* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:04]
           YES, SIR. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER VIE HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          PRESENT CHAIR ELIAS. 
          HERE, SIR. 
          WE HAVE A QUORUM GRANT. 
          LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU, UH, FOR JOINING US FOR ANOTHER MEETING. 
          UM, I'M, I'M GOING TO, UH, LET'S SEE. 
          CAN, CAN WE GET SOMEBODY TO CLOSE THAT DOOR? JUST TO CLOSE THAT DOOR? YEAH. 
          UM, THE, UM, FIRST 
          [Approval of Minutes
 ]
ON OUR AGENDA, I BELIEVE IS THE APPROVAL OF, UH, THE MEETINGS FROM OUR LAST, UH, REUNION. 
          WHAT DO YOU THINK, COUNCILWOMAN? I MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM 2 22 22 SECOND. 
          WE'VE GOT A MOTION IN A SECOND. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES? AYE. 
          AYE, AYE. 
          GREAT. 
          THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. 
          UH, 
          [Briefing and Possible Action on the following items
 ]
WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO OUR VERY FIRST ITEM. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          SO OUR FIRST PRESENTATION TODAY IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE AN UPDATE ON THE DISPARITY STUDY, UM, THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, WE HAVE RECENTLY GOTTEN SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL, AND SO WE WANTED TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF JUST REFRESH EVERYBODY'S MEMORY ABOUT THE AGREEMENT OR THE AGREEMENT THAT AUTHORIZED IT AND THE PROCESS THAT WE UNDERGO. 
          UM, TO, TO COMPLETE THIS STUDY, MICHAEL SENDEN WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS GONNA BE GIVING THAT PRESENTATION. 
          WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, COUNCIL COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME IS MICHAEL SENDEN, AND I'M AN ADMINISTRATOR WITH THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          FOR THIS PRESENTATION, I WILL PROVIDE, UM, AN UPDATE REGARDING THE ONGOING DISPARITY STUDY APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN AUGUST OF 2021. 
          UM, THAT WILL HELP US EVALUATE AND POTENTIALLY IDENTIFY, UH, FUTURE AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY'S SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY PROGRAM REFERRED TO AS S BETA. 
          THE PURPOSE OF THE C BETA PROGRAM, AS Y'ALL KNOW, IS TO UTILIZE LOCAL, SMALL, MINORITY, AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES ON CITY CONTRACTS. 
          WE DO THIS SPECIFICALLY TO CURE HISTORICALLY DOCUMENTED RACIAL AND GENDER DISPARITIES FOUND IN PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED DISPARITY STUDIES. 
          THESE PAST STUDIES EVALUATED VARIOUS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR DATA SETS, WHICH SHOWED THE UNDER UTILIZATION AND UNDERREPRESENTATION OF LOCAL, SMALL MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES SUCH AS CONTRACTING, UM, AND LENDING PRACTICES, WHICH ULTIMATELY AFFECTS MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS FORMATION AND RETENTION RATES. 
          AS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR CONTRACTING DISPARITIES, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE CITY'S C BETA PROGRAM, WE HAVE DOCUMENTED A LOT OF SUCCESS SPECIFICALLY OVER THE LAST DECADE IN UTILIZING MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN RELATION TO THEIR AVAILABILITY IN THE SAN ANTONIO MARKETPLACE. 
          THIS RECENT SUCCESS STEMS FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE OVERHAUL OF THE C BETA PROGRAM IN 2011, AND IT CREATED THE SO BETA PROGRAM YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH TODAY. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE 2010 DISPARITY STUDY TO THE 2015 DISPARITY STUDY ON THIS CHART, AND DUE TO THAT OVERHAUL, THE CITY DOCUMENTED A GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS UTILIZATION OVER A FIVE YEAR SPAN THAN THE 18 YEAR SPAN FROM 1992 TO 2010. 
          AND TO FURTHER DEMONSTRATE OUR PROGRESS, THE LAST BAR YOU SEE ON THIS CHART REPRESENTS OUR LATEST FINDINGS FROM THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 SUB BETA ANNUAL PORT, WHICH SHOWS 48% OF ALL FUNDS FROM CITY CONTRACTS, AND WHICH THE SUB BETA PROGRAM APPLIED WAS DONE SO WITH LOCAL MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES. 
          AND WHILE OUR ANNUAL REPORTS ARE NOT AS COMPREHENSIVE AS A DISPARITY STUDY, THEY DO A GREAT JOB IN INDICATING THE CITY'S SUCCESS YEAR OVER YEAR IN CURING CONTRACTING DISPARITIES AS WE HAVE CONTINUOUSLY SEEN INCREASES IN THAT REPORT. 
          THESE RECENT FIGURES, UM, SEEN THROUGH THE C BETA ANNUAL REPORTS ARE THE REASON THE CITY WAS AWARDED THE GOLD AWARD IN ECONOMIC EQUITY AND INCLUSION CATEGORY FOR POPULATIONS GREATER THAN 500,000 BY THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL IN 2019. 
          TO HELP PUT SOME CONTEXT TO THE PERCENT INCREASES SHOWN ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, THIS CHART REPRESENTS ACTUAL DOLLARS PAID TO LOCAL MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS THROUGH THE C BETA PROGRAM. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, SINCE THE PROGRAM WAS OVERHAULED IN 2010, THE RACE AND RACE CONSCIOUS TOOLS BEGAN TO APPLY. 
          IN 2013, THE CITY DOCUMENTED A NEAR 225 MILLION INCREASED ANNUALLY TO THE BUSINESSES WE ARE TRYING TO ASSIST THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. 
          I WANNA STRESS THAT THESE FIGURES REPRESENT ACTUAL PAYMENTS TO PRIME CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS, UM, AND THEY'RE NOT SIMPLY CONTRACT AWARDS OR PROMISES. 
          LOOKING AT THE IMPACT OF THE C BETA PROGRAM CURRENTLY, WE ARE NOW ON PACE TO SPEND APPROXIMATELY $2.3 BILLION WITH LOCAL MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES OVER THE NEXT DECADE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. 
          M NEXT I'M GONNA MOVE INTO THE PURPOSE OF A DISPARITY STUDY AND WHY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CONDUCTS THEM EVERY SO OFTEN. 
          ESSENTIALLY, THE PURPOSE OF A DISPARITY STUDY, UM, 
          [00:05:01]
IS, IS TO COMPILE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE AND OF POTENTIAL RACIAL AND GENDER DISPARITIES AND A SPECIFIED MARKETPLACE. 
          THE NEED FOR A STUDY IS DRIVEN BY THE RICHMOND VERSUS CROWSON SUPREME COURT CASE IN 1989 THAT RULED FOR A GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION TO HAVE RACE OR GENDER-BASED CONTRACTING PROGRAMS. THE ENTITY MUST MEET THEIR DEFINITION OF STRICT CONSTITUTIONAL SCRUTINY MADE UP OF THREE PRIMARY FACTORS. 
          FIRST, THE SUPREME COURT STATED, THE PUBLIC ENTITY MUST DEMONSTRATE THERE IS STATISTICAL EVIDENCE OF RACE AND GENDER-BASED DISPARITIES IN YOUR RELEVANT MARKETPLACE. 
          SECOND, THE COURT RULE THAT YOU MUST OBTAIN ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE THAT MATCHES THE STATISTICAL EVIDENCE FOUND. 
          AND LAST, ALL REMEDIES PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THE STATISTICAL AND ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE MUST BE NARROWLY TAILORED, FIXING THE SPECIFIC ISSUES FOUND IN YOUR MARKETPLACE. 
          THE INDUSTRY STANDARD TO CONDUCT A DISPARITY STUDY IS EVERY FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS TO REEVA REEVALUATE THE FACTORS I JUST STATED SO THAT WE ARE NOT OPERATING UNDER OLD EVIDENCE THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED, IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, OPENING THE CITY UP AND THE PROGRAM UP FOR POTENTIAL LEGAL CHALLENGE TO MEET THE DEFINITION OF STRICT CONSTITUTIONAL SCRUTINY, THE DISPARITY STUDY WILL INCLUDE SIX PRIMARY DELIVERABLES TO ULTIMATELY RECOMMEND THE SUSPENSION CONTINUATION OR EXPANSION OF OUR SUB BETA PROGRAM. 
          FIRST, THE STUDY WILL DEFINE THE RELEVANT MARKETPLACE IN WHICH TO CONDUCT THE STUDY. 
          SECOND, THE CONSULTANT WILL CALCULATE A CUSTOM AVAILABILITY ANALYSIS OF MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES WITHIN THE MARKETPLACE THAT IS WEIGHTED AGAINST THE CITY'S SPENDING PATTERNS. 
          THIRD, THE STUDY WILL ANALYZE THE UTILIZATION OF MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES ON CITY CONTRACTS. 
          FOURTH, THE STUDY WILL DETERMINE IF THERE IS ANY CAUSATION BETWEEN DISPARITIES AND DISCRIMINATION. 
          FIFTH, IT WILL DETERMINE IF ANY BARRIERS EXIST IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 
          A GREAT EXAMPLE USED IN THE PREVIOUS STUDY, THE FOUND THAT LENDING DATA FOR MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES WAS NOT NECESSARILY EQUAL EVEN CONTROLLING FOR CREDIT WORTHINESS, WHICH IS HOW WE CREATED OUR LOAN INTEREST BUYDOWN PROGRAM THAT WE IMPLEMENT TODAY. 
          AND SIX, THE STUDY WILL EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RACE AND GENERAL NEUTRAL REMEDIES TO ENSURE THOSE INTERVENTIONS COULD ALONE NOT SOLVE THE DISPARITY. 
          WHOA. 
          GIMME ONE SECOND TO GET BACK. 
          HMM. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TO PERFORM THIS ANALYSIS AND FULFILL THE DELIVERABLES, THE CONSULTANT WILL EVALUATE CITY CONTRACTING DATA FROM 2014 THROUGH 2020. 
          THE REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS DATA SET IS BECAUSE IT PICKS UP WHERE THE 2015 DISPARITY STUDY LEFT OFF. 
          IN ADDITION, THE CONSULTANT REVIEW VARIOUS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR DATA SETS SUCH AS THAT LENDING DATA I DISCUSSED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE. 
          AND THEY WILL RESEARCH IF THESE DISPARITIES EXIST FOR THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, ETHNIC AND GENDER GROUPS, AS YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE, WHICH INCLUDE AFRICAN AMERICAN, ASIAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN, AND OF COURSE, WOMEN ON BUSINESSES. 
          AND LAST, THIS WORST, THIS RESEARCH WILL BE FURTHER BROKEN DOWN INTO THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRIES SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, OTHER SERVICES AND GOODS AND SUPPLIES. 
          THIS NEXT SLIDE REPRESENTS THE TIMELINE IN WHICH THE DISPARITY STUDY WILL BE COMPLETED, AND SUB BETA PROGRAM WILL BE POTENTIALLY AMENDED STARTING IN THE, IN THE INITIATION PHASE. 
          THE STUDY BEGAN IN AUGUST, 2021, POST CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL. 
          SINCE THAT TIME, AND AS I WILL FURTHER ELABORATE ON THE UPCOMING SLIDES, THE CITY STAFF AND THE CONSULTANT HAVE BEEN GATHERING DATA, DEVELOPING VENDOR COMMUNICATION MATERIAL, AND INITIATING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FROM MARCH, 2022 TO JANUARY, 2023. 
          THE STUDY WILL MOVE INTO THE ANALYSIS PHASE, WHICH INCLUDES EXTENSIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, ADDITIONAL DATA COLLECTION FROM CITY VENDORS, UM, SEPARATE FROM WHAT THE CITY PROVIDED, SMALL BUSINESS SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS, COMPLETION OF THE DATA ANALYSIS, AND ULTIMATELY, A STUDY TO PROVIDE THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT THAT STUDY POST-ADOPTION OF THE DISPARITY STUDY. 
          IF THE CONSENSUS IS TO MODIFY THE PROGRAM, UM, RELATED TO THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL UNDERGO A HEAVY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WITH CITY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE LOCAL SMALL MINORITY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY THOSE POTENTIAL CHANGES, AGAIN, IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE STUDY, WHICH TAKES AROUND SEVEN MONTHS TO COMPLETE PER OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. 
          AS A REMINDER, THE CONSULTANT PERFORMING THIS STUDY IS COLETTE HOLT AND ASSOCIATES, WHO IS A LOCAL SMALL WOMAN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN OWNED BUSINESS, AND SHE'S IN ATTENDANCE WITH US TODAY. 
          UPFRONT, COLLETTE HAS 37 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS SPECIFIC FIELD. 
          SHE'S CO-AUTHORED THE NATIONAL MODEL DISPARITY STUDY GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BECOME THE ACCEPTED STANDARD, UM, TO CONDUCT STUDIES THAT CAN WITHSTAND JUDICIAL AND 
          [00:10:01]
COMMUNITY SCRUTINY. 
          AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT HER PREVIOUS STUDIES, UH, AND METHODOLOGIES HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY UPHELD IN COURTS. 
          WHEN CHALLENGED TO ASSIST HER ON THIS CONTRACT, COLLETTE HAS ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH AMAZING MARKETING GROUP, WHO IS A LOCAL SMALL WOMAN, HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESS TO HELP WITH OUTREACH AND MARKETING TYPE SERVICES TO ENGAGE OUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          SINCE GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO BEGIN THE STUDY, CITY STAFF WORK EXTENSIVELY TO PRODUCE LARGE AMOUNTS OF DATA NEEDED BY THE CONSULTANT. 
          THIS INCLUDES ALL CITY CONTRACTS, STAND AND STANDALONE PURCHASES, OVER $50,000 BETWEEN 2014 AND 2020, ALONG WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED PAYMENTS. 
          TO SUPPLEMENT THIS DATA, ALL S BETA RELATED INFORMATION WAS ALSO PROVIDED, WHICH INCLUDES VENDOR INFORMATION AT THE PRIME CONTRACTOR AND SUBCONTRACTOR LEVEL, THEIR CERTIFICATION TYPES, THE BETA ELIGIBILITY STATUS TYPE OF WORK PERFORMED, INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION, SO ON AND SO FORTH. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE DATA, A SLEW OF VARIOUS DOCUMENTS WERE ALSO PROVIDED OVER TO THE CONSULTANT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO REVIEW. 
          SO BETA PROGRAM ELEMENTS AS SUCH AS OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, MANUALS, AND UTILIZATION PLANS. 
          IN ADDITION, AS PART OF THE DOCUMENTS REQUEST, CITY STAFF ALSO PROVIDED OTHER SUPPLEMENTAL SMALL BUSINESS, UM, DOCUMENTS AND OTHER VARIOUS PROGRAM DOCUMENTS, OUTREACH EFFORTS, STAFFING EFFORTS THAT ALL GO INTO SUPPORTING THIS ABETA PROGRAM. 
          M NOW THAT THE CONSULTANT HAS REVIEWED THE CITY DATA SETS, THEY WILL NOW MOVE ON TO THEIR NEXT DATA PHASE, UH, WHICH INCLUDES OBTAINING DATA DIRECTLY FROM THE PRIME CONTRACTORS, UH, IN WHICH THEY NEED CLARITY OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO COMPLETE THEIR ANALYSIS TO REQUEST THIS DATA. 
          THE CONSULTANT WILL SEND OUT LETTERS TO PRIME CONTRACTORS ALONG WITH ACTION FOR A RESPONSE. 
          AN EXAMPLE OF THAT LETTER IS WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE NOTE. 
          THIS IS A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE STUDY. 
          SO IF ANY PRIME CONTRACTORS DO REACH OUT TO YOUR OFFICES AND ASK ABOUT THIS LETTER, ESPECIALLY IN THE AGE OF WIDESPREAD SPAM, PLEASE ENCOURAGE THEM TO RESPOND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE OR POINT THEM TO OUR OUR DIRECTION SO WE CAN HELP THEM OUT. 
          AND TO ASSIST WITH BUSINESS COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, A DEDICATED WEBSITE HAS BEEN SET UP TO SUPPORT THE STUDY. 
          THE ADDRESS TO THAT SITE IS SAN ANTONIO DOT DISPARITY STUDY.COM. 
          BUSINESSES SHOULD BE ABLE TO VIEW THE WEBSITE ON BOTH THEIR, UM, COMPUTER AND MOBILE DEVICE. 
          AND ON THE WEBSITE IT IS, IT HAS A LOT OF RESOURCES THAT INCLUDE, UM, AN OVERVIEW OF THE DISPARITY STUDY. 
          FOR FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T TUNED INTO ONE OF OUR INFO SESSIONS OR TODAY WHY THE STUDY'S IMPORTANT, THEY CAN MEET THE CONSULTANTS AND KNOW WHO THEY'RE CHATTING WITH, AND THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO PARTICIPATE AND SHARE THEIR FEEDBACK AND EXPERIENCES, AND ALSO PROVIDE COMMENT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE RIGHT THEN AND THERE. 
          HOWEVER, WE'RE NOT SIMPLY RELYING ON A WEBSITE TO ENGAGE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ON THE FEEDBACK PROCESS. 
          COLETTE AND HER SUBCONTRACTOR ARE EXTENDING OUTREACH TO VARIOUS BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS AND SETTING UP EVENTS TO BRING AWARENESS TO THE STUDY. 
          AS AN EXAMPLE, THE CONSULTANT HOSTED A PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR BACK IN JANUARY OF 2022. 
          UM, WE INVITED OVER 60 LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, AS WELL AS ALL FOLKS REGISTERED IN THE CENTRAL VENDOR REGISTRY. 
          THOSE CERTIFIED BY THE SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS REGIONAL CERTIFICATION AGENCY, AND IN TOTAL, OVER A HUNDRED FOLKS WERE IN ATTENDANCE FOR THOSE WHO COULD NOT ATTEND THE WEBINAR. 
          UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIDEO IS IN FACT ON OUR WEBSITE. 
          A RECORDING IS THERE FOR VIEWING PURPOSES WHENEVER CONVENIENT FOR THEM TO LEARN MORE. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, AND TO ASSIST WITH THE GATHERING OF THE ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE STUDY, BUSINESS OWNERS WILL BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN SMALL GROUP INTERVIEW SESSIONS, AS WELL AS ELECTRONIC SURVEYS. 
          THE SMALL GROUP INTERVIEWS WILL BE GROUPED BY INDUSTRY AS WELL AS CERTIFICATION CLASSIFICATION IN ORDER TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION AND OPENNESS, WE WANT THEM TO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES, UH, UM, WITH COLETTE AND HER TEAM. 
          THOSE TWO FEEDBACK MECHANISMS THROUGH THEM, THE CONSULTANT WILL ASK BUSINESS OWNERS A VARIETY OF QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THEIR BUSINESS EXPERIENCES IN THE SAN ANTONIO MARKETPLACE, AS WELL AS HOW THEY PERCEIVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR VEDA PROGRAM, HOW IT'S HELPED THEM, AS WELL AS IN GENERAL, THE CITY'S PROCUREMENT PROCESS AS DISCUSSED EARLIER. 
          THIS LIST PROVIDES THE NEXT STEPS IN THE CITY'S STUDY PROCESS. 
          THE CONSULTANT WILL CONTACT THOSE PRIME CONTRACTORS TO GET THE ADDITIONAL DATA. 
          THE, UH, THEY WILL CONDUCT SMALL BUSINESS OWNER FOCUS GROUPS AND SURVEYS. 
          THEY'LL CONDUCT THE LEGAL ANALYSIS, COMPLETE THE DATA ANALYSIS, AND ULTIMATELY PRESENT THE STUDY TO YOU ALL, UH, WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO EVENTUALLY ADOPT IT AT SOME POINT IN TIME, FOR THOSE BUSINESSES WHO WANT TO CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SEVERITY STUDY OR PROVIDE FEEDBACK, THEY CAN DO SO THROUGH A STUDY, WEBSITE STUDY, UH, EMAIL, AS WELL AS STUDY PHONE SEPARATE FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. 
          SO FOLKS CAN FEEL LIKE THEY'RE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES DIRECTLY WITH THE CONSULTANT INSTEAD OF THE CITY, SHOULD THEY NOT WANT TO, TO AGAIN, PROMOTE THAT PARTICIPATION AND PROMOTE THAT OPENNESS. 
          THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. 
          [00:15:01]
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF, AS WELL AS COLETTE UP HERE ARE AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. 
          THANKS SO MUCH, MICHAEL. 
          UH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS GOOD WORK. 
          AND, UH, I CAN TELL YOU, YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN PUTTING A LOT OF WORK INTO IT. 
          UM, LET'S, LET'S START, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, VIA GRANT, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I, WE HAD A CONTRACT COME UP AND I EXPRESSED MYSELF THAT S BETA IS NOT WORKING AS WE SEE IT RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, WOMEN OF COLOR ARE NOT GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S THE WAY WE ARE, UM, GAUGING THE POINTS FOR THESE CONTRACTS, BUT WE NEED, WE DO NEED TO ADJUST THIS SUB BETA PROGRAM AND WITH A, WITH A, WITH A P WITH, UM, VETO'S TEAM DOING THE STATUS OF POVERTY WITH NEARLY 20% OF SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS LIVING IN POVERTY WITH WHAT WE SAW, WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING IN THE NEWS LAST NIGHT WITH 55% OF SAN ANTONIO HOUSE HOUSEHOLDS LIVING IN POVERTY, HAVE SINGLE WOMEN HEAD OF HOUSEHOLDS. 
          WE HAVE AN ISSUE AND WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT. 
          AND, AND THAT IS, IS IMPERATIVE. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND WHEN YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS. 
          AND WE JUST NEED TO, TO DO A BETTER JOB. 
          SO, UM, I'VE APPRECIATED WHAT EDTA HAS DONE AND WHERE IT HAS GOTTEN US, AND BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          I KNEW WHERE WE WERE IN 2019, SO I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR WHERE WE ARE, UM, NOW, BUT THERE, THERE'S STILL SOME WORK AND THERE'S STILL A GAP THAT WE NEED TO TRY AND SEE HOW WE CAN HELP WITH. 
          SO, NO, THANK YOU. 
          UH, I, I'M GLAD WE'RE DOING THIS STUDY. 
          I THINK WE'RE GONNA FIND SOME VERY INTERESTING THINGS, UM, AS WE DO THIS STUDY AND WE DO THE COMPARISON. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MICHAEL, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY. 
          I, I JUST HAVE A FEW SIMPLE QUESTIONS. 
          WAS, UM, THE ENGAGEMENT, UH, WITHIN THIS STAGE, WAS IT PRIMARILY CONDUCTED WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ALREADY HAVE SOME SORT OF RELATIONSHIP WITH COSA, UM, OR THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN LOOKING FOR PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES? JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHO, WHO YOU REACHED OUT TO ALREADY. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID IN WORKING WITH COLETTE'S TEAM IS PROVIDE THEM A SET OF BUSINESS LISTINGS THAT WE HAVE ON HAND THAT'S GONNA INCLUDE ALL THE FOLKS REGISTERED WITH US WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE DOING BUSINESS, BUT DEFINITELY INTERESTED AS WELL AS EVERYBODY WHO'S CERTIFIED FROM OUR CERTIFICATION AGENCY. 
          BUT TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CAPTURING MORE FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE IN THOSE DATABASES, THAT'S WHERE WE PROVIDED THOSE OVER 60, UM, SMALL BUSINESS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS SO THAT WE CAN PROMOTE OUTREACH TO THEM TO LET THEM KNOW THIS IS ONGOING, IF THEY'VE HAD EXPERIENCES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY IN THE PAST, AND MIGHT HAVE, LET'S JUST SAY, GIVEN UP THAT THIS IS THEIR TIME TO GET THE INPUT FOR A, TO SHAPE A NEW PROGRAM MOVING FORWARD ON HOW THEY CAN PARTICIPATE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, MICHAEL. 
          AND WHAT CAN COUNCIL OFFICES DO TO BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US THAT HAVE, UH, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN OUR AREAS? I THINK DEFINITELY PROMOTING AWARENESS OF THE PROGRAM IS SOMETHING I WOULD PREACH. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE DATA LETTERS ARE GONNA GO OUT. 
          IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT THOSE PRIME CONTRACTORS RESPOND BACK AND WE GET THE CLEAREST PICTURE WE CAN TO, TO HAVE THAT DATA SET COME BACK AS WELL AS PROMOTING THE WEBSITE SO THAT THEY KNOW THE SURVEYS EXIST, THEY KNOW THE FOCUS GROUPS CAN EXIST, UM, SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO PARTICIPATE. 
          IS THIS SURVEY ALREADY OPEN? IS NO, NOT YET. 
          NOT YET. 
          WHEN DOES IT OPEN? I'M SORRY IF I MISSED THAT. 
          YEAH, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, . 
          HE DOESN'T REALLY NEED ANY HELP FROM ME, . 
          UM, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH THOUGH FOR, FOR HAVING ME TODAY. 
          UM, WE EXPECT THE SURVEY TO GO OUT PROBABLY I THINK AROUND JUNE OR SO. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO IS WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE THE CONTRACT DATA, UM, IN GOOD SHAPE BECAUSE WE WANNA BE SURE THAT WE SEND THE SURVEY TO PEOPLE WHO'VE ACTUALLY DONE WORK ON CITY CONTRACTS. 
          SO WE CAN'T KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE UNTIL WE GET THE CONTRACT DATA, UM, IN BETTER SHAPE. 
