Chambers of Commerce traditionally have memberships that are comprised of a wide variety of businesses. NWMBA is a 501(c)(6) business league for minority, women, and veteran-owned firms (M/V/WBEs). Our five specific construction system industry categories are: Architecture, Construction Services, Engineering, Real Estate and Development, and Related Industries, used by those sectors such as pre-construction, post-construction, and support services. We devote and promote business conditions improvements for our members, as distinguished from performing services for individual businesses. We arrive to access, equity, inclusion, and diversity when we address institutional and systemic inequities, clearing the path to good business and good governance. Then and only then can M/V/WBEs experience sustainable and profitable growth and create good paying jobs and careers, while they strengthen their community infrastructure and benefit the community-at-large.

NWMBA does not certify minority-owned businesses. We assist in connecting you with the proper individuals who can help with the certification processes.

Absolutely YES!  For decades, founders of NWMBA have been strong advocates for becoming certified for State Minority Business Enterprise, Minority Woman Business Enterprise, Combined Business Enterprise, Women Business Enterprise, and/or Veteran Business Enterprise (MBE/MWBE/CBE/WBE/VBE) and the Federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).

Absolutely not and, in fact, quite the opposite.  NWMBA’s Founders have, or currently are, serving on the volunteer boards for other Washington and Oregon nonprofit corporations and charitable organizations.  We encourage all minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses across the Pacific Northwest to join, participate, and engage with these outstanding business organizations.  We will eagerly refer you to key representatives of each of these organizations so that you can engage at the level which is best suited for your business.

NWMBA will have high-impact or signature events, but our emphasis is not on creating events that are usually expensive to produce and can have limited value for participants.  Instead – NWMBA is about ‘connecting’ our members to key decision makers, and to create relationships with team-leaders and purchasers in their respective environments.  For example, if you are in the construction industry – join us as we participate in various Associated General Contractors (AGC) Washington Chapter events. If you are an engineer – join us as we participate in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) events.  We are fortunate to be doing business in the Pacific Northwest because there are so many robust and exciting industry groups that need to know that minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses mean business!

NWMBA advocates strongly for all minority, women, and veteran-owned firms, and our allies, in our core industry categories and beyond.  As we launch this historic initiative, we have reduced our membership dues for minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses for the programs and services we offer for 2022. We want you to be successful in building your business.  When NWMBA adds monetary value to your business through the connections we have made for you, through our advocacy efforts, and the relevant technical assistance and training activities we provide or support – you may want to become a dues paying Member or Sponsor of NWMBA and ‘give back’ in a way that is appropriate for your business.

If you would like to become a sponsor or corporate member of NWMBA, we will be happy to collaborate with you to build a customized program with tools and reporting that meets the needs of our collective stakeholders and our members.

What if I am a nonprofit and want to participate with NWMBA.

We welcome nonprofit partners to join us in this unique and very timely economic vitality opportunity!  If you are a nonprofit that wishes to engage with NWMBA that meets the needs of our collective core audiences we would be delighted to collaborate with you to develop an innovative approach to develop tools and services for our mutual members and identify your key performance indicators that are measured, evaluated, and reported to your stakeholders and our members and communities.

We welcome nonprofit partners to join us in this unique and very timely economic vitality opportunity!  If you are a nonprofit that wishes to engage with NWMBA that meets the needs of our collective core audiences we would be delighted to collaborate with you to develop an innovative approach to develop tools and services for our mutual members and identify your key performance indicators that are measured, evaluated, and reported to your stakeholders and our members and communities.

We welcome any/all public agencies at the local, state, regional, and federal levels to join us in this unique and very timely economic vitality opportunity!  If you are a public agency that wishes to engage with NWMBA that meets the needs of our collective core audiences we would be delighted to collaborate with you to develop an innovative approach that not only taps into the over 150 years of experience generated by our organizational leadership but we will also work with you to identify your key performance indicators that can be measured, tested, and reported to ensure your investment in the Pacific Northwest’s diverse minority and small business community meets the highest standards of ‘good government.’