The number of places that diverse small businesses have to go to network with the public and private sector to understand their contract opportunities is overwhelming. In order to help streamline this process, Lilly envisioned creating a single forum to bring together those various organizations in Central Indiana.
The Historically Underutilized small Business Coordinators (HUsB.org) or the HUsB was established in 1999 to address this unmet need. The intent of the HUsB is to provide any small, disadvantaged, minority, woman, HUBzone, or veteran-owned business a single place to obtain this information.
The HUsB is a monthly collaboration of supplier diversity professionals from Central Indiana area corporations and other organizations that, benchmarks, shares best practices, and provides updates with the industry of supplier diversity and government reporting. The HUsB also shares success stories and successful vendors, and works to develop contract opportunities for those vendors.
The HUsB should not to be confused with the federal HUBzone certification. The HUBzone certification program was created to provide incentive for businesses to locate to traditionally depressed areas within cities and counties of every state. It’s based on economic and unemployment rates as opposed to ownership gender or ethnicity. The HUsB members that are prime suppliers to the federal government generally track contracting spend with HUBzone certified businesses.