          SO WE'RE, UH, DEEP IN THE PROCESS OF THAT. 
          UM, BUT CERTAINLY, UM, ONE WAY I THINK YOU, YOU COULD HELP IS THAT IF ANYONE ASKS YOU ABOUT IT, PLEASE DO SEND 'EM TO THE WEBSITE OR, OR JUST HAVE THEM CONTACT US DIRECTLY. 
          UM, WE'RE, WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE. 
          I'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN A COUPLE OF EMAILS FROM PEOPLE WHO SAID, OH, WE, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WE WANNA KNOW ABOUT IT. 
          SO WE HAVE A A WHOLE DEDICATED TEAM OF PEOPLE TO DO THAT. 
          UM, AND SO PLEASE, IF YOU GET ANY QUESTIONS, UM, JUST DIRECT 'EM RIGHT TO US OR TO MICHAEL AND, AND WE WILL GET RIGHT BACK TO THEM. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MS. HOLT, DO YOU ALSO FOLLOW THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPLES SET FORTH BY THE CITY? WELL, WE'VE SEEN THEM AND THEY CERTAINLY ALIGN WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH WHAT WE DO. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER AS, AS MICHAEL, I THINK, SO ABLY DISCUSSED, UM, THAT WE HAVE A SET OF LEGAL STANDARDS THAT WE HAVE TO MEET, AND SO WE WANNA BE SURE THAT WE HAVE INCLUDED EVERYONE, UM, THAT WE CAN AT LEAST IDENTIFY, UM, FROM ALL GROUPS IN ALL, ALL SECTORS OF THE CITY IN THE PROJECT. 
          [00:20:01]
AND DO YOU HAVE IT IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES? WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO IT, AND, AND WE CERTAINLY ARE ABLE TO OFFER THAT TO PEOPLE. 
          AND WE SAY THAT IF YOU WOULD, UM, LIKE LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE, PLEASE JUST, YOU KNOW, GIVE US A, A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADS UP SO THAT, THAT, THAT WE'RE PREPARED. 
          BUT YES, SO FAR WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY REQUESTS FOR THAT, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE CERTAINLY SET UP TO DO IT. 
          AND IF SOMEONE CAN'T ACCESS IT ELECTRONICALLY, DO YOU HAVE A PAPER VERSION OR HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. 
          UM, NOBODY'S EVER SAID THEY COULDN'T DO IT, SO, UH, BUT I CERTAINLY SUPPOSE WE COULD CREATE A, A PAPER VERSION. 
          I MEAN, IT'S JUST A DOCUMENT. 
          WE CAN PRINT IT, UM, AND, AND SEND IT TO PEOPLE IF, IF THEY CAN'T, UM, UM, DOWNLOAD IT FOR WHATEVER REASON. 
          AND THEN MY NEXT QUESTION, UM, IS INTERVIEW SESSIONS. 
          AND SO I'D ANTICIPATE THEM TO BE SOMEWHAT LIKE FOCUS GROUP. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , CAN YOU MM-HMM. 
          , HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE OF THOSE. 
          SURE. 
          WE, WE, UH, DIVIDE THEM IN IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT VECTORS. 
          UM, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I'VE, I'VE LEARNED THAT IF YOU PUT ALL THE MINORITY AND WOMEN BUSINESSES IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THE NON MWBES, EVERYBODY WILL HOLD HANDS AND SING KUMBAYA AND TELL ME HOW GREAT IT ALL IS. 
          'CAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO OFFEND EITHER THEIR CLIENTS OR, OR OTHER PEOPLE. 
          SO WE DEFINITELY SEPARATE THEM INTO THE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED FIRMS. AND THEN NON MWBES, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ALSO DO THE BEST WE CAN TO TRY TO DIVIDE THEM UP BY INDUSTRIES, BECAUSE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES HAVE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES. 
          SO, FOR EXAMPLE, CONSTRUCTION WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT, UM, THAN IF YOU'RE AN ACCOUNTING FIRM OR WHATNOT. 
          SO WE TRY TO STRATIFY THEM OUT, UM, THAT WAY. 
          AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETIMES, UM, THIS JUST HAPPENED RECENTLY WITH ANOTHER STUDY WHERE SOMEONE'S JUST SIMPLY NOT COMFORTABLE IN A GROUP. 
          UM, AND WE CAN MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO DO, UH, ONE-ON-ONES. 
          UM, IF PEOPLE REALLY WANT THAT. 
          WILL YOU ALSO BE USING OR LOOKING AT THE CITY'S EQUITY ATLAS, UM, TO IDENTIFY? SO FOR INSTANCE, RIGHT NOW, YOUR ANSWER, UM, MENTIONED, WELL, NOBODY'S EVER ASKED US, WELL, MY THEORY IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PRESENT DON'T HAVE THE NEED TO ASK FOR PAPER ONE. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          UM, SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW YOU'LL BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE THE CITY'S EQUITY ATLAS AS YOU GO ABOUT, UH, GATHERING YOUR GROUPS, ET CETERA. 
          WELL, WE PLAN TO TRY TO USE THE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS THAT MICHAEL HELPED US IDENTIFY. 
          UM, AND THEN AMAZING MARKETING HAS DONE AS WELL TO HELP US REACH THOSE FOLKS BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE. 
          UM, AND OF COURSE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN THE INDUSTRIES THAT SELL TO THE CITY THAT ARE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY HOPING THAT THE STAKE ORGAN STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE, UH, HELPFUL TO US IN GETTING TO THEIR MEMBERS. 
          SO, AGAIN, WAYS IN IN WHICH, UM, UH, UH, YOU FOLKS CAN BE USEFUL IS, UM, TO ENCOURAGE THOSE STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS TO GET OUT THERE AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POPULATIONS THAT THEY SERVE, UM, ARE AS AWARE AS POSSIBLE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, MS. HOLT. 
          AND I THINK I HAVE A FINAL QUESTION. 
          IT MIGHT BE FOR MIKE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WILL THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BE CONDUCTING THE LEGAL ANALYSIS THAT YOU REFERENCED, OR IS THAT GONNA BE IN AN EXTERNAL ENTITY? SO THEY'LL PERFORM THE LEGAL ANALYSIS. 
          OKAY. 
          BUT OF COURSE, ALL OF THE STUDIES GONNA BE VETTED THROUGH OUR CITY'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ONCE WE RECEIVE IT. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE MIGHT ALSO ISSUE AN R F P TO ANOTHER OUTSIDE FIRM TO, TO, UM, ANALYZE AFTERWARDS. 
          THAT HASN'T BEEN DECIDED YET. 
          OKAY. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCIL TO SEE YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          UM, I WAS RUNNING LATE 'CAUSE I WAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE LATINO ECONOMIC SUMMIT, AND, UH, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS HONING IN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE BUSINESSES. 
          AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE INDUSTRIES ARE DIVERSE, UM, THERE'S A GREAT EXAMPLE WITH, UH, PROSPER WEST DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          THEY'RE, UH, GOING BUSINESS TO BUSINESS SURVEYING, UH, OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, HOW AND IF THEY'VE BEEN IMPACTED BY C V AND WHAT RESOURCES WOULD BE HELPFUL. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , UM, HAVE YOU ALL CONSIDERED DEPLOYING THAT METHOD? UM, AGAIN, RIGHT. 
          I KNOW THERE'S THOUSANDS OF BUSINESSES, BUT, UH, PRIMARILY FOR OUR DISTRICTS WHERE THERE IS A DIGITAL, WHERE THERE IS A DIGITAL DIVIDE, HAVE YOU ALL CONSIDERED POTENTIALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, USING ONE OF OUR DELEGATE AGENCIES TO GO OUT AND, UM, COLLECT THE, THE SURVEYS? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD RECOMMENDATION TO TAP INTO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS WHO MIGHT HAVE THAT CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING I CAN DEFINITELY TAKE BACK AND DISCUSS MORE WITH COLETTE AFTER THIS MEETING. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I THINK THIS STUDY IS CERTAINLY, UH, WELL WORTH DOING, UH, EVERY FEW YEARS TO RE-LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          ONE QUESTION THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS, ARE WE OPERATING UNDER A FEDERAL STANDARD FOR WHAT IS A SMALL BUSINESS AND MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS? OR DO WE HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO MEET, UH, OUR OWN COMMUNITY AND ITS NEEDS AND, UH, ITS CHARACTER? SURE THING. 
          SO OUR CURRENT CERTIFICATIONS DO FOLLOW SBAS TO I STANDARDS. 
          WE FOLLOW WHAT THEY KIND OF DESIGNATE AS A SMALL BUSINESS TYPE. 
          AS FOR THE LEGALITY OF CHANGING THAT, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE A GOOD RESPONSE. 
          WELL, CERTAINLY THE S B A SCI STANDARDS ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, NATIONALLY ACCEPTED, AND THEY, UH, SS B A HAS AN ENTIRE TEAM OF ECONOMISTS, UH, THAT, THAT COME UP WITH STANDARDS. 
          I, 
          [00:25:01]
I THINK YOU WOULD BE FREE TO VARY FROM THAT, BUT YOU'D REALLY NEED TO HAVE YOUR OWN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS AND BE ABLE TO SUPPORT WHATEVER NUMBER IT WAS THAT THE CITY CAME UP WITH. 
          THAT VARIES FROM WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, HAS BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE. 
          UM, BUT YOU, YOU DO SEE THAT SOMETIMES, UM, CERTAINLY FOR A SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM THAT'S JUST RACE AND GENDER NEUTRAL, WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE, UM, THE EQUAL PROTECTION, UH, ISSUES THAT YOU DO, UM, WHEN YOU USE RACE OR GENDER AND PUBLIC CONTRACTING, UM, THEN PROBABLY THE STANDARDS ARE, ARE LOOSER. 
          THAT'S JUST RATIONAL BASIS SCRUTINY. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, DID THE AGENCY HAVE A RATIONAL BASIS TO DO WHAT IT DID? BUT ONCE YOU GET INTO THE REALM OF, OF RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS CONTRACTING PROGRAMS, UM, CERTAINLY MY, MY, MY GENERAL ADVICE IS TO HUGH IS PRETTY CLOSELY TO WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING BECAUSE THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, WHEN THEY HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED, HAVE BEEN UPHELD BY EVERY SINGLE COURT. 
          SO THE LAWYER IN ME ALWAYS LIKES TO KNOW THAT A COURT HAS SAID THAT SOME OTHER LAWYERS IN COURTS HAVE SAID IT'S OKAY. 
          UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT I THINK YOU WOULD BE FREE TO AT LEAST THINK ABOUT. 
          WELL, I ASKED THIS BECAUSE I RECENTLY HAD A MEETING OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN MY DISTRICT, AND THERE WERE ONE OR TWO THERE WHO SAID THEY DON'T CONSIDER THEMSELVES SMALL BUSINESS. 
          UH, AND I KNOW THAT WE LOOK AT BUSINESSES THAT HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, WE MAY LOOK AT BUSINESSES WHO EARN A CERTAIN, UH, AMOUNT OF REVENUE. 
          WHAT, WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES THAT SEPARATE SMALL BUSINESS FROM MEDIUM MM-HMM. 
           OR LARGE, WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING AT THIS KIND OF A SURVEY? WELL, THE, THE, UH, S B A SIZE STANDARDS ARE ACTUALLY IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER. 
          SO FOR ANYBODY THAT LIKES THAT KIND OF THING, IT'S IN, UH, PART 13, 1 21, UM, AND FOLLOWING. 
          AND THAT'S UPDATED ON A RELATIVELY REGULAR BASIS BY S B A. 
          UM, THEY HAVE TWO TYPES OF STANDARDS. 
          ONE, AS YOU NOTE IS NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES. 
          ONE IS GROSS RECEIPTS, IT VARIES BY INDUSTRY. 
          AND THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF SIX DIGIT INDUSTRY CODES IN THAT TABLE. 
          SO, UM, GENERALLY CONSTRUCTION, WHICH IS SECTOR 23, UM, HAS, UH, GROSS RECEIPTS. 
          GENERALLY SERVICES HAVE GROSS RECEIPTS. 
          MANUFACTURING GENERALLY HAS NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, UM, AND WHEN IT'S NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, IT'S, IT'S 500 OR FEWER. 
          UM, BUT THE GROSS RECEIPTS VARY ALL THE WAY FROM SIX OR $7 MILLION A YEAR UP TO, FOR HEAVY, UM, CIVIL CONSTRUCTION I THINK IS ABOUT AT 34 MILLION A YEAR. 
          SO IT REALLY VARIES. 
          SO I, I CAN'T TELL YOU IN, IN THOSE BUCKETS, BUT IT, IT, YOU CAN GO AND LOOK UP ANY INDUSTRY THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN. 
