CTA awards Grants in service’s
The CTA(Chicago Transit Authority) is making an effort to help small business’ ran by women and minorities by giving them grants, but there are business services behind them, instead of money. This mostly due to the fact that the CTA allocates it transportation services among different groups evenly, but there is a low percentage of women and minority based business’ present. To meet the qualifications of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, one must be is a small business as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration and at least 51 percent of the ownership belongs to a person who is a member of a minority group or a woman and whose personal wealth does not exceed $750,000. The CTA also offers programs such as monthly workshops that educate the women/minorities, but the biggest problem is getting the companies in the desired areas to get certified and finding the ones that do meet the certifications. The CTA will continue to hold it’s monthly workshops in hopes to bring in more certifiable companies to contract to.
“By holding these workshops, we hope to certify more companies and increase the range of expertise of (such) companies that want to do business with the CTA,” transit agency spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said.
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