Westchester County Executive George Latimer and the Office of Economic Development are giving Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) a new tool on the web to connect and gain access to opportunities within the County. A new web-based mapping application, developed by the Westchester County Department of Information Technology GIS, provides a comprehensive view of all businesses registered with the Westchester County Minority and Women-Owned Business Program. The application allows users to identify detailed information about each business and functions like filtering business data by categories or finding nearby businesses based on an address and valuable infographics.
Latimer said: “The pandemic caused many of our MWBEs to reset their vision. We want these business leaders to know they have a home here in Westchester and we want potential customers and partners who are seeking them out, to find these unique services. What this interactive application does is bring everyone to table. MWBEs have been in the room for a long time, let this robust database serve as catalyst to keep them flourishing.”
Director of the Office of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons said: “This user-friendly application will allow anyone to see where MWBEs are located in Westchester County. It will give MWBEs a place to find each other, and allow for detailed and customized searches based on location and expertise. These registered businesses will become part of a network and will also be eligible for exclusive invitations for the many programs offered in Westchester County. We want to be a bridge for MWBEs to collaborate, grow and thrive.”
Director of Minority and Women Owned Business Development Martha Lopez said: “It’s about higher visibility. We know our MWBEs are often underserved with limited resources. We want to encourage them and let them know the door to Westchester is open.”
There are currently 2,510 MWBEs registered with Westchester County. Of that number, 1,415 are businesses owned by women.
The top five specializations include: professional services, construction related services, communications, products and supplies and organizational management. The local municipalities with the most registered MWBEs are: Mount Vernon, Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle and Greenburgh.