By Felix Hoover

For YourNewsColumbus

The Central Ohio Transit Authority hopes that small businesses and major contractors will get on board with a new program it began on Tuesday.

 Along with the city, two state agencies and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, COTA kicked off "Raising the Bar for Small Business Development."

 The program launched COTA's efforts to "expand opportunities and promote equitable inclusion and growth of small businesses seeking to work with COTA and other traditional and nontraditional industries."

 The effort concentrates on capacity-building and development for certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and Small Business Enterprises (SBE).

 Talks from several COTA officials, including William J. Lhota, president and chief executive officer, were intended to assure small business owners that help is available to pursue contracts with the transit authority, the state and other entities.

 "Our goal is to increase the number of contracts awarded to certified DBEs," said Dorothy Hanley, DBE coordinator for COTA. She emphasized "certified."

 The Ohio Department of Transportation, which hosted the event at its offices at 1980 W. Broad St., was represented by Acting Deputy Director Michaela Peterson. She encouraged attendees to state and federal certification to pursue contracts that follow state guidelines and federal mandates for inclusion of minority-, female- and disadvantaged small businesses.

 Iris Cooper, director of the Department of Development's Entrepreneurship and Small Business Division, said the division's value isn't as a grant provider, but rather as a marketing organization with information for the businesses it serves.

Michael Reese, chief of staff, said, "We are committed at the highest level, all the way down," a sentiment shared by the other partners in the workshop.

 Fred Yates, director of the city's Equal Business Opportunity Commission Office, talked about some of the political realities behind the awarding of government contracts.

 "We like to do business with people we know," he said.

 Once a business gets a shot at a government contract, it must make sure to "get it right the first time," Yates said. When making first impressions, there's no room for mistakes.

 Michael Gordon, vice president of the Columbus Chamber, commended the passion exhibited by the speakers, including Ann Geter, COTA's director of supply management, and Shantel E. Grigsby, COTA's DBE/SBE BDP program manager.

 Besides getting leads on how to apply for the transit authority's business development program, Peggy Jenkins of Peggy's Monogramming on the North Side, seized the opportunity to talk to some of the speakers about how to get registered with ODOT.

 Kenneth N Parks of Air Land & Sea Inc. in Cincinnati he had lost some of the hunger to make his import car, boat and airplane business a success.

 He was glad to be invited Tuesday's workshop, which reinvigorated his vision to keep his project alive.

After being an undervalued employee for much of his life Parks realized that he needed to run a business.

 He had to build up courage before he ventured on his own, he said.