The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the only federal agency dedicated to advancing the establishment and growth of minority-owned firms in the United States. Through a network of minority business centers and strategic partners, MBDA works with minority entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses in size, scale and capacity. These firms are then better positioned to create jobs, impact local economies and expand into national and global markets. MBDA has spent more than four decades increasing the competitiveness of minority firms. MBDA's New York Region in New York, NY provides support throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia. The Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBECs) , Minority Business Opportunity Committes (MBOCs) and the Native American Business Enterprise Centers (NABECs) are staffed by business specialists who have the knowledge and practical experience needed to run successful and profitable businesses. They offer a wide range of business services to minority entrepreneurs. The centers are located in areas with the largest concentration of minority populations and the largest number of minority businesses. Mr. Heyward Davenport is the New York Regional Director