City makes it easier for Latino firms to flourish
Certification now simpler for minority businesses
The owners of Kings Service Solutions once gave up attempting to obtain certification as a minority-owned business in Orlando, citing difficulty in the paperwork requirements.
But after trying again and eventually achieving the distinction, the owners said it helped the Orlando-based commercial cleaning company start winning bids for more work throughout the region.
City leaders have heard similar stories from other business leaders and late last year approved revisions to the process, now only requiring one form of identification for minorityowned businesses to verify Hispanic descent. The program helps such companies receive information on how to bid on local and national projects, and also promotes networking.
“For the most part, it’s not knowing the opportunities they have in the city of Orlando,” city commissioner Tony Ortiz said. “Moreso, they’ve found it difficult to apply … now it’s a lot easier.”
Since the rules were changed
in November 2017, 35 businesses have been certified under the city’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise process, a slight dip from the 38 businesses that did so during the same six-month period a day prior, city statistics show. In hopes of bolstering those numbers, the city this week launched an outreach campaign that includes bilingual workshops on how to apply.
Since completing the process in 2014, Kings Service Solutions, which employs about 225 people, has been winning bids to clean buildings downtown, including headquarters for Darden Restaurants and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, owner Arnaldo Herrero said.
“It doesn’t guarantee any contracts, but it does at least give you another talking point about your company,” Herrero said.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said a total of 166 businesses owned by Hispanics have been certified, and the economic impact of Latino businesses in the region is about $350 million.
“The city has really experienced significant growth over the last decade in our Latino businesses,” Dyer said.
Construction company Sky Builders USA opened up shop years ago with a handful of employees in a small office with no air conditioning and has also seen its prospects improve since gaining certification.
The company said it has received $6.5 million in work from the city, including a $3 million project as part of the Orlando International Airport expansion and $2 million of work on Steinmetz Hall, which is the new acoustic theater at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“After that, it opened doors. Not only because we got projects, also because we networked through those events,” owner Juan Velez said.“We’re trying to encourage all the small business to get the certification, and it will help them as well.”
Last year, Orlando paid $14.1 million in contracts to subcontractors with the city certification, with 32 percent going to Latino businesses, the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise annual report states.
Yanet Herrero, who coowns Kings Service Solutions, said the certification process helped the company open doors, including winning a recent bid to clean buildings for the city of Titusville.
“What needs to happen now is the Hispanic community needs to push forward and take full advantage of those opportunities,” Herrero said.