achieves a quality product on time and within budget. We monitor construction activities to ensure compliance with plans and specifications. This leads to cost efficient construction, where the owners benefit from our knowledge and hard work. We consistently solve complex situations, focused on establishing solutions to meet the customer’s needs. We are able to exercise independent responsibility & deal directly with leadership, public, and government officials. We keep work area clean, professional attire, and respectful attitude.

Cellars International Realty is a full service real estate firm based in South Florida. Immacula leveraged 14 years of real estate experience, guiding customers to achieve their dream of homeownership.

The most important attribute when choosing a real estate professional is to find someone who's professional, knowledgeable, and an expert of the community and market. I have a history of success and integrity in real estate that customers can depend on within the community. I am an experienced negotiator with expert knowledge of the local market. Building Relationships That Last..!

Character Enterprises, Inc

Valerie Character, Owner

www.westpalmbeachcharactercleaning.com

vcharactercleaning@gmail.com

561-290-9383

401 N Rosemary Ave

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

iPhone and iPad Warehouse

Brian Farrell, Owner

ppwstores.com

305-467-3913

brian@ppwstores.com

5600 NW 12th Ave, Ste 305

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309

L&D Services, LLC, The Ivory Group

Lisa Ivory, Owner

954-815-0944

www.ivory-group.net

18459 Pines Blvd

Pembroke Pines, FL 33029

Duval Sheet Metal, Inc.

Daniela Duval, Owner

https://www.duvalsheetmetal.com/

561-547-5282

daniela@duvalsheetmetal.com

2200 4TH Avenue North STSuite 7

Lake Worth, FL 33461

Jasper Enterprises, Inc.

Eric Sweet, Owner

305-757-7001

jasperenterprise@aol.com

1366 NW 54th Street

Miami, FL 33142

M.C. Harry & Associates Inc.

Craig Aquart +Lourdes Solera, Owners

http://mcharry.com/

caquart@mcharry.com

2780 SW Douglas Rd

Miami, FL 33133

Do you supply irrigation equipment and supplies or do you know someone who does? We are seeking vendors to bid on this upcoming opportunity to contract with the School District of Palm Beach County.

Would you like to view and receive notifications on School District Opportunities? If so, you need to be registered in Periscope S2G, our online bidding platform. This is the only place we accept your bid packages and it is where we post our open opportunities.

Does your business provide goods and or services for the construction industry? If so, you'll want to attend the Construction Procurement Summit to network with dozens of representatives from our Prime Contract holders. You'll hear directly from them how they went from small business enterprise to becoming Prime in a panel discussion. Women in Construction will also share their unique experiences in a panel discussion.

Once you've registered in Periscope S2G, you can receive bid alerts aligned to your business, learn how to respond to these solicitations.

The Office of Diversity in Business Practices (ODBP) will now offer an Open-Door meeting every Tuesday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM at 3300 Summit Blvd. Building #3 West Palm Beach, FL 33406.



The purpose of the Open-Door sessions with the ODBP team is to answer the questions of small and minority business owners about getting opportunities with the District and provide assistance with certification applications. This new initiative will commence on February 21, 2023. Thank you very much!

Research into entrepreneurial demographics reveal that black women are the most likely group to start businesses, yet in the long haul, their businesses have the most trouble thriving, according to research from the Harvard Business review in an article. In facts, statistically, "an astounding 17% of Black women are in the process of starting or running new businesses. That’s compared to just 10% of white women, and 15% of white men." With this in mind, we want to highlight and support the dynamic black women entrepreneurs who are making their passion a reality everyday. This is why we are promoting our black business owners throughout the month of February and beyond. It's also what inspires up to share success stories from Florida and beyond of successful black women entrepreneurs. Follow the link below to read more:

Meet Rachel Gibbs, a certified financial educator who helps communities learn better financial management strategies.

gibbsfinancialfitness.com Learn More in the source Article Here:

https://blkwomenhustle.com/2021/12/06/20-black-women-entrepreneurs-to-watch-in-2022/

The Miami Police on Thursday unveiled a Black History Month-inspired vehicle wrap that features the pan-African colors, outlines of the African continent, raised fists and kente cloth.



“Miami Police Supports Black History Month,” reads a message on the vehicle’s back window.

The wrap and a Black History Month-inspired police badge were unveiled at the Black Precinct Courthouse and Museum in a ceremony attended by city officials, police officials and current and former Black officers. The event was to memorialize Miami’s history of segregation and the efforts by Black officers and officials to push for integration, Mayor Francis Suarez said.

“Today we continue to take that a step further by doing this beautiful artistic rendering on our car and also the badge, which I think is incredibly important because we wear it on our chest. On our chest we will hold heavy that history, and we will display it proudly,” he said.

The wrap was sponsored and paid for by the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association, which represents Black police officers, according to association officials. Local African American artist Anthony Lumpkin helped design the wrap, police said.

However, the wrap drew some criticism online from activists who said it was tone deaf and ignored the pressing issues facing the Black community, especially in the wake of the violent beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police.

“What WE really need is more police accountability, police reform now and stop killing Black people!!!!” the NAACP Miami-Dade Branch said in response to the vehicle wrap. “A better use of funds would be to make a deeper investment in implicit bias training and other police training that would aid in saving our lives.”