THE QUARTERLY
The Office of Diversity in Business Practices
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
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From the Director's Desk
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Can Improve Your Team's Performance
We know instinctively that diversity matters throughout the spectrum of human experience. Between students and teachers, vendors and clients, and within teams, diversity impacts outcome. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs have long moved away from “feel-good, sound-good” hyperbole. Research proves DE&I can improve your company’s decision-making process. The unfortunate news is that too many teams remain homogenous. Pamela Newkirk, Professor of Journalism at the New York University stated “Diversity –or more pointedly the paucity of it—is a vexing issue that cuts across political persuasions; even some of the paragons of progressivism often fail to notice the elephant in the room in these monochromatic rooms. Like an endless loop, these segregated settings reproduce workplaces that reflect homogenous social spheres.” Read More
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Who's Being Awarded PBCSD Contracts?
The Latest Contract Compliance Data Broken Down by Gender & Ethnicity
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Office of Diversity in Business Practices'
End of Fiscal Year 2022 Review
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| Accomplished | Total for FY 2022 | | Hosted Events | 60 | | On-site Compliance Visits | 131 | | Website Hits | 8203 | | |
| Certifications | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | | Certified SBEs | 128 | 170 | | Certified MWBEs | 77 | 111 | | Dual Certifications | 65 | 95 | | |
| African American | 39 | 50 | | Hispanic American | 25 | 37 | | Caucasian Female | 12 | 21 | | Asian American | 1 | 3 | | |
Diversity and Inclusion Honoree for Excellence in Education | |
NABWIC Woman in the Spotlight Recognition | |
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Small Business University
Celebrating 5 Years
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Small Business University 2022 has Leveled Up!
Small Business University (SBU) 2022 has leveled up! For the past four years, the Office of Diversity in Business Practices at the School District of Palm Beach County has established partnerships with Kaufman Lynn Construction to host a twelve-week course about business entrepreneurship. This year, Palm Beach State College has joined the team and provided a pathway to obtaining a bachelor’s degree by granting credits to all attendees who can complete the curriculum requirements!
Badge Awards from Palm Beach State College Using SBU Courses
· Audits and Investigations Badge
· Collaborative Decision-Making Badge
· Marketing & Communications Badge
· Project Management Badge
All attendees participate in virtual ZOOM instruction every Thursday and continuously maintain their engagement with course content through Google Classroom. By utilizing Google Classroom, participants can access course materials and submit evidence of their learning. Attendees are also expected to participate in the Capstone project to present their capability statement, and the accumulation of skills they have learned from the entire course curriculum. The two main SBU objectives are:
1. To develop strategies and techniques on marketing management, procurement management, operations management, and business communication skills to establish best practices; and
2. To demonstrate increased awareness of business compliance rules and procedures to improve operational strategies.
The Office of Diversity in Business Practices would like to recognize and give thanks to Kaufman Lynn Construction, Palm Beach State College, and our volunteer course instructors for their support of our small, minority, and women-owned businesses!
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Small Business University 2022
Course Instructors
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Small Business University 2022
Course Curriculum Planners
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Cappuccino Express has been providing our specialty beverage catering services for over 25 years since 1997. Through our Exquisite Beverages Catering department, we have been specializing in providing espresso coffee bars as well as all-natural frozen smoothie bars all over South Florida. Throughout the past 10 years we have had the privilege of providing our services to over 100 schools in Palm Beach County.
Cappuccino Express & Exquisite Beverages Catering is a certified Small Business Enterprise by Palm Beach County as well as with the School District of Palm Beach County.
Our smoothie bar service includes an all-natural, made to order smoothie bar station with a dedicated server. We provide everything including the fruit display, cups, napkins, and fancy straws. There are many flavors to choose from such as Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada, Banana, Mango, Pink Lemonade, Passionfruit, and more. We traditionally recommend providing 4 to 6 flavors of your choice which can also be combined.
