A Message From the Director

Greetings!

Welcome to the fall edition of Insights to Opportunity!

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses continue to be challenged to make the necessary changes to survive, recover and bolster long-term resilience. Of course, the Office of Business Opportunity remains a resource for the business community. While we are just a phone call away, our website can also serve as a valuable tool for you. Most of our services can be accessed virtually, including our certification workshops, live webinars, tutorials on contract compliance and the Pay or Play Program, to name a few. In addition, we have a series of business development webinars that are accessible on our OBO Solutions Center page on our website.

Through the City’s Small Business Economic Relief Program, we have been able to assist well over 600 businesses, adversely affected by the pandemic, with grants up to $50,000. The number of businesses the City is able to assist is continuing to grow. In collaboration with various partners, OBO recently hosted our first virtual Turnaround Houston Readiness Fair which afforded over 800 job seekers the opportunity to access more than 1,000 available positions.

In addition, OBO has launched several business development programs including the LiftOff Houston! Start-Up Business Plan Competition, Turner School of Construction Management, and we are currently accepting applications for Build Up Houston, our signature capacity building program slated to start in February 2021.

Small businesses continue to be a huge part of the advances being made in Houston. In this issue, we are highlighting Mbroh Engineering Inc., an MBE company, that has been intentional in making sure they partner with other certified firms in delivering their work on the $1.7 billion Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP) Project, which will reduce our dependence on groundwater in delivering fresh drinking water to Houstonians.

Lastly, as usual, I encourage you to stay healthy and safe, and to continue to prioritize the health and safety of your employees and customers.

Marsha E. Murray

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Marsha E. Murray was appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner and confirmed by City Council to serve as the Director of the City of Houston's Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) in April 2020, after having served as OBO'S Interim Director.