National Black Business Month serves as a reminder not only to recognize the achievements of businesses within the Black community but also to unite in the shared goal of creating opportunities that empower diverse entrepreneurs. Through the power of community, collaboration, and inclusivity, Charles County offers a variety of resources tailored to enhance access to funding, technical assistance, education, and visibility for Minority-owned businesses.
Formed by dedicated volunteer board members and officers, the Southern Maryland Minority Chamber of Commerce (SMMCOC) was founded in 2008 to advance civic, commercial, and industrial development across the communities spanning Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. Here, you will find critical resources, such as the Southern Maryland Virtual Resource Center, Chamber news, and methods for becoming a member.
The Charles County Chamber of Commerce includes a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Here, you will find ways to get involved, run for a position on the committee, and, more simply, a breadth of resources for Black-owned or Minority-owned businesses, such as SCORE, which offers webinars and expert advice for Black-owned businesses during National Black Business Month.
The Charles County Small Local Business Enterprise Program (SLBE) supports small businesses by granting them exclusive access to county government procurements and preferences for other procurement services.
The Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program (MWBE) spends millions of dollars annually to ensure that minority and women-owned businesses are more strongly represented across procurement purchases in the county.
The Southern Region’s Maryland Small Business Development Center is a free resource hosted by the College of Southern Maryland that provides training and professional business consultation to new or existing businesses.
For more information about how the Charles County Economic Development Department can uplift Black-owned and Minority-owned businesses, click here.
