Bridging the Gap

 Overview      Get Involved      Quarterly Newsletter      Achievement Awards      Resources      Contact Us




Overview

Bridging the Gap is an initiative of the Greater Baltimore Committee, designed to advance the business culture of greater Baltimore by fostering an atmosphere in which majority and minority and women-owned businesses can form mutually beneficial strategic partnerships. The Bridging the Gap Initiative strives to provide businesses with the necessary tools and support to develop such collaborations.

The goals of the Initiative are to:

• Nurture the creation of legacy wealth among minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) by broadening business prospects that are available to them.
• Communicate the business case for minority inclusion and development to the region’s larger business community.
• Provide training opportunities that enhance capabilities within the minority and women-owned
  business community to enable successful participation in partnership opportunities.

Bridging the Gap is one of the GBC’s top priorities. The Bridging the Gap Initiative relates directly
to the GBC’s mission of improving the business climate of the Greater Baltimore region by organizing
its corporate and civic leadership to develop solutions to the problems that affect the region's
competitiveness and viability. The region’s competitiveness would receive a significant boost if full
participation of MWBEs in the regional economy were to be achieved. A study conducted by the Sage
Policy Group found that fully engaging MWBEs in the region’s economy, would generate as much as
$5 billion of additional sales revenue and 32,000 new jobs.




Get Involved

All businesses, majority and minority, large and small must contribute to a unified business community in the Greater Baltimore region. Some of the ways that you can help include:

• Committing to use the Bridging the Gap Online Inventory
• Providing instructional services at a Bridging the Gap workshop
• Participating in Bridging the Gap workshops
• Serving on Bridging the Gap Committee
• Entering into strategic partnerships and alliances
• Volunteering to be a business mentor

One of Bridging the Gap's latest steps is to create an inventory of minority owned businesses.
This inventory will allow you to:

• Help majority businesses identify minority owned businesses with whom they
  can do business
• Provide information on the experience and capacity of your business
• Businesses will use the inventory as a resource in making purchasing decisions

To search for minority and/or women-owned businesses that are available to work with your company, click here.  

Apply to be included in the inventory

Quarterly Newsletter

The Bridging the Gap newsletter is a quarterly report, providing its members with updates and news on minority and women-owned business initiatives, events and success stories throughout the Greater Baltimore region.

Archive
March 2010
October 2009
April 2009
June 2008
March 2008
December 2007
August 2007
April 2007




Bridging the Gap Achievement Awards

The GBC Bridging the Gap Achievement Awards is an annual ceremony honoring businesses in three categories:

• Successful minority and women-owned business owners
• Majority companies and/or corporate leaders that have demonstrated leadership in an area of inclusive business practices
• Partnerships or strategic alliances between minority business owners or between minority business owners and majority businesses to pursue new business opportunities

"Thank you, Donald Fry and Kisha Lashley and any one else responsible for the honor given to PLASE at your recent awards ceremony.  It meant a great deal to the 5 PLASE staff attending and they have spread the word in their excitement to others here at PLASE." --Mary C. Slicher, Executive Director, Project PLASE, Inc. People Lacking Ample Shelter & Employment

"Thank you for the fantastic 'Bridging the Gap' presentation last night. It was truly an honor to receive such an impressive award from GBC. If we are to continue growth in our business community it is important for all companies; major corporations, small, minority, and woman owned businesses, to work together to build for the future. This award is a great honor to all the employees at MKA and offers encouragement to every member of my team to move forward in bringing staffing solutions to the outstanding companies in the Baltimore Business Community while providing employment opportunities to the citizens in our area. Thank you for your dedication to GBC, the business community and the citizens of the Baltimore region." --Mary Kraft, CEO, Mary Kraft & Associates, Inc.

2008 Bridging the Gap Achievement Award Winners 




Resources

City’s MBE Directory
Minority and women owned businesses certified with Baltimore City Government

Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development




Contact Us

Kisha Lashley
Director, Bridging the Gap
Phone: 410-727-2820 ext. 19
Fax: 410-539-5705
Email: kishal@gbc.org 

Greater Baltimore Committee
111 South Calvert Street, Suite 1700
Baltimore, MD 21202