          SO A SMALL BUSINESS IN ONE AREA MIGHT NOT BE A SMALL BUSINESS IN ANOTHER AREA BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES OR THEIR GROSS REVENUE? NO, NO. 
          IT REALLY DOES GO BY INDUSTRY CODE. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S, LET'S TAKE LAWYERS. 
          UM, WE'RE 5 4 1 1 10, THAT'S OUR SIX DIGIT INDUSTRY CODE. 
          SO ALL OFFICES OF LAWYERS ARE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD. 
          SO IT DOESN'T VARY BETWEEN, UH, A BUSINESS ISN'T GONNA BE A SMALL BUSINESS IN ONE PLACE AND NOT BE A SMALL BUSINESS IN ANOTHER BECAUSE IT REALLY IS A NATIONAL STANDARD. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, YOU DO SEE SOMETIMES SEE AGENCIES, UM, VARYING OFF OF THAT IN THEIR RACE NEUTRAL PROGRAM. 
          SOME, SOME AGENCIES DO HAVE WHAT I WOULD REALLY CALL MICRO BUSINESS PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE FOR VERY SMALL BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS OR UNDER THAT KIND OF THING. 
          BUT ONLY IN THE SMALL BUSINESS CATEGORY DO WE SUBDIVIDE OUR SMALL BUSINESS CATEGORY INTO MICRO BUSINESS. 
          NOT THAT I'M, NOW YOU NEED YOUR EXPERT ABOUT YOUR OWN PROGRAM HERE, . 
          SO YEAH, WHAT I THINK I HEAR YOU SAYING IS, IS WE DO HAVE A TOOL CALLED THE EMERGING SMALL BUSINESS TOOL, WHICH TARGETS FIRMS THAT ARE ONE FOURTH THE SIZE STANDARD OF A SMALL BUSINESS. 
          AND THOSE TOOLS SPECIFICALLY HELP GROW THOSE BUSINESSES AND GET ON THE CONTRACTS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, THIS I KNOW IS ONE OF OUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS. 
          WE HAVE TO DO THIS, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE, IT'S IMPROVES THE PROMISE OF OUR LAW. 
          BUT, UM, I ALSO THINK THAT MORALLY WE SHOULD DO THIS, UM, AND THANK YOU, WE SHOULD DO THIS, UM, AND PULL FROM EVERY SINGLE LEVER TO GET AS MUCH ACCURATE INFORMATION AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. 
          UM, CE BETA, UH, IS, UM, IT IS A CONSTANT WALK TOWARDS GETTING IT RIGHT ONCE AND FOR ALL. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S STILL 2022 AND I THINK THE GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT WE'VE NEVER REALLY GOTTEN IT RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT IT'S THE STRUGGLE, RIGHT? THAT MATTERS MOST. 
          AND IT'S THE EFFORT TO GET, YOU KNOW, TO REACH TOWARDS THAT POINT WHERE ALL OF US SAY, OKAY, WE, WE'VE FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT. 
          AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF WHAT WE'VE DONE, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER THE DECADES, WE ARE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE TODAY THAN WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WAY BACK WHEN. 
          THAT IS NOT TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT THERE ISN'T PLENTY OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HUNTING FOR IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, DISPARITY STUDY. 
          AND I'M CONFIDENT THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL HUNTING FOR, FOR THE THINGS THAT WE WANT YOU TO BE HUNTING. 
          SO, UH, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          Y'ALL DID. 
          Y'ALL DID A GOOD JOB TODAY. 
          THANKS. 
          ALRIGHT, ALEX, WHAT ELSE? SO THE NEXT ITEM IS ACTUALLY ALSO RELATED TO SMALL BUSINESS. 
          AND, UM, UH, WE INTENTIONALLY KIND OF KEPT THESE TWO PRESENTATIONS TOGETHER 
          [00:30:01]
BECAUSE WHILE THE, THE ONE YOU JUST HEARD IS VERY MUCH BASED ON LEGAL, UM, REQUIREMENTS AND, AND VERY TRANSACTIONAL, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR CONTRACTING DOLLARS, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE STILL NEED TO BE PROMOTING SMALL BUSINESSES ASIDE FROM THOSE THAT DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. 
          SO THE NEXT PRESENTATION YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ACTUALLY IS JUST A, A BIT OF AN UPDATE ON OUR ECOSYSTEM. 
          UM, WE'VE DONE A, SOME PREVIOUS WORK WITH THE JP MORGAN CHASE FOUNDATION. 
          UM, LILA POWELL IS ACTUALLY GONNA SHARE SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THAT REPORT. 
          I THINK SHE'S GOING TO, UH, REMIND US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, THAT REPORT, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THEN. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, MEMBERS OF THE STAFF WHO ARE HERE TODAY. 
          UH, THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY. 
          UH, ALEX AND I WORKED TOGETHER ON, UH, THIS, UH, SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM STUDY FOR QUITE SOME TIME, UH, ALMOST A YEAR IN FACT. 
          AND THE, UH, FULL REPORT, AND I, I GRABBED THE BLACK AND WHITE COPY INSTEAD OF THE COLOR COPY. 
          BUT IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS, UH, SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT THAT WAS PRODUCED IN THE WINTER OF, UH, 2020, IT HAS, UH, QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE TYPES OF FIRMS AND BUSINESSES THAT YOU ARE DISCUSSING AND THAT YOU ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT, UM, THE SMALLER MICRO ENTERPRISES, MOM AND POP SIDE HUSTLE, UH, KITCHEN TABLE BUSINESSES, THOSE KINDS OF ENTERPRISES ARE CRITICAL TO OUR ECONOMY. 
          BUT WHEN YOU HEAR THE TERM SMALL BUSINESS, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE CONFUSING. 
          UM, IN FACT, IN THE WORK THAT WE DID, THE DEFINITION WAS 50 EMPLOYEES OR SMALLER, WHICH STILL SEEMS PRETTY BIG TO A LOT OF FOLKS, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY A RESTRICTION OF THAT VERY, VERY BROAD CATEGORY WHERE YOU'RE SOMETIMES TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE. 
          AND WHAT MANY OF US ARE LOOKING AT IS, WELL, WHAT ABOUT SOMEONE WHO'S THE SOLE PROPRIETOR? SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT EVEN HAVE DIGITAL ACCESS, SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT EVEN HAVE AN ACCOUNTANT IN, IN THAT CASE, THOSE ENTERPRISES PROBABLY AREN'T READY TO CONTRACT, UH, FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, A A A CITY CONTRACT OR A CITY CATERING CONTRACT. 
          BUT THEY, THEY DO NEED SUPPORT. 
          AND THEY MAY BE IN SECTORS OR SUB-SECTORS OF THEIR INDUSTRY WHERE THEY'LL NEVER BE A SUPPLIER TO THE CITY, AS ALEX JUST MENTIONED. 
          BUT THERE'S STILL THE BEDROCK OF, UH, FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY FAMILIES, AND EVEN MORE SO FOR THOSE WHO MAY EXPERIENCE BARRIERS TO ENTRY IN THE WORKFORCE. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITY, OLDER INDIVIDUALS, PARTICULARLY INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE, SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS IN ENTRY INTO THE WORKFORCE, AND THAT HAVING THEIR OWN BUSINESS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO PROGRESS. 
          AND SO THERE ARE MANY REASONS OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT A THIRD OF THE LOCAL WORKFORCE HERE DOES WORK IN SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          AND OF THAT, IF YOU LOOK AT, UH, THE 34,000 EMPLOYEE OR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE EMPLOYEES, ABOUT HALF OF THOSE ARE MICRO ENTERPRISES, SO ONE TO FOUR EMPLOYEES. 
          SO, UH, ONE OF THE ISSUES I THINK THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS, ARE WE IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE ALL THOSE FOLKS TO GET THOSE BUSINESSES BIGGER? OR ARE WE TRYING TO RIGHTSIZE THEM AND HELP PEOPLE UTILIZE THEIR SMALL BUSINESS AS A TOOL, UH, FOR THEIR OWN FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE AND THEIR, AND THEIR FAMILY'S GROWTH? AND THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE GOALS OF A SMALL BUSINESS FOCUSED ECOSYSTEM MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN TYPICALLY WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF, UH, GROWING A COMPANY OR BRINGING, UH, AN ENTERPRISE UP TO SCALE. 
          SO THE APPROACH THAT THIS STUDY TOOK WAS REALLY TO LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY, LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOODS, AND TO, UH, VISIT OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT, UH, SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS, UM, WITH A NUMBER OF FOCUS GROUPS, BUT ALSO WITH, UH, AN ADVISORY GROUP THAT HAD ABOUT 30 TO 40 MEMBERS IN IT FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SECTORS, AND TO TRY TO FOCUS ON WHAT THE NEEDS WERE OR THE GAPS WERE IN THE ECOSYSTEM. 
          SO IF YOU WANNA GO ONTO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. 
          I'M SORRY, THIS TYPE IS VERY SMALL. 
          MAYBE IT'S BIGGER FOR YOU. 
          , UM, THIS IS A RECAP I THINK OF THINGS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW. 
          THE COVID PANDEMIC DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES WHO WERE, WHO WERE ALREADY AT DISADVANTAGE IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO CAPITAL IN TERMS OF GROWTH OF THEIR, UH, BUSINESSES, IN TERMS OF THE DIFFICULTY OF SUCCESS IN THE SECTORS IN WHICH THEY'RE CONCENTRATED, BUT THE PANDEMIC EXACERBATED THOSE. 
          AND SO THERE ARE SOME NUMBERS HERE, UM, THAT, UH, TALK ABOUT THE, UM, THE IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOW THE, UM, UH, BIPO OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES, BLACK AND HISPANIC OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES, HAD A MUCH MORE, UH, SIGNIFICANT, UH, DECREASE IN THEIR, 
          [00:35:01]
UH, REVENUE AND SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS. 
          AND THAT THEY ARE ALSO OVERREPRESENTED ALREADY IN SECTORS THAT WERE, UH, IMPACTED. 
          THINGS LIKE, UH, RETAIL SERVICE, FOOD SERVICE, UH, PERSONAL SERVICE, LAUNDRY. 
          AND SO THE, THE PANDEMIC REALLY SET FOLKS BACK WHO ALREADY WERE, UM, KIND OF BEHIND THE STARTING LINE, GOING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          MM-HMM. 
           THE RECENTLY, UH, IN JANUARY OF, OF, UH, THIS YEAR, THE AREA FOUNDATION ISSUED A, A STATUS ON A, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY. 
          AND, UH, I THINK THESE STATISTICS ARE VERY, UH, SIMILAR TO THE ONES THAT WE FOUND THE PRIOR YEAR, THAT, UH, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE REPRESENTED, UH, AS OWNERS OF, OF FIRMS OR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          AND WHILE THEY HAVE SEVEN TO 8% OF THE POPULATION, THEY HAVE ABOUT ONE POINT A HALF PERCENT OF, UH, EMPLOYER, UH, FIRMS. AND HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT CONCENTRATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES. 
          AND THE, UH, AREA FOUNDATION HAS A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THE, THE THREE LISTED HERE ARE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THE OTHER, UH, POINTS I'LL TOUCH ON, WHICH IS TO BUILD COALITIONS, MULTI-SECTOR COALITIONS THAT ALSO INCLUDE THOSE, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES FOR PEER SUPPORT. 
          UH, AND THAT ALSO, UH, CAN SUPPORT BUSINESSES IN PARTICIPATING IN PROGRAMS THAT ALREADY EXIST. 
          SO NONE OF THE FOCUS OF THIS WORK WAS TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT DOING GOOD THINGS. 
          IT'S MORE TO BUILD THE PIPELINE TO GET FOLKS FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER AND TO CONNECT UP THE WORK WE'RE ALREADY DOING. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          SO THIS IS THE SAME REPORT I JUST SHOWED YOU, THE, UM, SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM COALITION. 
          AND YOU'LL NOTE THERE, UH, THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WAS A, A, A PARTNER IN THAT, ALONG WITH A SPONSORSHIP BY JP MORGAN CHASE. 
          AND THEN THE, UM, UH, UH, STUDY CONSULTANTS, COMMUNITY ALLIES NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, LOOKING AT THE BARRIERS THAT WE KNOW THAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE EXPERIENCING, THE, UH, FIRST COLUMN THERE JUST REALLY TALKS ABOUT THE STUDY ITSELF THAT I'VE ALREADY OUTLINED. 
          UH, THE LOCAL STAKEHOLDER GROUP THAT, UH, WORKED COLLABORATIVELY. 
          THERE WAS A SECOND PHASE LAST FALL AROUND, UM, DRAWING TOGETHER FOLKS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF DISCUSSIONS, BUT ALSO, UH, INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT MIGHT BE LIKELY TO BE PART OF A COALITION FOR EQUITABLE ECONOMIC, EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BASED AROUND SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          AND, AND THAT GROUP REALLY SAT DOWN AND SAID, WHAT IS OUR MISSION? AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THAT GROUP DECIDED NOT TO LOOK AT RACIAL OR ETHNIC LINES, BUT TO TALK ABOUT DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES IN GENERAL, RECOGNIZING THAT OLDER INDIVIDUALS THAT WOMEN, THAT FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS. 
