Minority Business Facilitator is Formed

MIDDLETOWN – A new not-for-profit organization has been formed in the region to facilitate opportunities for minority businesses to start up and grow.

Hudson Valley Minority Enterprise, based in Middletown, has a primary mission of forging economic and social alliances that assist with the development of successful minority businesses in the region, said its Board Chairman James Rollins.

“We find that they don’t have a seat at the table. We didn’t come and ask for a seat at the table. What we realized was that there was a vacant seat at the table and as a result we have positioned ourselves to fill that vacuum,” he said. “We want to make sure that minority owned businesses are involved in procurements, contracts and the necessary discussions needed to develop the overall Orange County business community.”

Rollins said the organization will bring information to the minority business community, including access to capital – a significant issue facing minority business growth. He pointed to the Small Business Administration, which in 2014 distributed $23.5 billion to small businesses, but only $400 million. or 1.4 percent, went to African-American businesses.

The Hudson Valley Minority Enterprise board is comprised of business executives and educators with advanced degrees.

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