Город Шарлотт организует помощь малому бизнесу после отмены государственных квот

City of Charlotte working to help small businesses after state budget change: What we know ‘When I look around other cities, they don’t always have the same level of resources that we do’ CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Changes in the North Carolina state budget are creating some challenges for some small businesses. Local governments can no longer identify a minority or women owned businesses for targeted opportunities like construction projects or other infrastructure work. The city of Charlotte says they’re doing everything they can to help owners. Julius Edwards, the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for Charlotte Business INClusion, says there’s plenty of resources within the city to get support, people just need to know where to look. Miguel Avila Jr., the President of Daily View Pools LLC, says he started his small business as a college student. “My business started out of UNC Charlotte, out of the 49er incubator, this business accelerator program at UNC Charlotte back in 2016,” Avila said. Since then, his family’s construction business has grown. “I started getting more involved, joining different programs, including one called AMP Up, which really helped me put together a business plan that I could use to give funding to our company, which eventually led to us receiving SBA funding to get equipment and grow our company the way we need to,” Avila said. They’ve also gotten some important contracts with the city of Charlotte like installing new light fixtures along Arrowood Road as part of the revitalization project. “When I look around other cities, they don’t always have the same level of resources that we do,” Avila said. Those resources now are even more important after a state budget provision ended state efforts and requirements to include minority and women-owned businesses in contracts. “If you are a minority or women business here in the city of Charlotte, we cannot target you for any type of opportunities,” Edwards said. “We’re going to continue our efforts with our small business programs and our small business certification.” The city says they have programs and mentor opportunities available but their big event to help businesses navigate the change is happening next week. “We’re going to have folks here who are talking about small business certification, and so if you’re interested in certified and becoming a vendor with the city, you can begin that process at this event,” Edwards said. “Most importantly, you’ll have an opportunity to directly talk with city leaders, procurement professionals, and prime contractors about the opportunities that exist here.” Avila is encouraging his fellow owners to take advantage of every opportunity the city is offering. “We’re all small businesses trying to get to a bigger stage in our company life. I think there’s a lot of people in the city that generally want to do good. It shows by helping each other,” Avila said. The Business Connections Event is on Thursday, Sept. 10, starting at 3 p.m. at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center. If you’d like to register for the event click here. Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.