justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com

In a matter of months, slot machines could begin spitting out coins at Hoosier Park.

But for local businesses, the time to act is now.

Around 20 Anderson entrepreneurs heard from local legislators and experts Wednesday during a forum on Minority and Women Business Enterprise Certification at Ivy Tech Community College at the Flagship Enterprise Center. As Hoosier Park prepares to add slot-machine gaming, small businesses can cash in with contract work.

“We’re way ahead of the game; we’re getting prepared so we can do what we need to do,” said John Bostic Jr., who helped organize the forum. “We don’t have enough certification in Anderson, we’re not ready for some of this. We’re competing against people who have been doing this for 20 or 30 years.”

State Sen. Tim Lanane, D-District 25, and state Reps. Terri Austin, D-District 36, and Scott Reske, D-District 37, pulled together local entrepreneurs, a business consultant and a representative of the Indiana Department of Administration for the forum.

Reske explained that the Indiana Gaming Commission has established standards for the involvement of Minority Business Enterprises and Women Business Enterprises in construction, professional services and procurement at Hoosier Park. For example, 23.2 percent of construction contracts must be awarded to MBEs and 10.9 percent to WBEs.

Minorities or women must own at least 51 percent of a company to qualify as an MBE or WBE, must possess expertise, control the business enterprise and be citizens of the United States.

“It doesn’t pertain to what your employees look like,” Reske said. “This is about ownership, and the focus is on economic development in Madison County and Anderson.”

Lanane said language reserving contracts for minority and women businesses was included in the original House bill.

Bostic encouraged average workers to use their experience to start a business and pursue contracts. Stacy L. Shew, deputy director of certifications and operations for the Indiana Department of Administration, said new businesses must register with the state, then earn certification as an MBE or WBE, subject to verification.

Tammy Butler Robinson of Engaging Solutions LLC said certification means a business will receive updates as new contracts become available.

“If you’re not working with a prime, right now, this is a good way to make contacts and establish that relationship,” Robinson said. “The thing is, don’t promise what you can’t deliver.”

Reske said the Hoosier Park project will be moving in three phases. First, a temporary structure will be built to house slot machines. Then a permanent casino will be erected. Finally, the day-to-day operations will begin. The temporary structure, Reske expects, will be up and running by January 2008, with a permanent structure following two to three years later and regular operations to be implemented in four or five years.

“I would disagree that we’re not ahead of the curve,” said Frank Taylor. “If they’re thinking of having this done by January, they have to get started in September and it’s almost August.

“The important thing is that some of these relationships will carry over into the permanent facility and the operations. There’s a huge compression of this timeline to get things ready.”



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Hoosier Park

Requirements for Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprises contracts as set by the Indiana Gaming Commission:



MBE

Other 2.9%

Procurement 4.2%

Professional services 11.2%

Construction 23.2%



WBE

Other 1.8%

Procurement 2.5%

Professional services 7.8%

Construction 10.9%