The Business Capacity Development Program (BCDP) is designed to increase the capacity and capabilities of small-, women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses (S/W/MBE firms) to better compete for and participate on Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) projects. The program increases business owners’ knowledge and confidence in key areas for business success.
In collaboration with established businesses, organizations, and mentors, program participants can partake in customized training and mentoring, including:
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Our 2024 BCDP will have an increased focus on connecting participants in doing business with MMSD. MMSD has significant construction and consulting opportunities, being a regional government agency that provides water reclamation and flood management services for about 1.1 million people in 28 communities in the Greater Milwaukee area. This program can help participants re-evaluate their business strategies to better align their company for continued improvement and success in an ever-changing business climate.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
The BCDP is designed for all businesses, but, has a specific focus for businesses that are certified or taking steps to become certified as an SBE, MBE, WBE, VBE, or DBE. Individuals who should attend include:
- Business owner
- Operating officer or other key staff
- Critical decision makers from the firm
Representatives of local non-profit organizations or non-certified firms are strongly encouraged to participate if their work relates to the District.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Training Seminars
Seminars will be live virtual format. The virtual seminars are live online classes hosted through Microsoft Teams. Once registered, participants will receive a link to access the meeting. Participants are encouraged to utilize the free online Microsoft Teams platform to access the seminars so they can view the content on their screen. For participants without audio/microphone capabilities on their computers, a call-in option is also provided.
Each of the seminars will coincide with an online curriculum based on the topics discussed in the virtual seminar. Participants are encouraged to follow up with the online curriculum to dive further into the topics discussed. Access to the online curriculum will be provided to all participants who have attended at least one live virtual seminar or networking session.
Online Training Curriculum
All participants will have access to online curriculum available at https://mmsd.crewwire.com.
The online curriculum allows participants to experience the value of business development training without taking valuable time away from their work. Additionally, participants have more opportunity to incorporate what they are learning into their business and reflect on the impact of what they’re doing.
The content from the live virtual seminars will be broken down into short videos that are no more than 30 minutes in duration, allowing participants to revisit seminar topics at their own pace.
The online training videos will be made available after the associated live virtual seminar has taken place.
One-On-One Business Mentoring
MMSD understands the benefits of one-on-one business mentoring. By stepping back to work on the business, businesses are able to apply the business development concepts directly to their business with the guidance of a firm that has been through it before.
Participants who are engaged in the live virtual seminars and online curriculum will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one business mentoring with MMSD consultants on various areas, such as:
- Targeted training sessions
- Estimating assistance
- Accounting, financing, and cash flow management
Networking Events
Throughout the program year, a variety of networking events will be held to encourage relationship building amongst BCDP participants, MMSD staff, and other District vendors.
Certificates of Attendance
Attendees will receive a course certificate for each liver virtual or network session attended. This provides a convenient form of documentation for those attendees that track their continuing education time as it relates to professional certifications.
