Page 13 - Women's Yellow Pages (2019)

MWDBE

Allegheny County is a Certifying Participant of the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program.
The criteria for certification review is as follows:

Ownership- Your business must be 51% owned by a socially and economically disadvantaged
individual(s).
"Disadvantaged"- You may be eligible if you are a member of a group of persons the Department
considers as disadvantaged. The Department presumes certain groups are disadvantaged, including
women, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Subconti-
nent Asian-Pacific Americans, or other minorities found to be disadvantaged by the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA).
•Business Size Determination- A firm must be a small business as defined by SBA standards. It
must not have annual gross receipts over $23.98 million in the previous three fiscal years ($56.42 mil-
lion for airport concessionaires in general with some exceptions).
• Personal Net Worth- Only disadvantaged persons having a personal net worth of less than $1.32
million can be considered as a potential qualified DBE. Items excluded from a person's net worth calcu-
lation include an individual's ownership interest in the applicant firm, and his or her equity in their pri-
mary residence.
•Independence- The business must not be tied to another firm in such a way as to compromise its
independence and control.
•Control- A disadvantaged owner seeking certification must possess the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management and policies of the firm. The owner must also have an overall understand-
ing of, and managerial and technical competence and experience directly related to, the type of busi-
ness in which the firm is engaged.
•Burden of Proof Allocation- Applicants carry the initial burden of proof regarding their eligibility and
must demonstrate that they meet all requirements concerning group membership or individual disadvan-
tage, business size, ownership, and control.

For additional information, please go to the Allegheny County Department of Minority, Women
and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise at www.alleghenycounty.us/mwdbe/index.aspx or call
(412) 350-4309.

THE CENTER FOR WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT
CHATHAM UNIVERSITY
COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY DEPARTMENT OF Phone: 412-365-1253
MINORITY WOMEN AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS Email: womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu
ENTERPRISES (MWDBE) www.chatham.edu/cwe
Ruth Byrd-Smith, Director The center offers cutting-edge, just-in-time programs and
204 County Office Building events to enhance the professional and personal growth of
542 Forbes Avenue women business owners.
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 see or ad on page5 5
Phone: 412-350-4309
Fax: 412-350-4915 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SMALL BUSINESS
Email: mwdbe@alleghenycounty.us DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The MWDBE’s mission is to create an environment that 6000 Forbes Avenue
promotes meaningful business opportunities, showcases Pittsburgh, PA 15282
viable M/W/DBE firm capabilities, builds productive Phone: 412-396-1633
partnerships and exercises effective program management, Fax: 412-396-5884
targeted towards successful integration of M/W/DBE firms Duquesne’s SBDC consults individually with small business
within the business structure of Allegheny County and clients to assist with the demands of start-up and growth,
surrounding areas. such as marketing, business planning, projections, and
See our ad in the color insert financial needs: duqsbdc@edu; or visit our website:
www.duq.edu/sbdc.
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