As an organizational development consultant for the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency, Chicago’s Erika Jordan adheres to a strict code of ethics as she pairs minority businesses with government contracting opportunities. The practice of marrying minority businesses with other corporations to secure large government contracts is steeped in the diversity principle and is finding wide acceptance in both the public and private sectors in Chicago and around the country. –roz edward
How do you identify business opportunities and match the businesses with the project?
It can be through a one-on-one consultation session where I set up a minority business enterprise with a specific opportunity. It can be a corporation calling me to find janitorial services and I find the MBE which matches their criteria. But the best and most concise way is through corporate events. We do a big event here in Chicago called Chicago Minority Enterprise Development Week, where approximately 1,000 companies and government entities get together, and we [conduct] workshops and panels and one-on-one business exchanges. The event culminates with a phenomenal gala with [big]-name entertainment. It’s a great place to network and solidify relationships.
What is the criteria for a company to participate in the program?
We don’t typically work with small companies. Our role, though, at the U.S. Department of Commerce is to work with the larger MBEs meaning $500,000 to a million in sales and up. We’re looking to help those MBEs grow their companies to be 10-million-dollar companies and 100-million-dollar companies.
What is the best thing about your job?
I love that it allows me to marry my creative mind with my efficient and organized mind. It also allows me to create jobs and wealth, not only for minority businesses, but for the business community at large. I wake up in the morning and I’m like ‘Wow. Is this really my job?’ It is a great thing.
What do you do with your downtime?
I love to travel. Anywhere hot, with sand and a beach, I’m there. Some of my favorite places are Saint Maarten, Barbados, Jamaica — any island … I’ve been there and want to go back again. I also love traveling abroad to Europe. I’m planning to go to the South of France or Dubai this year, and I’m very, very excited about that. My friends and I have a mindset that says, “Hey life is too short.” So we get up and go.
