Connecting universities and colleges with veteran-owned businesses is the goal of a proposal introduced in the Illinois House. When universities need to hire a company for any given project, they often have goals intended to help out firms owned by minorities, women and veterans.
Problem is, says Dan Johnson, there's no central place for business owners to know about these programs; no central place for an owner to find out what certification's needed to prove her firm qualifies. Johnson, is a lobbyist, who represents the Federation of Women Contractors. He's pushing a measure he says would help make those connections.
"One of the best ways to help veterans that happen to be entrepreneurs, is to make sure there are opportunities for veteran-owned businesses to prosper."
The legislation would require all colleges and universities in Illinois, public and private, to report to the state each year how much money they've spent on minority, female and veteran-owned businesses. The Board of Higher Education would also have to hold an annual supplier diversity workshop, to discuss how to overcome any problems in achieving minority-contracting goals.