          UM, SO WHERE ARE WE NOW? WE'RE ON THIS THIRD COLUMN, THE NEXT STEPS THAT ARE UNDERWAY, HELPING THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AND THERE WERE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. 
          WHY AREN'T WE OUT USING PROSPER WEST? WHY AREN'T WE TALKING TO, UH, SOUTH SIDE FIRST OR SAGE ABOUT THEIR, THE FOLKS THAT THEY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH? THAT'S THE PHASE THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, IS CONNECTING UP THOSE BDOS, ASKING THEM BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS, ASKING THEM WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THEM AS ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP. 
          WHAT WE ALL LEARNED DURING C O V I D WAS THAT YOU CAN HAVE A P P P LOAN AVAILABLE, BUT NO ONE IS GONNA ACCESS THAT LOAN UNLESS SOMEONE THEY TRUST SAYS THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. 
          SO THOSE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS CAN'T BE BUILT OVERNIGHT OR DURING A TIME OF CRISIS. 
          THEY NEED TO BE ORGANICALLY ROOTED IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUILT OVER TIME. 
          BUT THAT IS A, IT'S A, IT'S A SLOW UNDERTAKING, AND IT REQUIRES SUPPORT FOR THAT COMMUNITY-BASED GROUP THAT'S DOING THAT WORK. 
          SO THAT PHASE OF THE PROJECT IS, IS UNDERWAY. 
          AND THEN THERE'S A BIGGER PIECE, WHICH IS WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES A FULL COALITION LOOK LIKE THAT INVOLVES LENDERS AND, UH, AND, UH, UH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 
          WHAT DOES THAT FULL COALITION LOOK LIKE WHEN IT GETS BEHIND THIS, UH, TYPE OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT? REALLY THE MICROENTERPRISE TYPE OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND A, A CRITICAL PIECE THAT WAS IDENTIFIED DURING THE FIRST STUDY, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE YET, IS A FUNDER'S NETWORK. 
          SO THAT THERE IS ALMOST LIKE A ONE STOP SHOP FOR THE, UM, REFERRAL AND THE B D O ORGANIZATIONS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS FUNDING. 
          UH, THAT CAPITAL GAP AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL WAS IDENTIFIED AS AS A CRUCIAL GAP. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO PUT A SMALL BUSINESS, UH, ECOSYSTEM COALITION TOGETHER? WHAT KINDS OF, UM, UH, REQUIREMENTS WOULD YOU HAVE IF YOU WERE BUILDING SOMETHING LIKE THIS? AND AGAIN, I THINK EVERYONE HERE HAS, UH, TOUCHED ON THIS POINT. 
          FOLKS WHO HAVE SMALL BUSINESSES, FOLKS WHO ARE RUNNING SMALL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN REALLY TOUGH FOR THEM, REALLY DIFFICULT. 
          AND SO ASKING 
          [00:40:01]
THEM, WELL, WHY DON'T YOU COME TO A MEETING? WHY DON'T YOU DO THIS? WHY DON'T YOU FILL OUT THIS FORM? THAT'S ANOTHER THING ON THEIR PLATE. 
          SO ONE OF THE GOALS HERE IS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES A BACKBONE ENTITY LOOK LIKE THAT SUPPORTS NOT JUST, UH, UH, UH, THE ORGANIZATION, BUT FREES THEM UP SO THEY CAN GO OUT AND DO THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING PIECE THAT THAT DOES, UH, TAKE SO MUCH TIME. 
          AND HOW DO WE BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT THE, THE GOALS OF THIS GROUP ARE? SO, UH, AGAIN, A POINT THAT'S BEEN TOUCHED ON, WHAT DO WE EVEN MEAN BY SMALL BUSINESS? SO TO BE PRETTY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE, THE GROUP THAT WE'RE, UH, TRYING TO, UH, TO FOCUS ON. 
          UM, AND, AND I THINK THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS THAT SOMETIMES WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IS HAVING AN ABUNDANCE MENTALITY. 
          AND THIS CAME OUT OF OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY. 
          THE, UM, WE OFTEN LEAD WITH NEED. 
          COVID WAS TERRIBLE. 
          IT IMPACTED ALL THESE BUSINESSES. 
          PEOPLE ARE FAILING. 
          THEY'RE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED, BUT WE DON'T FOCUS ON, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN THIS COMMUNITY WHO HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL AND WHO ARE ALREADY CONTRIBUTING TO SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES AND MAKING THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS VIBRANT AND VITAL. 
          AND, AND WE, WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE FOLKS WE WERE WORKING WITH WAS, COULD YOU LEAD WITH THAT? SOMETIMES INSTEAD OF LEADING ALWAYS WITH THIS IS A DEFICIT AND, AND WE'RE NOT A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED, WE'RE AN ASSET THAT YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THIS IS A PIECE OF THIS WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, AT LISC. 
          AND SO I, I INCLUDED A SLIDE ON THIS. 
          WE'VE PUT TOGETHER A SMALL GROUP OF THE, UM, UH, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS OR BUSINESS SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE EITHER NEIGHBORHOOD BASED. 
          SO THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA WHERE THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING, AND I, I'VE MENTIONED A COUPLE OF 'EM ALREADY, BUT, UH, COTER, INUA ALSO ON THE, ON THE NORTH SIDE THAT WORKS WITH, UH, ON, UH, IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS. 
          UM, THERE ARE FIVE OR SIX OF THESE GROUPS THAT HAVE NEEDS AS ORGANIZATIONS. 
          THEY'RE NONPROFIT GROUPS, THEY NEED SUPPORT, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE, UH, TECHNICAL AND, AND, UH, ACCESS TO CAPITAL NEEDS. 
          LISC IS REALLY FOCUSING ON SUPPORTING THEM AS ORGANIZATIONS. 
          SO HOW DO WE HELP THEM WITH THEIR, UH, PLANNING FOR THE GEOGRAPHIC REGION THAT THEY, THEY WORK IN? HOW DO WE HELP GET GRANT FUNDING TO THEM TO SPARK, UH, OTHER INVESTMENT IN, UH, THOSE, UM, THOSE PLANNING AREAS? AND HOW DO WE PROVIDE THINGS LIKE BOARD ASSISTANCE AND BOARD TRAINING AND OTHER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THEM AS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS? THE CULMINATION OF THIS WOULD BE TO TAKE SOME OF THOSE BACK OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES OFF OF THEM SO THAT THEY'RE NOT ALL WORKING ON DEVELOPING, UH, THE SAME TYPE OF OUTREACH MATERIAL, BUT DOING IT INDEPENDENTLY THAT THEY CAN COLLABORATE ON THAT AND HAVE SOME OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY TAKEN OFF THEIR PLATE, AND THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT ONLY THEY CAN DO IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          UH, AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE ADVOCACY AND OTHER TYPES OF, OF SUPPORT FOR THEM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THIS IS JUST A LIST OF THE GROUPS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH RIGHT NOW IN THAT, UH, UM, IN THAT COHORT. 
          AND AGAIN, WHILE SOME OF THEM MAY SEEM A LITTLE BIT SURPRISING, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, A I T S C M, THEY ARE WORKING ON A, UH, FOOD PRODUCTION INCUBATOR AND AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AROUND CULTURAL HERITAGE, THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE. 
          SO THAT'S THE COMPONENT OF THEIR WORK THAT'S INCORPORATED, UH, INTO, UH, INTO THIS COHORT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND THIS IS JUST A LITTLE, UH, QUOTE THAT I THINK REALLY SUMS UP WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT A TRANSACTION HERE. 
          IT'S ABOUT BUILDING THESE RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE SUPPORTED AND THE INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES IN THE COMMUNITIES ARE SUPPORTED. 
          NEXT SLIDE, NATIONALLY, LISC IS CARRYING OUT THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM. 
          WE HAVE, UH, 36 OFFICES NOW ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND MOST OF OUR OFFICES ARE WORKING IN THIS AREA, ALTHOUGH MANY OF YOU MAY ASSOCIATE THIS WITH HOUSING. 
          AS WE MATURED IN THAT INVESTMENT AREA, WHAT WE SAW WAS THAT HOUSING ISN'T THE SOLE ANSWER, IT IS AN ANSWER, BUT, UH, THAT ACCESS TO E E ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, UH, ACCESS TO, UH, EDUCATION OR NEEDED TO BE INCLUDED, UH, UH, HEALTHY FOOD NEEDED TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT. 
          SO NATIONALLY, THIS IS, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF LIST WORK. 
          AND THE NEXT SLIDE I THINK SHOULD HAVE A, UM, UH, A SUMMARY OF, UH, TWO PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. 
          ONE IS THE VERIZON SMALL BUSINESS DIGITAL READY PROJECT WHERE, UH, BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY CAN ACCESS, UH, COACHING, UH, IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES FROM, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          SO NOT NECESSARILY COACHING, BUT PEER SUPPORT AND WALKING THROUGH A PROCESS, UH, ACCESS THOSE, UH, ONLINE. 
          AND THEN, UH, THE OTHER IS A STUDY THAT WAS JUST PUT OUT BY LISC AND NEXT STREET, WHICH IS SORT OF A PLAYBOOK FOR HOW COMMUNITIES CAN COME TOGETHER TO PROMOTE THESE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S OUR LAST SLIDE. 
          ONE MORE, PLEASE. 
          OH, SO THIS IS THE, THE, UH, ESSENTIALLY JUST SUMS UP THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. 
          HOW DO WE CREATE 
          [00:45:01]
THIS BUSINESS, UH, DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION HUB TO SUPPORT BDOS? HOW DO WE DEVELOP A FULL ECOSYSTEM COALITION TO MAKE SURE THAT ONCE THE CRISIS PASSES WITH COVID, THAT THESE ISSUES DON'T JUST DROP OFF THE RADAR? AND, UM, HOW DO WE CREATE A FUNDERS NETWORK SO THAT WE DON'T FORCE FOLKS TO GO TO MANY DIFFERENT AREAS. 
          WE CAN BRING THE VARIETY OF SUPPORT TO THEM. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S IT. 
          THE LAST ONE SHOULD JUST BE MY CONTACT INFORMATION, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR CLARIFY ANY INFORMATION. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UH, LET'S START WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          ANY QUESTIONS, SIR? NO QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK A COMMENT, UH, I LIKE THE PRESENTATION. 
          I THINK THAT TO MY WAY OF THINKING, THE BIGGEST BARRIER IS THE FUNDING, THE FINANCING AVAILABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO IS NOT A WEALTHY COMMUNITY COMPARED TO MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE. 
          AND OUR STATE GOVERNMENT ISN'T VERY GENEROUS IN, IN WHAT IT DOES TO HELP OUR CITIES. 
          SO, UH, I HOPE THAT WE CAN FIND SOME ADDITIONAL WAYS OF HELPING A LOT OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT I THINK FUNDING'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A KEY AREA. 
          THANK GOD WE'VE HAD THE MONEY COME DOWN THE FEDERAL PIPELINE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS THAT, UH, ALTHOUGH WE MAY HAVE LOST 35 TO 45% OF OUR BUSINESSES OR THEIR REVENUE, UH, WE'VE PROBABLY MAINTAINED MANY OTHERS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN GONE OUT OF BUSINESS AND WOULDN'T BE READY TO COME BACK. 
          SO, UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO FINDING, UH, MORE SOLUTIONS TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO PUT MORE PEOPLE BACK AT WORK AND OPEN UP MORE SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN CASTILLO? YES. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          YOU'VE ANSWERED MANY OF MY QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT YOUR PRESENTATION, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          UM, AND JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS, RIGHT? I I THINK YOU, YOU TOUCHED ON IT RIGHT, THAT THE ISSUES THAT SMALL BUSINESSES FACE AREN'T, UM, A, A DEFICIT, RIGHT? AND, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THROUGHOUT DISTRICT FIVE, RIGHT? IS THEY'VE BEEN STRUGGLING BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. 
          UM, AND WHILE THEY'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE, THE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT ARE COMING DOWN, RIGHT, THIS IS JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE LONG NEEDED ASSISTANCE. 
          SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR, UM, THE APPROACH OF COALITION BUILDING AND WORKING WITH THOSE SMALL BUSINESS NETWORKS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A ROBUST ONE-STOP SHOP FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          TURN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          AND, UM, ALSO WANNA THANK ALEX BECAUSE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS, SHE MENTIONED SOMETHING THAT I JUST HAD LITERALLY GONE OVER TO PHYLLIS AND COUNCILMAN VRAN AND SAID, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. 
