Minority-owned Businesses
A Diverse County Open for Your Opportunity
Meet the co-chair of the Black Business Council. Tony Parchment shares resources and ideas to gain social capital for business owners in Montgomery County. Our diversity is our strength. Learn more and #BeNext
EXPLORE MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS SUCCESS STORIES >
UPDATED 2022 BUSINESS GUIDE
Free download with comprehensive federal, state and local resources to help your business succeed. Find funding, training, talent, shared space, chambers, support for minority businesses and more.
RESOURCES
MONTGOMERY COUNTYBusiness Membership Organizations
Incubators/Business Innovation Network
Industry-Specific Business Starter Kits
Latino Economic Development Center
Montgomery County Business Center
Small Business Administration (national)
MARYLAND
Maryland Department of Commerce
ARE MINORITY-OWNED
& TECH BUSINESSES
ARE MINORITY-OWNED
CITIES IN THE U.S. ARE IN MOCO
Montgomery County Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs looking in Montgomery County to build their businesses have chosen wisely. Our minority-owned companies include everything from IT, BioHealth and cybersecurity businesses. There is strength in the County’s diversity, with a melting pot of cultures and 138 different languages spoken in its households. No wonder the number of minority-owned businesses is growing rapidly. MCEDC can connect you to the organizations focused on helping you prosper in Montgomery County.
Find Local MINORITY-owned Businesses
Montgomery County is home to many businesses that have diverse ownership. If you are looking to support their efforts, here are a few ways to find businesses in your area. These lists are not comprehensive and include businesses registered with the state of Maryland and Montgomery County as vendors.
STATE
Office of Minority Business Enterprise — Lists businesses that are certified as Minority Owned Enterprises/Disadvantaged Enterprises/Small Business Enterprises.
COUNTY
Central Vendor Registration System (CVRS) — Database listing certified businesses that have self-registered. Instructions for navigating the database can be found here.
Roster for Office of Community Partnerships — Montgomery County Community Engagement Cluster
MoCo Show — List of Black Owned Businesses created by the community and shared on the MoCo Show’s website. Businesses or community members can add to and update the list by emailing here.
ASSISTANCE FOR MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES
Montgomery County has dedicated resources to support your venture. Add in networking groups and mentoring opportunities and you’ll see that Montgomery County is ready to support minority leaders. Here are just some of the Montgomery County resources available to our entrepreneurs.
WORKSHOPS & TRAINING
Classes and workshops on business topics help entrepreneurs and business owners take their companies to the next level. Here are a few of the area’s support services for minority-owned businesses.
Governor's Office of Small Minority & Women Business Affairs
MDOT—Minority Business Enterprise Program
Latino Economic Development Center
Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council
Montgomery College Hispanic Business and Training Institute
Montgomery County’s Minority, Female and Disabled-Owned Businesses (MFD) Program and Certification
Montgomery County also makes education the highest priority, creating an active pipeline to entrepreneurial success.
Montgomery College Business Education — Helping local businesses build a more efficient, effective and highly motivated team.
The Universities at Shady Grove — Offers a full range of business courses from leading Maryland universities.
General Business & Technical Assistance
Businesses in Montgomery County have access to assistance from many sources. Explore these resources to find the one that best fits your needs and goals. Click below to find online resources, business courses, mentoring, one-on-one business counseling and connections to financing.
Contracts, Opportunities and Procurement Resources
Montgomery County has developed a variety of tools to help businesses owned by women who would like to pursue contracting opportunities. Take advantage of these resources to research what the county buys, who currently holds contracts and when opportunities might come up for bid.
Central Vendor Registration System (CVRS): Self-managed database of vendor information used by public entities to identify businesses that can respond to solicitations.
Contract Search: Access to information on contracts including incumbent vendors and contract expiration dates.
Montgomery County Procurement: Opportunities available for bid.
dataMontgomery: Direct access to County datasets, including county contracts dataset, in consumable formats.
Local Small Business Reserve Program (LSBRP): Sets aside 20% of eligible procurements for local small businesses.
Minority, Female and Disabled-owned (MFD) Program: Expands opportunities for MFD firms on County contracts.
Diverse Business Membership Organizations
African American Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County
Contact Janice Freeman or call 301-428-3770
Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce
Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council
Ethio-American Chamber of Commerce (EACC)
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County
Korean American Women's Chamber of Commerce USA
Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce
Includes a public database of members by industry
MidAtlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Montgomery County’s Minority Business Program
A business owned by a minority, woman, or disabled person is a firm that is at least 51% owned, controlled and managed daily by one or more persons of minority status. To participate in Montgomery County’s Minority Business Program, a firm must be certified by one of the six agencies listed below. The County’s Procurement Regulations encourage departments and agencies to actively recruit certified MFD-owned businesses to provide goods, services (professional and non-professional) and construction services for performing government functions. CERTIFYING AGENCIES & OTHER INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD >
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
BLACK LION CAFE, Rockville, MD
Ethiopia is considered to be the birthplace of coffee, and this local, family-owned coffee house has brought these world-famous beans to Rockville. Every cup that Black Lion serves is the delicious result of their family’s highest standards and premium brands. Taste the authentic Ethiopian flavor in their meticulously designed and comfortable café, or take home products roasted fresh from their high-tech roaster and packed immediately to provide the very best quality.