Mr. FreemanWebber, Director
Ms. Cynthia Matlock, Asst.Director
Campbell Hall Suite 401
1301 University Boulevard
Birmingham, AL. 35294
Phone: 205-934-8889
The Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services Program has the mission of providing technical and management assistance to disadvantaged business owners and women business entrepreneurs (WBE) interested in doing business with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). The Program seeks to assure that DBE/WBE business are equipped with resources and the guidance needed to perform Department of Transportation contracts and compete in today’s competitive markets. The Program is located on the campus of the University of Alabama @ Birmingham. The Program directs the provision of its services to DBE’s located in the environs of Birmingham, Alabama and northeastern areas of the state.
The UAB/DBE Supportive Services Program, in partnership with various entities is developing innovative concepts by providing two additionally important services to DBE’s. The services are a Joint Venture Project and a Financial Resource Program.
The DBE Joint Venture Project, has been developed to assist the DBE’s in obtaining a larger share of the various contracts being offered by the Department of Transportation. Primarily, the Project’s goal is to provide assistance in the formation of joint ventures with related businesses so that DBE’s can compete with the prime contractors in the provision of a variety of tasks. Thus, by combining the resources of the Joint Venture, the DBE will have the ability to bid, compete and perform construction tasks/jobs where they have traditionally been denied access. Thereby, increasing their level of participation in highway construction projects.
The DBE Financial Resource Program is a programmatic objective of the UAB/DBE program to address an outstanding concern of the DBE’s. UAB/DBE program staff has identified, as one of the major issues confronting the success of DBE’s to be the lack of the provision of financial resources to such firms. According to staff research, there appears to be a lack of interest by various financial institutions throughout the state to provide operating capital to businesses that are owned by minorities and women.
The program staff has attempted to resolve these issues by interacting with financial institutions around the country. The staff has identified and secured letters of agreement with several major lenders, who will review the DBE loan packages. Upon completion of the review, the institutional partners/lenders will make every effort to provide the necessary capital, even if the DBE firm has a less than desirable credit rating.