b'C.J. BellDirector, Economic Development, New Castle County GovernmentThe New Castle County (NCC) Office of Economic Development (OED) prioritizesadditional barriers to small business owners who could be bidding on County the development of an innovation & entrepreneurship ecosystem, with a specificcontracts. We are also engaging in intense community outreach to find and educate emphasis on our underserved communities. Historically, our underservedmore small business owners on our County procurement.We will also hire a Small communities have been amongst our minority population. Prominent themes wereBusiness Enterprise Program Coordinator who will lead the design, development, actively addressing include lack of access to capital, utilization rate of governmentand implementation of expanded enterprise-level diversity initiatives. These contracts, and additional support in commercial corridor areas of underservedinitiatives will result in a significantly higher minority-business utilization rate in our communities.government contracts and the number of minority-owned businesses eligible for various bids in government contracts. Lack of access to capital has been a common theme for minority-owned businesses. One way to address thisproviding prize money for several pitch competitions thatLastly, during public outreach by NCCs Economic and Community Development are designed for underserved populations (woman-owned, minority-owned, etc.)Committee, a common interest to revitalize blighted neighborhoods hindered by We have sponsored the top prize for both Delaware Black Chamber of Commercesubstandard or deteriorating conditions evolved. These commercial corridors reflect and New Castle County Chamber of Commerce pitch competitions. This providesthe disproportionate impact of the pandemic on underserved communities that minority businesses with the initial funding needed to grow and expand theirwere already disadvantaged before Covid-19. The Committee found that the health business. of commercial corridors depends on the range of goods and services offered, the connectivity of these corridors to the community, the relevance of commercial In addition to sponsored pitch competitions, New Castle County has created theofferings to neighborhood demand, a diversity of commercial industries, and a Grow NCC Fund. This fund allows businesses 2 years or older to access belowbalance of available community resources. By creating a program designated to market rate loans, averaging between $250,000-$1,000,000 dollars. For existingrevitalizing targeted commercial corridors, well be able to provide real-time relief to businesses looking to take the next step in growth, the Grow NCC fund can be anbusinesses that will thrive in better supported environments. invaluable tool.Secondly, Our Public Works Department conducted a disparity study that indicated low utilization of minority businesses in construction projects. In response, we have introduced a Small Business Enterprise program and using ARPA funding, hired an SBE consultant to validate our existing vendor database and to identify Delaware Three Rivers Area Economic Development Master Plan 166'