The Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council (Mid-States MSDC) and the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council (Mountain Plains MSDC) today announced the release of "The Value of Diverse Business Certifications" guide, a new tool developed by the two councils in partnership with other certifying entities in Missouri to get diverse business owners the answers they need so they can understand certification and decide if it's right for them and their business. 

The guide includes information and contributions on the various certifications from 14 different entities, including the St. Louis Small Business Administration, State of Missouri Office of Equal Opportunity, Bi-State Development, VetBiz, City of Kansas City, Mid-America Regional Council, Women's Business Development Center - Midwest, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Kansas City Area Transit Authority, Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the Mountain Plains and Mid-States MSDC's. 

It offers a new way for ethnic minorities, women, disadvantaged, veterans, and LGTBQ business owners to have a better understanding of certification and supplier diversity as well as help them identify the certification they need and the benefit.

"At our office, we receive calls every day from business owners looking for answers on certification and those answers can be as complex as the types of business owners in our community," says Carolyn Mosby, President/CEO at Mid-States MSDC. In addition, Stan Sena, President/CEO of the Mountain Plains MSDC says, "Businesses may be certified as minority-owned, women-owned, disadvantaged, veteran or LGBTQ. Certifying bodies may be national, regional, state-wide, city-wide, or specific to one area, like transportation. They may target the public sector or, like our organization, the private sector. It's a lot to take in, and it can be difficult to quickly share answers over the phone."

Some of the features of "The Value of Diverse Business Certifications" for Missouri guide include:

• Understanding the different certifications in Missouri
• How to become a certified business
• Putting your certification to work

The guide also includes practical examples, tips, and advice from certification experts, a glossary of certification terms, and contact information for the various certifying entities. 

"The Value of Diverse Business Certifications" guide is available for free and can be downloaded online on the Mid-States MSDC website or the Mountain Plans MSDC website. 

About Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council: We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established in 1976, and one of 23 regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Our network is the nation's most dynamic force in developing successful relationships between America's top corporations and supply-chain providers from the Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities.

Our mission is to accelerate economic growth by driving opportunities and collaboration between corporations and minority businesses. The Mid-States MSDC's footprint includes Central Illinois, Indiana, and Eastern Missouri and we connect our corporate members with qualified minority-owned suppliers of all sizes - Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) - that meet a high standard of excellence.

About Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council: The Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council provides corporate America and government entities with greater access to the goods and services of minority-owned businesses in order to develop lasting and mutually beneficial business relationships. As an affiliate regional council of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) serving Colorado, Kansas, Western Missouri, and Nebraska we provide a direct link between corporate America and Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American-owned businesses.

Contact:

Carolyn Mosby carolyn.mosby@midstatesmsdc.org

317.918.2335