Five partners – the Greater Omaha Chamber, City of Omaha, Metropolitan Community College, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Omaha Public Schools – have aligned to form REACH, a new collaboration, that will help small and emerging businesses build capacity and respond to increased contracting opportunities in Omaha and throughout the region.
Over the next 15 years, a percentage of more than $3 billion in construction projects will be allocated to small and emerging businesses (SEBs). REACH will assist in securing more than $100 million in SEB contracts.
“Given the amount of capital improvement projects underway, there is an opportunity to create more jobs and work for small and emerging businesses,” said Winsley Durand, executive director, REACH.
REACH seeks to address this opportunity through the following:
- Identify and increase the number of existing SEBs in the region
- Expand the capacity and capabilities of SEBs
- Recruit new SEB-qualified businesses with scopes of work not present in the market
- Educate SEBs on various topics to increase awareness and access to resources and avenues of assistance, including workforce and development training
Through this unique partnership, REACH will connect SEBs to strategic partners and community organizations to provide technical assistance. It will also utilize the Chamber’s extensive network of businesses and institutions to facilitate relationships, disseminate information and convene decision-makers.
“The REACH partners identified a challenge – a market need to address, creating an opportunity for us to respond. We’re excited to take on this initiative and help them meet their objectives,” said David G. Brown, Chamber president and CEO.
At its heart, REACH is a collaboration, a multi-partner and multi-faceted approach to ensuring SEBs are ready to bid and capitalize on new projects and reach their strategic goals.
“We have an opportunity in front of us – one that REACH will address through assisting small and emerging businesses, especially those in our under-served communities,” said Thomas Warren, chairman of the Chamber’s Minority Economic Development Council and executive director, Urban League of Nebraska.
“No one organization can address these challenges alone. Together, through REACH, we will work hand-in-hand with an array of companies to make a positive impact in this market space,” said Durand.