ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Wes Moore yesterday welcomed hundreds of representatives from Maryland’s small and minority-owned businesses to Baltimore City for the annual Governor’s Minority and Small Business Outreach Summit. The conference brought together small, minority, veteran and women-owned firms, prime contractors, and state agencies to share best practices and preview more than $7 billion in public contracting opportunities with the State of Maryland. 

"The wealth gap didn’t just appear one day. It was created, intentionally, through policies like inequitable distribution of state contracts. That’s why our administration is sweating the details of governing and addressing gaps in procurement policy to help level the playing field for our small businesses," said Gov. Moore. "This annual summit is a critical part of our work to open up pathways to opportunity and build new partnerships with Maryland entrepreneurs."

The annual summit presents opportunities to help expand the network of qualified subcontractors to meet contracting diversity goals. University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman; Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld; Maryland Department of General Services Secretary Atif Chaudhry; and Governor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business Affairs Special Secretary Y. Maria Martinez joined the governor in support of the event. 

The Moore-Miller Administration continues to uplift Maryland’s small, minority, veteran and women-owned businesses, including $21.3 million to build new pathways to work, wages, and wealth. Earlier this year, Governor Moore also appointed Maryland’s first minority business enterprise ombudsman to help oversee contract performance and develop policies and provide concierge service to small, minority, and women-owned businesses as they navigate state contracting. State agencies are also actively engaged in working to close the racial wealth gap by increasing performance toward reaching the state’s 29% Minority Business Enterprise program participation goal.

As a result, Maryland has been recognized as a national leader for minority-owned businesses, earning the top spot among all states according to a recent Lending Tree analysis. The state earned top 10 rankings in three of five metrics, including the percentage of minority-owned businesses in the state; the ratio of pay relative to all businesses; and the longevity of business operations.