Ohio Business and Career Expo Targets Minorities, Women and
Disadvantaged Business Owners, Job Seekers
Special to The Truth
Job seekers and business owners are invited to attend the
Ohio Business and Career Expo being held from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. May 17 at the Ohio Expo Center’s Cardinal Hall, 717 E.
17th Ave., Columbus. Several hundred attendees
are expected.
This free networking and learning opportunity is geared
toward job seekers and business owners who are minorities,
women, or otherwise socially and economically disadvantaged.
Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with
employers and procurement officials from the Ohio Department
of Administrative Services, Ohio Department of
Transportation and other state agencies as well as the
Columbus Regional Airport Authority and more. In addition to
one-on-one networking opportunities, the event also will
include many workshops.
The purpose of the expo is to support the efforts of the
State of Ohio and its partners to support equal employment
opportunities and efforts to expand access to state
contracts for small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
For job seekers, the expo provides the chance to explore
career opportunities with government agencies and
construction trades. In addition, participants will include
contractors who work on state and state-assisted
construction projects and are interested in further
diversifying their workforces. Representatives from
construction apprenticeship programs also will be available
to discuss opportunities in their fields. In addition, a
computer lab will be available for job seekers to start
creating a profile on the State of Ohio job posting site,
careers.ohio.gov. Workshops will be offered on resume
writing, interviewing techniques and application processes.
For business owners, the expo provides networking
opportunities for businesses certified through the
Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), EDGE (Encouraging
Diversity, Growth and Equity) or Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise (DBE) programs as well as those interested in
learning more about becoming certified. MBE and EDGE are
administered by the Ohio Department of Administrative
Services. DBE is administered by the Ohio Department of
Transportation.
In addition to networking opportunities and scheduled
“matchmaking” appointments with purchasing officials,
workshop topics will include financing programs, registering
to do business with the state and responding to a state bid
request. A computer lab will be available to help business
owners begin the application process for MBE and/or EDGE
certification, recertification or cross
certification. Participants also will be able to begin the
forms to do business with the state and to receive bid
notifications. Help also will be available to navigate the
state procurement website, procure.ohio.gov.
Admission is free. Parking is $5.
Job seekers and businesses are encouraged to register for
the expo, but walk-ins are welcome. To be notified when
registration opens, email
das.mbe-edge@das.ohio.gov.
For more information, visit
das.ohio.gov/eod
or call 614-466-8380.
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