How Echo is Transforming Lives through Entrepreneurship, with Geraud Staton
The Buzz, A SC Economic Development Video Podcast | Episode 87: EVP of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Henri Baskins
Williams Mullen's COVID-19 Comeback Plan: Part II – Doing Business With the Commonwealth of Virginia
PODCAST: Williams Mullen GovCon Perspectives - Why Was My SWaM Certification Denied, and What Can I Do?
PODCAST: Williams Mullen GovCon Perspectives - Recent Updates to the SWaM Certification Process in Virginia
Microsoft Makes Minority-Owned Firm Its Premier Provider
Obtaining SWaM certification in Virginia enables businesses to bid on local and state contracts that are set aside for small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses. The Commonwealth of Virginia has committed to sourcing...more
On June 3, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting a venture capital fund from awarding grants based on race and gender. In reversal of the district court, the...more
Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (the Court) held in Am. All. for Equal Rts. v. Fearless Fund Mgmt., LLC (Fearless Fund) that the Fearless Strivers Grant Contest (the Contest), a startup...more
On Monday, June 3, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that a contest providing venture-capital funding to only Black women was substantially likely to violate section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of...more
On June 3, 2024, the Eleventh Circuit authorized a preliminary injunction in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Fearless Fund Management, LLC et al., ruling that a grant contest that awards funding and mentorship...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit blocked a contest by a venture capital fund that provided grants and other benefits to black women-owned businesses, finding the contest is likely to unlawfully discriminate...more
In a case that has been closely watched by the charitable sector, on June 3, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit issued a decision blocking a race-based grant program that provided funds and mentorship to...more
If you are a woman-owned business, you may be eligible for federal contracting opportunities under the WOSB (woman-owned small business) and/or EDWOSB (economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business) programs....more
Gould & Ratner presents the next installment of our Construction Interview Series. As a continued effort to keep our clients informed of current trends in the construction industry, we will continue to periodically sit down...more
Recent changes in legislation regarding Washington's Small Works Roster laws have resulted in new "PWSBE" certification - Recent changes in legislation regarding Washington's Small Works Roster laws have resulted in a new...more
Earlier this month, Governor Phil Murphy and Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio announced the release of a “comprehensive statewide disparity study examining public contracting opportunities” for Minority and Women-Owned...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) released the Report and Order (Order) in the 2018 Quadrennial Review, one day before the December 27 deadline mandated by the United States Court of Appeals for the...more
New York’s adult-use regulations are effective and the first application period for certain adult-use licenses is underway! At the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) meeting on October 17, 2023, CCB announced that they are...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has signed a bill that mandates venture capitalists to report the diversity of the founding members of businesses they invest in, making the first state to require venture capital firms to...more
After months of anticipation, the New York State Office of Cannabis Management began accepting applications for five (5) types of licenses this week: cultivator, processor, distributor, and microbusiness. This is generally...more
On September 21st, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced its plans to increase the capital available to minority-owned and women-owned startup companies through the formation of its Diversity Finance...more
We are fortunate to have connected with Kevin Dick, the President & CEO, and Emily Blevins, Marketing & Communications Director, of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, at the recent Annual Meeting of the United...more
As a poor kid, Geraud Staton became an entrepreneur out of necessity, initially selling Blow Pops to the rich kids at school. He's hustled and he's seen how to grow a business, and he wanted to give back. So he started Helius...more
In 2022, Christian Bruckner and his company, Project Management Corporation, sued the federal government in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division). The plaintiffs claimed that the...more
While it has only been a month since the CFPB issued its final rule to implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB is already facing a lawsuit challenging the rule’s validity. The lawsuit was filed last week in a...more
New York’s state contracts boast some of the most ambitious diversity goals in the nation, and are well recognized for their frequent utilization of Minority and/or Women-owned Business Enterprises, known as MWBEs, with a set...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) has published a final rule implementing the requirements of Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Final Rule”), which mandated data collection on certain credit...more
On March 30, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued its long-awaited final rule to implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Section 1071 amended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require lenders to...more
On March 30, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its final rule to implement Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Section 1071 amended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require financial institutions to collect...more
All small businesses today encounter numerous changes to employment laws and regulations that are often misunderstood, oversimplified, or under-appreciated. These misunderstandings can result in hurried action by both...more