The espresso coffee bar setup includes our professional barista who will create all the espresso-based drinks to order. Our menu includes Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte’, Macchiato, Mocha, Americano, Hot Chocolate, and more. All our coffee drinks are available in regular, decaf, hot, and cold and with different types of milk such as skim and 2%. We use freshly-ground, locally-roasted whole beans at the event. The setup also includes a selection of flavors, syrups, and toppings.
Please call or email Ilan at anytime and we will be delighted to come to your school for any special occasion such as Teacher Appreciation Week, first and last days of school, PTO events and more.
Ilan Kottler 561-616-9369
[email protected]
More information at: www.exquisitebeverages.com
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There are currently 16 ongoing facility renewal projects, 3 substantially completed projects, and 1 new school recently started.
In the coming months, 15 new projects will be awarded for both Architecture and Construction Management. The 15 projects range from $1-9 million with an estimated total of $52 Million. All of these projects will have SBE participation requirements, providing millions of dollars of opportunities to certified small businesses.
Multiple trades needed in these projects:
• Plumbing
• Toilet Accessories
• Water Intrusion
• Electrical
• Mechanical
• Stucco
• HVAC
• Masonry & concrete
• Doors, Windows, wall and ceiling
• Finishes & Painting
• Site Work & Demolition
• Site Cleaning
• Roofing
• Flooring
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A Win-Win West Tech Story
State Contracting & Engineering Corp. (SCEC) has recently completed major renovations at the West Technical Education Center in Belle Glade. SCEC teamed with Hatcher Construction & Development on this successful Construction Management at Risk project that helped improve and update the nine-building campus in western Palm Beach County. Construction on the 81,000 SF project began in Spring 2021. The vocational school serves both high-school and adult education students year-round, offering classes during day and evening hours. West Tech’s students “learn to earn” in various construction and medical trades, learning skills to join the workforce. Dr. Charlene Ford, Principal at West Tech, said one of the biggest project challenges was coordinating spaces for instruction versus construction. SCEC worked with Dr. Ford and other school staff to ensure the school had clean spaces available for classes while other areas were undergoing renovations and upgrades. “Superintendent Chris Blakeslee of SCEC did an amazing job,” said Dr. Ford. “He kept me informed every step of the process and shared his knowledge when I needed insight into the construction field to enhance the programming offered at West Tech. He effectively juggled the needs of our school and the construction schedule to make it a win-win situation.” Read More
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SBE's Opportunities to Build Knowledge and Connections | |
Events, Training, & Outreach | |
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Jennifer Lopez Partners with Microfinance Nonprofit to Give Latina Entrepreneurs $14 Billion Capital Boost
Jennifer Lopez on Thursday, June 9, 2022, announced she will partner with microfinance organization Grameen America as a part of the organization’s latest efforts to empower Latina entrepreneurs—who research has shown face more obstacles than their white counterparts in accessing loans. Grameen America is a nonprofit organization created by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus in 2008 to provide loans, financial literacy training, and credit-building to women living below the federal poverty line. Despite a surge in Latino-owned businesses over the past ten years, research shows national banks are significantly less likely to approve loans for Latino-owned businesses compared to white-owned businesses. One survey from Stanford found that 20% of Latino-owned firms that applied for a national bank loan of over $100,000 received funds, compared to 50% of white-owned businesses. Read More
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Built to Last, Bought with Intention: How JE Dunn Set Supplier Diversity as a Cornerstone
Approaching supplier diversity for the long haul means defining the work - without limiting it, said Jason Banks, describing how Kansas City-based construction icon JE Dunn is building a framework for spending more money with diverse small businesses. “Think marketing services agreements, our IT contracts, all of the non-project [spending] - we are applying some of those same disciplines in supplier diversity to that work,” said Banks, who serves as the procurement director at JE Dunn, “which is going to open up a whole new world of possibilities to us.” JE Dunn is one of the first 12 companies to sign onto KC Rising’s CEO-to-CEO Challenge, an initiative encouraging corporate CEOs to boost buying from diverse businesses while encouraging their fellow executives and other companies to do the same. It’s work that JE Dunn has been leading for decades, Banks added. Read More
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