          OUR FOLKS DON'T WANNA DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR STRESSING THAT. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          THAT HELPED ME A LITTLE BIT. 
          SO, UM, WE GOT BRIEF FIRST ABOUT THIS IN GENERAL BACK IN ON APRIL THE SIXTH, UM, UH, IN LAST YEAR. 
          AND SO AT THE TIME YOU ALL ALSO TALKED ABOUT ACCESS TO FLEXIBLE CAPITAL. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE BARRIERS, UH, THAT IS IDENTIFIED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND DISTRICT FORCE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON THAT AND THE PEOPLE OF COLOR THROUGHOUT THE CITY. 
          EARLIER THIS, UM, MORNING, UH, COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ, WHO DOESN'T SIT ON THIS COMMITTEE, WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT D TWO WAS REPRESENTED. 
          AND SO I TALKED TO HIM A LITTLE BIT AFTER THE MEETING, AND I, I COMMITTED TO MAKE SURE TO WORK WITH HIM AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE REPRESENTED, THE ACCESS AND NETWORK. 
          UM, INCREASING ACCESS BY BEING IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, I THINK IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL. 
          AND SO DEFINITELY HAVING THESE, UH, SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER, UH, CENTERS. 
          'CAUSE RIGHT NOW I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE MOSTLY DOWNTOWN CENTRIC, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW OF THEM, BUT IT'S VERY FEW. 
          AND IN FACT, THIS MORNING I ASKED FOR SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, INFORMATION THROUGH ARPA TO SEE WHERE FOLKS ARE PROVIDED SERVICES THROUGH SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE REQUESTING ARPA FUNDING. 
          AND SO, UM, I, THAT PROBABLY WILL BE NEXT AS YOU ALL PRESENT A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION. 
          UM, I'M, I'M REALLY, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, STILL SOME OF THE BREAKDOWN I HAD ASKED BACK AT THAT MEETING. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I EVER GOT IT, ALEX, AND IF I DID, MY APOLOGIES FOR MISSING IT, BUT I HAD ASKED FOR AN ITEMIZED BREAKDOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT OF THE FOLKS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE FOCUS GROUPS. 
          I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT UNLESS, LIKE I SAID, I TOTALLY MISSED IT, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S EQUAL REPRESENTATION IN THAT SAME COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          UM, THE COUNCILWOMAN FROM D FIVE AT THE TIME, AND, AND THE COUNCILMAN FROM D SIX ASKED ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY AND AVAILABILITY OF CAPITAL. 
          AND SO I ATTENDED, AND I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT. 
          I ATTENDED THE N L C SESSION LAST WEEK, OR I GUESS IT WAS MAYBE THE WEEK BEFORE. 
          UM, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELLS FARGO MORTGAGE, UH, SCANDAL. 
          AND SO IT CONTINUES TO PUT, UM, BLACK COMMUNITIES SPECIFICALLY AT A DISADVANTAGE TO LOANS. 
          AND SO I KNOW THAT IT'S JUST A, AN ACCUSATION SO FAR, THEY HAVEN'T DONE A, A FULL STUDY. 
          UM, BUT I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. 
          I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THEY ALSO HAD A P P P LOAN SCANDAL. 
          AND SO WHEN I, I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          UM, AT THE N L C, THEY REFERENCED THAT 70% OF BUSINESSES OWNED BY AFRICAN AMERICANS WENT OUT OF BUSINESS, UM, BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT THEY LACKED INFORMATION. 
          AND THAT'S SCARY TO KNOW THAT THERE IS INFORMATION, THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PROGRAMS AND THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T 
          [00:50:01]
HAVE THE INFORMATION OR THE ACCESS TO IT. 
          SO WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE CAN DO TO, TO HELP CONNECT, I THINK IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT. 
          AND THEN, UM, DURING THE N L C CONFERENCE, THEY REFERENCE THE SS B A ROLES IN THIS AND COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS AND HOW THERE'S 27 HUBS. 
          HOW ARE WE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS TO HELP US WITH THIS? I'M SORRY, CAN YOU, UH, I MISSED THE QUESTION. 
          YES. 
          UM, THE, THE SBAS ROLE, THEY HAVE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS AND THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY REFERENCE 27 HUBS. 
          HOW ARE WE LEVERAGING THAT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO? SO THE, UH, THE S B A NETWORK WAS PART OF THE, UM, SYSTEM THAT WAS ANALYZED DURING THE INITIAL REPORT. 
          UH, AT THIS PHASE, THE WORK THAT LISC IS DOING IS CENTERED ON THOSE COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. 
          SO, UH, GROUPS LIKE THE ONES THAT I MENTIONED, UM, ON, UH, THE, THE PRIOR SLIDE. 
          SO OUR WORK ISN'T COORDINATING RIGHT NOW WITH THOSE COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, BUT I, I CERTAINLY THINK IF YOU HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE COULD INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE NETWORK, THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          THERE ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S 27 IDENTIFIED HUBS, BUT IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ANOTHER ONE? IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEVERAGE? I THINK ALEX WANTS TO PLUG IN . 
          I THINK SO. 
          AND I'M, UM, LELA MAY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, AND I'M LOOKING AT ANNA TOO, BECAUSE I THINK THERE WAS, UM, COALITIONS OF ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT APPLIED TO BE ONE OF THOSE HUBS. 
          BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT SAN ANTONIO WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF THEM. 
          SO MAYBE WE CAN WORK ON THAT. 
          HOW DO WE INCREASE THAT OR HOW DO WE, UM, AND I KNOW THAT CHAIR AYAS ALSO CHAIRS THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S STILL AN OPPORTUNITY AS WE GROW, UM, TO DO THAT. 
          BUT I DEFINITELY, I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE COMMUNITY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT AT N L C, AND I WAS, UM, SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTED THAT WE'RE NOT USING IT HERE. 
          UH, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S AN APPLICATION PROCESS, SO WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE CAN DO TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT I UNDERSTAND. 
          SO, YES, COUNCILWOMAN, THE, THE APPLICATION CAME OUT THROUGH ARPA. 
          IT WAS A PILOT PROGRAM FUNDED THROUGH ARPA. 
          SO THE CITY, UM, A NETWORK OF, AS LILA MENTIONED, A NETWORK OF LOCAL ENTITIES SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION. 
          WE ULTIMATELY WEREN'T SELECTED, BUT, UM, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THE PILOT PROVED SUCCESSFUL AND THAT THEY WOULD OPEN UP AN APPLICATION AGAIN. 
          UM, AND WE COULD LEARN FROM THOSE, UM, LESSONS FROM THE GROUPS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE PILOT AND THEN POTENTIALLY BE INVOLVED IN THE FUTURE. 
          SO THE US HISPANIC CHAMBER IS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WERE SELECTED. 
          WE HAPPEN TO HAVE VERY CLOSE TIES WITH THE US HISPANIC CHAMBER, AND, UH, I SAW MARTIN SITTING IN THE BACK WITH THE LOCAL HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          AND SO MAYBE AS WE'RE PLANNING OUR, UH, TRIP FOR SA TO DC WE CAN CONSIDER THAT. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT I, UM, LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IS THE FINANCIAL AND LEGAL LITERACY. 
          SO THE BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES THAT WERE CITED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHEN APPLYING FOR P P P GRANTS WEREN'T JUST HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          IT SEEMED TO BE ACROSS THE NATION. 
          SO IT WAS REALLY EYE-OPENING TO LISTEN TO THAT AND TO VALIDATE WHAT WE'RE HEARING HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND THEN ALSO, UM, THERE'S A PLAYBOOK FOR EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT IS, UM, OUT OF THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION. 
          HOW ARE WE INCORPORATING THOSE PRINCIPLES INTO WHAT WE'RE DOING? SO I, I BELIEVE I JUST MAKE SURE THAT THAT PLAYBOOK FOR EQUITABLE ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT THAT JUST CAME OUT, UH, A FEW WEEKS AGO, THAT IS A PROJECT THAT WAS, UM, SPONSORED BY ROCKEFELLER, UM, BUT IS ALSO, UH, THAT LISC WAS A PARTNER IN, IN, IN THAT PROCESS. 
          AND OUR, UH, PROCESS IN TERMS OF CARRYING OUT THE STUDY FIRST AND THEN LAYING OUT WHAT THE ECOSYSTEM, WHAT STEPS WOULD, COULD, UH, BE TAKEN TO SUPPORT MORE EQUITABLE GROWTH IN THE ECOSYSTEM, PRETTY MUCH TRACK THE, THE, THAT NATIONAL PROCESS. 
          UM, THERE ARE SOME, UH, UPCOMING WEBINARS ON THAT PLAYBOOK. 
          SO IF, UH, UH, THE, THE COMMITTEE IS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THOSE OR HAVING STAFF ATTEND THOSE, I CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, ATTENDING THOSE WEBINARS. 
          I, I DID WANNA COMMENT QUICKLY ON THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM. 
          THE DESIGN OF OUR B D O SUPPORT ACTUALLY CAME OUT OF A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHY THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WOULDN'T WORK FOR SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE WERE MEETING WITH. 
          AND THEY FELT THAT SOME OF THE, UH, REQUIREMENTS WERE TOO ONEROUS FOR THEM, THAT WITH JUST ONE OR TWO STAFF PEOPLE, THEY DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MEET WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN REQUIRED OF THEM UNDER THE, THAT HUB AND SPOKE MODEL FOR THE NAVIGATORS. 
          AND SO WE ACTUALLY SAT DOWN AND SAID, OKAY, FORGET THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM. 
          WHAT COULD WE DO TO ACTUALLY HELP YOU WHERE YOU ARE? AND SO PERHAPS WE COULD SEE OUR B D O NETWORK AS A WAY OF GROWING FOLKS IN CAPACITY TO, TO HAVING A SUCCESSFUL NAVIGATOR APPLICATION. 
          YEAH, I LOVE IT. 
          I LOVE IT. 
          UM, TO TAKE IT KIND OF AS A PILOT PROGRAM, MAYBE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE CAN DO. 
          WERE YOU GONNA ADD SOMETHING, BRENDA? I WAS, YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BRENDA HICKS, SORENSON, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          I JUST WANTED TO EXPAND ON THE PLAYBOOK. 
          THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CLOSELY MONITORING AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. 
          THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF, UM, ENDEAVORS SIMILAR TO, TO THAT, THAT WE HAVE ALREADY TALKED TO OUR CONSULTANTS AND ARE INCORPORATING. 
          WONDERFUL, THANK YOU. 
          AND I'D LOVE TO, UM, LEARN ABOUT ANY OF THE WEBINARS AND, AND SEE IF I CAN ATTEND, IF I COULD SEND STAFF TO ATTEND. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          I'LL GIVE YOU THE EASY QUESTIONS. 
          NOW. 
          DO WE, UM, EXPECT A MORE CONSISTENT TIMELINE NOW TO THIS, DO THIS ASSESSMENT AND REGULARLY ON A REGULAR, BE 
          [00:55:01]
REGULAR BASIS? I'LL HAVE TO DEFER TO, UH, YOU MEAN MAKING REPORTS BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE? I'LL DEFER TO FOLKS WHO SCHEDULE, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS AVAILABLE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN HAS THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION OR THIS A BETA COMMITTEE BEEN BRIEFED ON THIS ASSESSMENT AND DID ANY OF ITS MEMBERS PARTICIPATE? WE, WE DID HAVE A BRIEFING AND THEY HAVE ALSO REQUESTED TO BE INCLUDED ON MAILING LISTS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES. 
          AND WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT MAYBE ORGANIZING SOME SPECIFIC, UH, UH, WEBINARS OR OTHER TYPES OF, UH, OF TRAINING THAT MIGHT MEET THEIR, UM, THEIR NEEDS. 
          GOOD. 
          DO THEY FORM A PART OF THE COALITION? I THINK THEY COULD ALMOST BE SEEN AS PART OF THE BACKBONE OF THE COALITION. 
          UH, I WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT, THAT GROUP LOOKS LIKE. 
          UM, BUT THERE WAS SUCH A HIGH LEVEL OF INTEREST AND A VERY, VERY DETAILED DISCUSSION AND A REQUEST FOR MORE INFORMATION TO BE BROUGHT BACK. 
          AND THEN INDIVIDUALS FROM, UH, FROM THAT GROUP GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME AFTERWARDS AND SAID, THIS IS SOMETHING WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON. 
          SO I, I THINK THAT THEY ARE POISED TO PLAY A VERY SIGNIFICANT ROLE. 
          AWESOME. 
          AND MY FINAL QUESTION IS, UM, DOES THE CO UH, CAN WE TIE IN ANY OF THE WORK THAT THE COALITION IS DOING TO THE READY TO WORK GOALS? YES, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE POINTS OF MANY OF THESE, UH, THESE STUDIES IS THAT THESE ARE REALLY CROSS-SECTOR EFFORTS. 
