In 2015, Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order requiring state agencies to meet a goal of 10 percent participation for minority-owned businesses and 10 percent for women-owned businesses. Though Gov. Eric Greitens has no said what he will do with the program, women and minorities are having difficulty with certification.
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Former Office of Administration Commissioner Doug Nelson told the Columbia Missourian that small businesses “don’t know what hoops to jump through, and they don’t have the time to figure it out.” Nelson said he’d like to see a statewide certification process, but that the program is a good first step. Streamlining the process between municipal and state businesses would help businesses, he continued.
