Diace Designs Is Proud to Be a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise!

Jessica Reed, Diace Designs Owner | Super Bowl LV Business Connect PITCH Day

It is with great pride that we announce our recent certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). Not only is Diace Designs an official WBE, it is a WBENC-Certified WBE. This means that we have gone through an exceptionally rigorous certification process and are now a part of an elite national group: the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Obtaining any supplier diversity certification is a difficult task. It requires a substantial investment of time and resources to apply—we put in more than 10 hours of work collecting 50+ documents!—and certification is not guaranteed. Thankfully, our diligence paid off. Diace Designs is now eligible to compete for contracts with diversity requirements, a huge competitive advantage in the aviation industry where most RFPs are issued with specific diversity quotas that must be met.

Certified for Super Bowl LV Business Connect

Earlier this year, Diace Designs—along with more than 1,200 other businesses—applied for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Business Connect program. This program connects diverse local businesses to the many business opportunities afforded by one of the nation’s most anticipated sporting events. Out of the businesses who applied to pitch their businesses, only 200 businesses were selected.

Diace Designs has been designated as an approved vendor of the Super Bowl LV Business Connect program. We are one of 200 local diverse businesses in the Tampa Bay area identified as a certified, experienced special event production company approved to compete for contracts related to Super Bowl.

One requirement to participate in the Super Bowl LV Business Connect program, business owners must have a diversity certification such as Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Small Businesses (WSOB), Veteran’s Business Enterprise (VBE) or LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE).

Getting Your Certification

If you’ve been considering obtaining a diversity certification for your business, we encourage you to apply! Having a certification such as the Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women-Owned Small Businesses (WSOB), Veteran’s Business Enterprise (VBE) or LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE), can give you a serious leg up when submitting a proposal in response to an RFP. There are various certifications available at the state and federal level. Make sure to do your research before applying. If possible, find an organization like WBENC that can help you with the application process. Be prepared to spend 10-12 hours (or more) putting your application together. The more organized you keep your business files and documentation, the smoother the process will be.

Once you are certified, you will need to pay a fee and provide updated documentation each year in order to maintain your certification status. This is a small price to pay for access to lucrative contracts. In the end, we can assure you that certification is worth it!

If you have questions about a supplier diversity certification requirement you’ve seen on an RFP, let us know. We would be happy to point you in the right direction and would love to help you prepare an official response to the RFP once you are certified.

About Kara Franco
Kara writes copy that speaks. She has a knack for creating clear, compelling messages without wasting words. She is passionate about digital marketing and believes that copy is the cornerstone of user experience.

Copywriter + Content Strategist
Kara@diacedesigns.com