          AND THAT'S WHY, UH, I THINK THERE'S A LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION THERE. 
          THERE'S A LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION WITH THE CITY SAYING, WELL, THE STATE'S NOT DOING ITS PIECE, OR, WE GOT THE FEDERAL FUNDING AT A DIFFERENT TIME AND IT DIDN'T COME WITH THE SUPPORTS WE NEEDED. 
          BUT I THINK THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, LOOKING AT SECTORS ACROSS, UH, SAN ANTONIO, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EFFORTS GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT, WHERE THERE'S A REALLY INTENTIONAL, UH, EFFORT. 
          SO ON THE, UH, THE HOUSING, UH, SIDE, HOW WE USE HOUSING AS A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ON THE FINANCIAL EDUCATION SIDE, THAT LACK OF FINANCIAL EDUCATION OR ACCESS TO IT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN, UH, IN MANY AREAS, NOT JUST IN SMALL BUSINESS, BUT AS A, A BARRIER TO HOME OWNERSHIP, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          SO, UM, HOW LISC, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW IS UNDERTAKING A, A REVIEW OF, UH, FINANCIAL EDUCATION RESOURCES ACROSS ACTUALLY THE COUNTY. 
          AND WE'LL BE PRESENTING THAT LATER THIS SUMMER SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY WHERE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS ARE AND HOW THEY COULD BE BETTER INTEGRATED INTO ALL THESE EFFORTS. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN BANO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WITH THIS COALITION, UH, WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR SUSTAINING THE COALITION? 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT PART OF A MEMBERSHIP. 
          HOW DO WE GET THEM ENGAGED AND KEEP THEM PART OF THAT? SO THERE ARE DEFINITELY DIFFERENT MODELS, AND THAT'S, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A GRANT OUT RIGHT NOW, UH, WITH LISC AND ONE OF THE OTHER CONSULTANTS THAT WORKED ON THIS, UM, TO BETTER DEVELOP THOSE, THOSE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY MODELS. 
          IT, THE, THE DISCUSSION IS NOT AROUND, UM, COMING BACK TO THE CITY FOR MORE MONEY. 
          THAT'S NOT THE SOLUTION HERE. 
          THE SOLUTION HERE IS TO IDENTIFY, UH, IN, IN WHOSE INTERESTS SUSTAINING THIS GROUP WOULD BE HOW WE TAKE THAT MISSION OF EQUITABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BROADEN PARTICIPATION. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S VERY MUCH A QUESTION THAT'S E EVOLVING. 
          WHEN, UH, DURING THE FALL WHEN WE GOT THE LAST GROUP TOGETHER, THEY WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON DEFINING THAT MISSION AND THE VISION AND THEN HANDING IT OFF TO THE NEXT FOLKS IN, IN THE RELAY RACE. 
          AND I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE'RE FACING RIGHT NOW, AND I I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO SOLVE IT, IS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE MOST WANNA HEAR FROM BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE THE LEAST FREE TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE KINDS OF DISCUSSIONS. 
          SO IT'S VERY HARD TO GO TO SOMEONE WHO IS A SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP AND SAY, CAN YOU GIVE ME, YOU KNOW, UH, TWO HOURS A WEEK FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS? THEY JUST CAN'T. 
          SO I THINK CERTAINLY ANY SOLUTIONS AROUND THAT. 
          UM, WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WORKING, UH, WITH, FOR EXAMPLE, SCORE OR OTHER FOLKS WHO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE, BUT ARE, ARE, ARE HEARING BACK, UH, WHAT THE CHALLENGES ARE OR FROM THE BDOS THEMSELVES WHO OFTEN ARE, ARE DEALING, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS OWNERS. 
          SO I THINK THAT IS A CHALLENGE TO US. 
          HOW DO WE DESIGN A COALITION WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED CAN HAVE A VOICE, BUT WE'RE NOT UNDULY BURDENING THEM WITH MANAGING THE PROCESS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT BECAUSE I THINK PART OF IT IS, IS GOING MOBILE TOO, WHETHER IT'S IN THE LIBRARIES OR IN AND AROUND WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES ARE, BECAUSE TO ASK THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT THREE TO, TO GO OUT TO ANOTHER LOCATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN ON A SATURDAY WHEN THEY HAVE TO BE AT THEIR RESTAURANT IS A HARD ASK . 
          UM, THE OTHER THING I QUESTIONS I THINK WE NEED TO START ASK BECAUSE AS MY FAMILY HAD A SMALL BUSINESS, MY DAD WORKED FOR THE CITY AND RAN HIS SMALL BUSINESS, UH, BUT WE HAD TO SHUTTER IT. 
          AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF ONLINE, YOU ONLINE CAME. 
          BUT, 
          [01:00:01]
BUT BEFORE HIS TROPHY SHOP BUSINESS, HE HAD ANOTHER BUSINESS AND HE PIVOTED, UH, TO DO TROPHIES. 
          I THINK WE NEED TO START HAVING THOSE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY ON THE SOUTH SIDE, THAT THEY MAY NEED TO LOOK AT PIVOTING BECAUSE IT'S A DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE NOW AFTER THE PANDEMIC. 
          AND I HAVE PEOPLE THAT INSIST THAT THEIR DREAM SHOP IS GOING TO SUCCEED. 
          AND I'M NOT, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FROM MY EXPERIENCE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TELL THEM, YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA TELL YOU IN TWO YEARS, OR BECAUSE OF ONLINE SALES OR BECAUSE OF THIS. 
          IT'S, IT'S NOT GONNA WORK. 
          YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE. 
          YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO EXPAND. 
          SO I THINK THAT THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING THAT THEY, THEY SIT THERE AND THEY'RE LIKE, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO TELL US THAT WE'RE DISADVANTAGED, WHICH I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND, AND THEY ARE AN ASSET, BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO HAVE THOSE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS THAT SAY, THIS BUSINESS IS NO LONGER SUSTAINABLE. 
          AND I HEAR THE STAT, I HEAR THE STAT, Y'ALL, I KNOW HOW MANY BUSINESSES CLOSED, BUT THOSE BUSINESSES WE'RE GONNA, SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES WERE GONNA CLOSE. 
          INEVITABLY AS A FORMER SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, AS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE LANDSCAPE, THE THEY WERE GONNA CLOSE ANYWAY. 
          THE PANDEMIC JUST RUSHED IT ALONG. 
          AND WE NEED TO HAVE, AND THAT'S THE OTHER CONVERSATION I WANNA HAVE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS, IS HOW MANY THAT SHUTTERED WE'RE EVENTUALLY GONNA SHUTTER ANYWAY. 
          IT JUST WAS MADE FASTER BY THIS. 
          SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. 
          I THINK WE HAVE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES. 
          UH, I THINK THE BACK OFFICE, I KNOW IN DISTRICT THREE M AND FOR SOUTH SIDE SMALL BUSINESSES IS KEY MM-HMM. 
          , IT'S JUST, THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT BACK OFFICE STUFF. 
          SO ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN DO TO HELP THEM AND ANYTHING OUR OFFICES CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE IT, I, I AM THERE TO SUPPORT YOU. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. 
          JUST ON THAT CONVERSATION, WE HAD A, A, A VERY, AT THE, AT THE TIME IT SEEMED LIKE A DIGRESSION, BUT WE HAD A, A LONG CONVERSATION IN ONE OF OUR MEETINGS ABOUT, UM, NOT REFERRING TO SOMETHING AS A FAILED BUSINESS BECAUSE THAT INDIVIDUAL WHO OWNED THE BUSINESS MAY GO ON AND START ANOTHER BUSINESS. 
          SO THIS REALLY ISN'T A FAILURE, IT'S A STEP IN A PROCESS. 
          AND SO, UH, WE STARTED TRY TO CORRECT OUR LANGUAGE AND NOT TO SAY THAT A BUSINESS FAILED OR THAT SOMEONE WAS A FAILED BUSINESS OWNER. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FASCINATING. 
          AND I, I THOUGHT ABOUT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT ABOUT A DECADE AGO. 
          I GOT TO HAVE, UM, I DON'T KNOW, A CUP OF COFFEE OR SOMETHING WITH THE C E O OF THE AREA FOUNDATION. 
          AND I WAS ASKING HIM, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME ON? UM, AND HE GOES, I SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME TALKING PEOPLE OUT OF STARTING A NONPROFIT,   OR GROWING THEIR EXISTING TINY ONE BECAUSE, UM, THEY'RE NOT READY. 
          IT'S NOT WORKING, RIGHT. 
          UH, SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THEIR BUSINESS PLAN OR SOMEBODY ELSE IS ALREADY DOING IT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN UNPOPULAR CONVERSATION TO HAVE WITH PEOPLE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T DO THAT. 
          RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF US ARE SO PRIMED FOR CHEERLEADING FOLKS, UM, AND YOU KNOW, THIS MESSAGE, WHICH IS YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU JUST WORK HARD ENOUGH, RIGHT? AND WE BOTH KNOW THAT IN YOUR DISTRICT AND YOUR DISTRICT, AND HERE'S MINE, THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WORK HARD ENOUGH AND STILL WEREN'T ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO CAPITAL BECAUSE THEY DON'T. 
          OR MAYBE THEY WERE JUST SELLING SOMETHING NOBODY WANTED, RIGHT? UH, AND THEY WERE CONVINCED THAT EVERYBODY DID. 
          AND NOBODY WANTS TO EAT YOUR, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, NORWEGIAN SALMON FOOD, TRUCK FOOD, RIGHT? . 
          UH, AND SO WE, EXCEPT FOR MELODIES, SHE LOVES THAT STUFF, . 
          SO WE, UM, I I, I DON'T SEE WHY HAVING THAT, THAT HARD CONVERSATION IS SOMETHING, UM, THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ALLERGIC TO, BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE DO NEED TO HEAR, AND IT'S A KINDNESS, RIGHT? THAT YOU CAN DO THE DO FOR THEM, WHICH IS YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT READY FOR THIS, RIGHT? MAYBE WE BEEF UP YOUR SKILLS BEFORE WE PUSH YOU OUT INTO THE WORLD. 
          UM, AND, AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE SIGNS ARE OF SOMETHING THAT IS NOT GONNA BE A SUCCESS, RIGHT? IT'S SORT OF LIKE AT WHEN YOU GO TO THAT WEDDING AND YOU SAY, UH, UH, THIS ONE'S NOT GONNA LAST VERY LONG, RIGHT? , AND I'M SURE THOSE ARE NICE PEOPLE, THEY JUST DON'T MAKE A GREAT COUPLES . 
          SO ANYWAY, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S NUMBER ONE. 
          NUMBER TWO, DURING LUNCH, WE HAD, UH, UH, PAT WALLACE AND I HAD A CONVERSATION AND SHE SAID, UH, YOU KNOW, WHO'S YOUR SMARTEST FRIEND? AND HER FEELINGS ARE HURT THAT I DIDN'T NAME HER AS MY SMART, SMARTEST FRIEND. 
          BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, NOW I'M SITTING HERE LISTENING TO THIS PRESENTATION AND I'M, I'M LISTENING TO LULI LELA, AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE WITH LISC, AND I'M HAPPY THAT YOU'RE THE ONE GIVING US THIS PRESENTATION AND, AND REALLY KIND OF GIVING US A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. 
          UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ONE OF MY SMARTEST FRIENDS AND I, I'M JUST, I, I CONSIDER MYSELF AND I CONSIDER THIS, THIS COMMITTEE, LUCKY TO HAVE GOTTEN TO HEAR FROM YOU AND, UM, AND THAT LISC IS INVESTING IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, LASTLY, JUST ANECDOTALLY, I'LL TELL YOU, UM, CONSUMMATE COURAGE. 
          I DUNNO IF YOU'VE 
          [01:05:01]
EVER BEEN, THERE'S A LITTLE, THERE'S A LITTLE, UH, BARBERSHOP IN THE NEW CITY TOWER WHERE IT USED TO BE FROST TOWER DOWN ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR. 
          IT'S A LITTLE TWO CHAIR BARBERSHOP LADY WHO'S BEEN CUTTING HAIR THAT'S BEEN DOING THAT FOR 50 YEARS. 
          UM, AND THAT BARBERSHOP HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR 50 YEARS, AND IT'S A SHOE SHINE, UH, YOUNG MAN WHO'S NOW 80 YEARS OLD, AND, UH, AND DORA THE OWNER, AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING TO HER AND YOU KNOW, ABOUT BUSINESS AND HOW IT'S GOING, AND TOTALLY UNAWARE, UM, THAT SHE QUALIFIES FOR A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE TALK ABOUT ON A DAILY BASIS, TOTALLY UNAWARE THAT SHE QUALIFIED FOR FEDERAL P P P, YOU KNOW, LOANS, TOTALLY UNAWARE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK UP, RIGHT? AND, UM, AND AT THE VERY LEAST, LEARN LIKE SENIOR OATS, RIGHT? UH, OAT, BECAUSE SHE CHARGED ME IN CASH, AND I WAS LIKE, NO, I'LL PAY YOU THE CARD. 
