(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) Office of Civil Rights recently strengthened its commitment to disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) growth by selecting MHM Financial Services, Inc. as the Agency’s DBE supportive services provider. MHMFS will provide a variety of technical assistance services to DDOT’s certified DBE firms and other small business enterprises who are engaged in the Agency’s federal-aid procurement program or who need additional support to build the business capacity that will enable them to be eligible to compete and win contracting opportunities on DDOT’s federally-assisted highway construction projects.

MHMFS is a women-owned team of DC professionals lead by Monica Miles, President and Cherese Myree, Vice President. Ms. Miles, CPA, MBA, is a Cornell University graduate with over 15 years of experience in auditing, accounting and consulting, specializing in government contract auditing and contract compliance. Ms. Myree has served as the Project Director and Contract Administrator for the DBE supportive services contract at the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) DBE program. She provided consulting services and management training for certified DBE firms, and government directors to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. The MHMFS team also consists of several local DBE firms: Legion Design, Inc., DP Consulting, Inc., Tina Boyd and Associates, and Monash Advisory Group.

MHMFS will complement the business development services, outreach and training activities of the Office of Civil Rights’ Business Opportunity Workforce Development Center (BOWDC). MHMFS team members, in addition to Mike Licht, the Marketing and Business Development Consultant, will be stationed at the BOWDC to provide one-on-one technical assistance with walk-in DBE firms, and manage incoming inquiries regarding the contracting process and/or other DBE related matters. Additional objectives for MHMFS at the BOWDC includes providing services for DBE firms in business development and marketing, subcontracting agreement development, bond and loan packaging and business management. MHMFS will also help facilitate bi-monthly orientation workshops to newly certified firms, which will provide them with a roadmap to successfully navigate business with DDOT as a certified DBE. The team will also create a Needs Assessment Tool (NAT) to gather information about the management and operations of certified DBE firms and determine the type of training, technical assistance and networking tools to be implemented within their organization.

“We believe that MHMFS’s knowledge and use of best practices will provide our DDOT-certified DBE firms efficient, effective, and results-oriented services,” said Lisa Gregory, Chief of DDOT’s Office of Civil Rights. “We welcome MHMFS to our team, and we anticipate they will provide outstanding and beneficial DBE supportive service.”

For more information about DDOT’s DBE Program and the Business Opportunity Workforce Development Center, please visit ddot.dc.gov.