Leading Business & Civil Rights Organizations Partner to Launch ‘Build Up Local’ Platform, Provide Education and Resources on Historic Infrastructure Law, Helps Close Racial Wealth Gap
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2022
CONTACT
Emily Fuder, efuder@nationalace.org
Leading Business & Civil Rights Organizations Partner to Launch ‘Build Up Local’ Platform, Provide Education and Resources on Historic Infrastructure Law, Helps Close Racial Wealth Gap
NEW YORK — The National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) is excited to partner with The National Urban League (NUL), the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) to announce the release of phase one of Build Up Local, a one-stop shop for business owners in systematically excluded communities of color to learn about resources and programs made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Today, phase one of Build Up Local is going live and business owners can sign up to receive updates. In the coming week, an updated version of the platform will launch with a full suite of resources that will be continually updated.
The goal of this platform is to help close the racial wealth gap through inclusive infrastructure contracting opportunities. More specifically, Build Up Local aims to assist minority-owned businesses by:
Providing business owners with resources to help them understand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how it can help their business thrive.
Equipping businesses of color with the information needed to access contracting opportunities.
“National ACE has been looking forward to the equitable implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act since the historic funding was announced. This invaluable platform, developed by our partners, will help make that vision a reality. Diverse and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)-owned small businesses will finally have the resources to access and learn about the opportunities made available in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said National ACE President and CEO Chiling Tong.
“The National Urban League is dedicated to ensuring African American and other underserved communities have access to the same economic opportunities as everyone else in our society. This resource, and the valuable contracting opportunities it opens for the communities we serve, is a crucial tool to make that happen,” said National Urban League CEO and President Marc Morial.
“Ensuring that NMSDC-certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) can access the contracting opportunities provided by the recent infrastructure bill, is a high priority for NMSDC. Reaching our audacious goal of $1 trillion in annual revenue for certified MBEs requires that we all work together to create greater economic equity. Build Up Local is a great example of that collaboration in action,” said NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides billions of dollars in funding for infrastructure on the state and local level. We’re excited about the launch of Build Up Local as a continuation of our work to connect systematically excluded minority owned businesses with critical resources, and ensure opportunities arising from this historic legislation are accessible, equitable and inclusive for all,” said Katie Vlietstra Wonnenberg of PPSI.
Business owners can learn more about this resource and the opportunities presented by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at builduplocal.org.
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About National ACE:
National ACE’s mission is to serve as a strong advocate of AAPI business interests and positive change on all issues that enhance and advance the goals and aspirations of AAPI business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. National ACE strives to do this through supporting and promoting issues that impact the AAPI business community, improving the economic development and economic impact of the AAPI community, advancing coalitions and enhancing community building, and fostering the next generation of AAPI entrepreneurs and executives. National ACE provides a unified voice for the business interests of AAPIs nationally. Learn more at www.nationalace.org or www.aapistrong.com.
About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the Urban League collaborates at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups. For more information, please visit nul.org.
About NMSDC
Founded in 1972, NMSDC is the longest-operating business growth engine for the broadest group of systematically excluded communities of color (Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American), and our impact goes far beyond the supply chain. It’s about upward mobility for the emerging majority of Americans, an equal shot at participating in the American experiment of free-market capitalism and entrepreneurship. Our work is about correcting the unequal access to wealth-building opportunities. For more information, please visit nmsdc.org.
About Public Private Strategies Institute
The Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) is an independent research and education organization. PPSI engages in educational activities concerning the public and private sectors’ roles in advancing societal change. PPSI explores best practices and trends through research, publications, and educational events. Additionally, it produces educational and informational content that will educate public and private sector actors about their capacity to be agents of social change; and conduct research into the existing landscape of public and private social responsibility and the potential for the future. For more information, please visit ppsi.org.