Prospera held event to train potential Hispanic local government contractors
Prospera held its Providers Academy educational program for the fourth consecutive year, thanks in part to the support of Osceola County and Commissioner Viviana Janer. The multiple sessions of the academy featured different panelists and experts invited to contribute to strengthening local businesses and helping them develop relevant processes to help them bid with the government, particularly with Osceola County.
The academy fulfilled its objective of bringing together local Hispanic business owners to expand their knowledge about the business planning, capacity, and processes needed to effectively secure contracts with the public sector, fostering relations with the county, recognizing the current and future needs of the public sector to contract services and purchase products, and the opportunity these offer for small businesses to succeed and grow.
The program included 10 workshops focused on how to increase competitiveness, business readiness, and bidding processes. In addition to presentations by Prospera staff, a group of Prospera clients, providers, sponsors, and partners shared information on various topics. Among others, Lillianis Cruz, owner of ; Zanibel Melo, owner of ; Marko Cardenas and Janice Lopez from ; Jaime Escobar from ; Roberto Santoni from Nelia Castro from ; and Damaris Nazario from Osceola County
Additionally, 27 of the participants were presented certificates upon successful completion of the academy, meeting the required attendance and training hours. Furthermore, a drawing was held among the graduates for three laptop computers donated by Comcast NBC Universal/Telemundo. The 2023 Providers’ Academy was led by Katia Medina, Regional Vice President of Prospera.
“Osceola County is dedicated to helping our community prosper because when all of our businesses have the tools and resources they need to succeed, we all win,” said Brenda Hernández, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity Programs Manager. “This program is an important step to empower Hispanic businesses and help them reach their full potential.”
Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization that has specialized since 1991 in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to start, sustain, and grow their business. In the last five years alone, Prospera facilitated over $70 million in loans for small business clients, trained 17,300 entrepreneurs, and helped consulting clients create or retain more than 16,000 jobs. Prospera currently serves Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. For more information, visit www.prosperausa.org.
