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<br />19 <br /> <br />Funding Resources: <br />The Office of Diversity provided alternative resources to assist Minority and Women-Owned -Owned businesses by building <br />meaningful relationships with local financial institutions and providing referrals to help struggling small and emerging companies in <br />the community build capacity. The ongoing relationship was built with Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, Teachers Credit Union, 1st. <br />Source Bank, Accion Bank, Brightpoint, and Center Bank. The City of South Bend assisted local businesses to the <br />Alive Grant-Community Investment. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion has established Small Business Suite to provide wrap- <br />around services in legal counseling, accounting, bookkeeping, business coaching, and financial coaching. The goal is to strengthen the <br />small business ecosystem through investment in the professional service community and increase utilization of small local Minority <br />and Women-Owned -owned businesses. <br />Future Learning: <br />The Office of Diversity & Inclusion provides business community networking and training opportunities through Microsoft Teams, <br />Facebook, and one-on-one and group meeting sessions. We participate in vendor outreach fairs and give information on conducting <br />business with the City of South Bend. Additional learning opportunities include bi-annual vendor training, contract compliance, and <br />certification training by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. This training is significant to understanding where opportunities exist for <br />South Bend to become more competitive. The Office of D&I is looking for innovative ways to promote a mentorship program for <br />Small Local Businesses to partner with established Prime contractors. By enhancing business skills and broadening the base of <br />Minority and Women-Owned Businesses, we plan to meet the Program's overall goals. We are also anticipating the second iteration of <br />the Small Business Assistance Suite to provide new business opportunities and welcome informal businesses into the formal economy <br />while increasing utilization. <br />The City of South Bend has purchased a new software system, B2Gnow- an electronic data collection system with the functionality <br />that pulls contract information, NAICS Codes, race and gender ownership, and Minority and Women-Owned -Owned certification <br />status. Additional features include Prime and Sub Contractor payments verification of prompt payments to subcontractors. Spend <br />analysis of information expenditures and import/export integration with existing systems to exchange contract payment and vendor <br />data.