MAYOR ADAMS MAKES MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

 

Mayor Appoints Michael Garner as Chief Business Diversity Officer of Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises

 

 Signs Executive Order 26 to Eliminate Bias and Underutilization of Some Ethnic and Gender M/WBE Groups

 

Builds on Administration’s Newest OneNYC Goals to Increase Overall M/WBE Utilization Across Citywide Procurement Announced in State of the City

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today reaffirmed his commitment to the Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise community by appointing Michael Garner as chief business diversity officer of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE). In this role, Garner will support and elevate New York City’s M/WBEs by making the city a more equitable and inclusive business environment — a top priority of the Adams administration. Additionally, Mayor Adams today signed Executive Order 26, to help address the “disparity within the disparity” in the award of city procurement dollars to M/WBEs. Although studies demonstrate that M/WBEs are underutilized in city contracting, certain ethnic and gender groups of M/WBEs remain more disproportionately underutilized than others. Executive Order 26 focuses on increasing participation by Black American, Hispanic American, and Native-American M/WBEs and Asian-American WBEs — all groups that have been persistently and negatively impacted by procurement inequities.

 

“This administration has placed economic equity front and center as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and recovers economically,” said Mayor Adams. “By signing Executive Order 26 to increase the number of underrepresented ethnic groups awarded city contracts and appointing Michael Garner as chief business diversity officer of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises, we are reaffirming our administration’s commitment to expanding opportunities for our minority and women-owned business owners. These support systems will build equity, boost our recovery, and create new opportunities for M/WBEs citywide. This is how we ‘Get Stuff Done’ and fight inequality right here in our own city.”

 

“I am thrilled to welcome Michael Garner to this administration as the chief business diversity officer. Michael has a proven track-record of breaking through bureaucratic hurdles to ensure M/WBE contractors are given a seat at the table and, more importantly, are awarded contracts,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “With Michael’s appointment and the accompanying executive order, this administration is demonstrating that it is laser-focused on creating an equitable business environment.”

 

“Our minority and women-owned businesses are the backbone of our city, and they deserve a champion worthy of their crucial role in our economic recovery. Michael Garner is that champion,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “I’m very excited for Michael to join this administration, help guide and grow our M/WBE program, and advance the policies laid out in this executive order — zeroing in on increasing opportunities at every agency and tackling disparities within our M/WBE program.”

 

“I am both honored and excited to have been selected by Mayor Eric Adams as New York City’s first citywide chief business diversity officer,” said Citywide Chief Business Diversity Officer Michael J. Garner. “As this administration builds on the recent successes of the M/WBE program, we look forward to making New York City an even more inclusive and equitable economic ecosystem for all of our businesses, including the ones that have historically been under-represented in our city’s procurement environment. We know that a disparity remains, not only between non-M/WBEs and M/WBEs, but also among certain ethnic and gender categories within our pool of diverse New York City-certified businesses. I commend Mayor Adams for taking bold action to systematically address these disparities, and I plan to leverage my 30 years of building successful M/WBE programs across multiple organizations in support of our shared vision. A vision that is rooted in ensuring that New York’s economic recovery is an inclusive one, and in building the best M/WBE program in the Fortune 500 capital of the world.”

 

“The Adams administration has put Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises front-and-center in our economic recovery,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “As the city’s first-ever chief business diversity officer, Michael’s vast experience and outstanding record of delivering for the people of New York will set our local businesses up to thrive. SBS is excited to get to work with Michael and all our city agency partners to ‘Get Stuff Done’ for our M/WBE community.”

 

“We hold steadfast to our city’s commitment to create a more inclusive and fair contracting environment for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises,” said Mayor’s Office of Contact Services Director Lisa Flores. “As we continue the important work of reforming the procurement process, we keep M/WBEs at the forefront of our vision to ensure our policies promote success. It’s no secret that I, along with my colleagues, believe M/WBEs are more than just the goods and services they provide — they represent New Yorkers and communities across the five boroughs. Our new chief business diversity officer, Michael Garner, has the experience and drive needed to prioritize the wellbeing of these businesses to ensure a bright future for all.” 

 

Mayor Adams also announced that mayoral agencies are directed to, whenever practicable, seek to award contracts for goods, services, and construction of up to $1 million to M/WBEs through a non-competitive method. By increasing the threshold limit of this directive from $500,000 to $1 million, the city has taken steps to ensure that M/WBEs will be able to more effectively compete for larger contracts, expanding their opportunities to work with the city. In Fiscal Year 2022, the city awarded $112 million in contracts to M/WBEs using the non-competitive methods — up from $75 million Fiscal Year 2019. That award amount is expected to rise dramatically in the upcoming years.

 

Through Executive Order 26:

• City agencies will be directed to use the non-competitive method to procure goods, services, and construction for amounts not exceeding $1 million, whenever practicable.
• City agencies will be directed to limit the initial pool of solicited vendors for goods, services, and construction for amounts not exceeding $500,000 to Black American M/WBEs, Hispanic American M/WBEs, Native American M/WBEs, and/or Asian American WBEs, whenever practicable.
• The chief business diversity officer, in consultation with MOCS and the New York City Department of Small Business Services, shall periodically review agency procurement data provided by MOCS and relevant research to (a) determine any changes in the ethnic or gender categories of M/WBEs to be classified as underutilized, (b) to identify meaningful progress towards addressing overall disparities in procurement across the city, and (c) to make any necessary adjustments to city policies based on such review.

The Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises was created to address historic disparities in city contracting and provide minority and women entrepreneurs increased opportunities to do business with New York City. The office is responsible for developing policy, enhancing coordination among city agencies, and providing oversight and accountability of the city’s M/WBE program.

 

“Michael Garner has developed an esteemed career during his tenure with the MTA, NYCHA and his community service throughout New York City,” said U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat. “I commend Mayor Adams on this most recent appointment tapping Mr. Garner as the chief business diversity officer of the Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE), and I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the Adams administration to ensure the inclusion and support of the Minority-and Women-Owned Business Enterprise community throughout our city.”

 

“New York’s rich diversity should be reflected in our economy, yet women and people of color remain underrepresented in who our city does business with,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Michael Garner brings a wealth of experience and relationships to breaking down barriers to doing business with the city for firms led by people of color and women, and I look forward to working with him in this new role. Together with the Adams administration, we are committed to expanding opportunities through city procurement and applaud the raising of the threshold for Noncompetitive Small Purchases.”