The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) launched its “Pathways to Entrepreneurship Program: Powering Small Businesses in Emerging Transportation Markets” one-day pilot program experience on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at the USDOT Headquarters. The event brought together approximately 400 small business owners, academic leaders, and transportation stakeholders, and provided an overview of the Pathways to Entrepreneurship (P2E) pilot program for small businesses.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made a generational investment in our transportation infrastructure-and we’re also making sure that small and disadvantaged businesses are part of the work to build and rebuild our transportation systems,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The successful launch of the Pathways to Entrepreneurship pilot program is part of our continued work to create equitable access to economic opportunities so small and disadvantaged businesses can thrive in emerging transportation markets today and in the decades ahead.”
The complete P2E program has three pillars or “pathways” to entrepreneurship designed for Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and HBCU students. The P2E program is designed to empower small and disadvantaged businesses seeking to pivot into new and emerging transportation markets; engage HBCU institutions; and educate aspiring HBCU students with an entrepreneurial mindset, eager to explore new transportation markets and consider transportation career options upon graduation.
“I am pleased with the overwhelming success of the Pathways to Entrepreneurship pilot program event because it exemplifies our commitment to providing small and disadvantaged businesses with access to high-level, high-quality resources and knowledge to grow their businesses and ultimately create wealth,” said Tyra Redus, USDOT Director of Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization “We are excited about the next phase of the Pathways to Entrepreneurship (P2E) program.”
The OSDBU is currently gathering feedback from participants, panelists, industry stakeholders, and academia from the September event. This feedback will be instrumental in shaping the structure and duration of the P2E pilot program for small businesses, which is anticipated to be launched in FY2025.
Left to Right: Tyra Redus, U.S. Department of Transportation Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and Panel Moderator; Ben Levine, U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology; Dr. Henry McKoy, U.S. Department of Energy Director of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs; Joann Hill, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency Director of the Office of Customer Experience.