          AND SHE GOES, OH, I'M SORRY. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE A CARD. 
          AND, AND I SAID, REALLY? IS THAT A PROBLEM? SHE GOES, YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST, THEY WALK IN ASK, DO YOU HAVE A CARD? AND THEN THEY LEAVE. 
          UM, SO I LOSE A LOT OF BUSINESS. 
          AND I WAS LIKE, COME ON, LIKE, COME ON, RIGHT? LIKE, WHY, WHY DON'T WE GET YOU RIGHT? HOOKED UP TO OATS? AND SHE SAID SOMETHING. 
          SHE GOES, WHEN AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT? I WORK HERE ALL DAY LONG, EVERY DAY. 
          I'M THE ONLY ONE. 
          AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN EVEN EXPECT HER AND OR BLAME HER FOR NOT BEING INFORMED, RIGHT? UM, WE CAN'T BLAME HER FOR NOT KNOWING WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW, BUT ALSO NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME. 
          BUT THEN IT DAWNS ON ME, THIS WOMAN IS OUR TENANT, RIGHT? AND IF WE'RE NOT EVEN GETTING, PUMPING OUT INFORMATION TO OUR OWN TENANTS, RIGHT? IMAGINE WHERE, YOU KNOW, OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE LEAVING ON THE TABLE. 
          AND SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE SOMEBODY HOPEFULLY HAS TAKEN A NOTE. 
          YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GO TALK TO THE LADY WHO CUTS HAIR AND SEE IF SHE CAN BENEFIT FROM SOME OF, YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR OWN TENANTS AND, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC BUSINESSES, UM, YOU KNOW, OUGHTA, OUGHTA BE ABLE TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO SAYS, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN, AND LOOK AT ALL THE COOL THINGS THEY DID FOR ME. 
          THEY CAN DO THAT FOR, FOR YOU, RIGHT? UM, AND SO WE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO, A VERY, VERY LONG WAY TO GO. 
          AND, UM, LASTLY, I'LL TELL YOU THAT AS I'M THINKING THROUGH THIS, LISTENING TO YOU, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STARTUPS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONCE, ONCE YOU'RE A NEW BUSINESS, AND THEN NOT SO NEW BUSINESSES TOO, RIGHT? AND THEN BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO GROW A LITTLE BIT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND GIVING THEM ADVICE, UM, AND GIVING THEM TRUSTWORTHY ADVICE ON, ON HOW TO GROW AND HOW TO DO THINGS RIGHT. 
          UM, I THINK IS PROBABLY THE MOST VALUABLE THING WE CAN DO, MAYBE EVEN MORE VALUABLE THAN GIVING THEM GRANTS, RIGHT? SO ANYWAY, THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK. 
          THIS PRESENTATION WAS EXCELLENT. 
          AND, UH, UNLESS ANYBODY GIVES ME THE BODY LANGUAGE THAT THEY, THEY WANT TO ASK ANOTHER QUESTION, WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, HAVE LELA MOVE ON AND GO SAVE THE WORLD. 
          THANKS, LELA. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU COMMITTEE AND AND CHAIR. 
          OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE AN UPDATE ON OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. UH, SO MIKE RAMSEY IS GONNA BE SHARING THAT WITH THE COMMITTEE. 
          WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OUR PARTNERS HERE, UM, WITH US TODAY. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM BEING HERE. 
          AND I THINK MIKE IS UP. 
          THANK YOU, ALEX. 
          AND, UH, YEP, A BUNCH OF PARTNERS OVER HERE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, DAVID AND LEILANI. 
          WE GOT, UH, KELLY AND JANET AND BECKY FROM W S A, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING US. 
          UM, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY DOING THIS WORK OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, SERVING OUR PARTICIPANTS AND CONNECTING THEM TO GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. 
          SO WE COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU. 
          UM, YOU GUYS HAVE REALLY BEEN DOING YEOMAN'S WORK, KEEPING YOUR HAND TO THE PLOW. 
          AS WE DEVELOP THESE READY TO WORK CONTRACTS, KEEPING THESE TRAINED FOR JOBS, PARTICIPANTS MATRICULATING THROUGH THEIR TRAINING PROGRAMS, THERE'S NO EASY TASK. 
          AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR PARTNERSHIP EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU GUYS. 
          UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, ALEX, FOR ALLOWING US TO UPDATE, UM, THIS COMMITTEE ON THIS, UH, THIS COMMITTEE, ON THIS, UH, OUR PROGRESS SO FAR, AND TRAIN FOR JOBS AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED. 
          WE'RE READY TO WORK. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PARTICIPANTS THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU ALL TODAY. 
          UM, FIRST WE HAVE BENJAMIN ALVAREZ, WHO COMPLETED A FULL STACK SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND HE WAS SERVED BY PROJECT QUEST, UH, DAVID AND HIS TEAM, AND HE'S EMPLOYED RIGHT NOW BY THE HARBORSIDE GROUP. 
          UM, SO HE'S A GR TREMENDOUS SUCCESS STORY. 
          UM, I DON'T HAVE HIS WAGE DATA, BUT I'M GONNA MAKE SURE I FOLLOW UP FROM THIS E FROM THIS MEETING, UM, WITH THE WAGES OF THE PARTICIPANTS THAT WE HIGHLIGHT HERE TODAY. 
          UH, JAMIE RODRIGUEZ, FINANCIAL SERVICES GRADUATE SERVICED BY KELLY AND RESTORE EDUCATION, AND SHE'S EMPLOYED BY HARLAN CLARK, AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY OFFERED AND SECURED HER JOB THROUGH ONE OF OUR CITY SPONSORED TRAIN FOR JOBS THAT SAY JOB FAIRS. 
          SO WE'RE VERY MUCH SO APPRECIATIVE, UM, OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES FOR HELPING THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, UM, TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL OF GETTING GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, TRAIN FOR JOBS THAT SAY CONTEXT. 
          UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, TRAIN FOR JOBS IS HELPING TO COMBAT IS THE EDUCATION RATE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RATE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          UM, THOUGH WE WERE NOT FOCUSED ON DEGREES WITH THE TRAIN FOR JOBS PROGRAMS, THOSE CERTIFICATES THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE 
          [01:10:01]
EARNING, UM, ARE GONNA BE STACKABLE AND ALLOW THEM TO CONTINUE TO MATRICULATE UP THROUGH THEIR EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO EARN MORE MONEY AS THEIR CAREERS PROGRESS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RATE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, PRE PANDEMIC, UM, WHERE YOU HAD ONLY 16% OF THE POPULATION WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES AND KNOW IT'S NOT SHOWN ABOUT 20%, UM, WITH ASSOCIATE DEGREES. 
          SO WE HAVE SOME REAL WORK TO DO IN ENSURING THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO CAREER PATHWAYS THAT LEAD TO THOSE HIGHER CREDENTIALS THAT ULTIMATELY LEAD TO HIGHER WAGES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT OUR FUNDING BY CATEGORY FOR TRAINED FOR JOBS, UM, THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDING, 41%, WENT TOWARDS PAYING TUITION TO HELP PEOPLE TO INCREASE THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING, 32% OR 17.3 MILLION WENT TOWARDS PLAYING STIPENDS DIRECTLY INTO THE PARTICIPANT'S HANDS. 
          IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN THIS PROGRAM LAUNCHED AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD DOUBLE DIGIT UNEMPLOYMENT. 
          UM, PEOPLE WERE BEING LAID OFF AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE GONNA KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, HOW ARE THEY GONNA KEEP RENT PAID? AND SO CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE AND DECIDED TO ALLOCATE THESE FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE INCOME TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR BASIC NECESSITIES. 
          AND THOSE STIPENDS HELPED TO DO THAT. 
          UH, 10 MILLION, 10.4 MILLION OR 19% WENT TO OUR PARTNER AGENCIES FOR INTAKE AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR THOSE PARTICIPANTS. 
          AND ONLY 4.2 MILLION OR 8% WENT TOWARDS OUR SUBCONTRACTORS AND ADMIN COSTS TOTAL OF 54.1 MILLION CONTRACTED WITH THIS PROGRAM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, FUNDING BY PARTNER. 
          UH, PROJECT QUEST, UH, RECEIVED 15.6 MILLION OR 29% OF THE FUNDING WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, 14.9 MILLION OR 27%. 
          ALAMO COLLEGES 13.6 MILLION OR 25% OF THE FUNDING RESTORE EDUCATION, 7.8 MILLION OR 14%. 
          THEN WE HAVE FAMILY SERVICES WITH 1.7 MILLION OR 3% CHRYSALIS MINISTRIES 0.3 MILLION OR 0.5%. 
          AND SA WORKS OUR EMPLOYING EMPLOYMENT ENGAGEMENT PARTNER RECEIVED, UH, 0.3 MILLION AND 0.5%. 
          AND THOSE ARE OUR CORE PARTNERS FOR, UH, THE TRAIN FOR JOBS SA PROGRAM. 
          AND THEY WILL BE VERY FAMILIAR TO YOU BECAUSE AS YOU SAW IN OUR PRESENTATION, THE CITY COUNCIL, THERE ALSO ARE PRIME PARTNERS OR SUBCONTRACTORS FOR THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, SOME OF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, 62% OF THE PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE SERVED BY TRAINING FOR JOBS LIVING IN POVERTY, 42% HAD A PRIOR JOB IN HOSPITALITY, RETAIL, OR FOOD SERVICE. 
          UM, WOMEN MADE UP THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR PARTICIPANTS AT 69%. 
          31% WERE MEN, 59 IDENTIFIED AS MEN. 
          UM, AS FAR AS THE EQUITY MATRIX ATLAS SCORE, 59% OF PARTICIPANTS SCORED AT LEAST A SIX OR HIGHER ON THAT SCORE. 
          AND YOU SEE THAT BROKEN DOWN BY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT THERE, RACE AND ETHNICITY, 65% HISPANIC, 16% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 13% WHITE, 3% OTHER, AND 1% ASIAN. 
          OF THE 10,343 PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THE INTAKE PROCESS, THAT'S WHAT THAT SERVE MEANS UP THERE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          7% OF OUR PARTICIPANTS HAD PREVIOUS JUSTICE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT, 7%. 
          SO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND 3% WERE VETERANS. 
          AND YOU SEE THE AGE RANGE BREAKDOWN, OR OUR LARGEST DEMOGRAPHIC WAS THE RANGE OF 25 TO 34, FALL, ABOUT 35 TO 44, AND WE HAD OVER SIX, OVER 7% THAT WERE 55 OR OLDER PARTICIPATING IN THE TRAIN FOR JOBS PROGRAM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO AS OF MARCH 8TH, WE HAVE 2000 PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE RIGHT NOW IN A CLEAR CAREER EXPLORATION PHASE. 
          AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY COMPLETED THE INTAKE PROCESS AND NOW THEY'RE WORKING WITH THEIR CASE MANAGERS AND THEIR CAREER COACHES TO DECIDE WHICH TRAINING PROGRAM THEY'RE GONNA ENTER INTO AND WAITING FOR THOSE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO START. 
          WE'VE GOT 2000 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN TRAINING RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S IN ADDITION TO THE ABOUT, UH, 2,500 THAT HAVE COMPLETED TRAINING TO DATE. 
          UM, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 1,420 THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN JOBS WITH A MEDIAN WAGE OF AT LEAST $15 AN HOUR. 
          AND 1200 PLUS OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN EMPLOYED FOR OVER 90 DAYS. 
          AND WE'VE GOT 2,748, WHICH ARE, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST ATTRITION NUMBER THAT DROPPED DURING THAT CAREER EXPIRATION PHASE PRIOR TO ENROLLING IN THE TRAINING PROGRAM. 
          AND THEN 528 THAT DROPPED IN TRAINING, GIVING US A COMPLETION PERCENTAGE OF 90% OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ACTUALLY ENTER TRAINING COMPLETE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN SHORT-TERM 
          [01:15:01]
AND LONG-TERM AND HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY, UH, TWENTY EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR ENTERED TRAINING PROGRAMS 1,974 LONG TERM, WHICH IS DEFINED AS 12 WEEKS OR LONGER. 
          UH, BY THIS PROGRAM AND HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY, WE HAD 781 PARTICIPANTS ENTER INTO H S E PROGRAMS AND 46 COMPLETED ON THE JOB TRAINING. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE INDUSTRY SECTORS, UM, THAT WERE MOST REPRESENTED MEDICAL BY FAR, UH, WHICH WAS NOT A REALLY A SURPRISE TO US. 
          UM, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WISE, WHERE, UH, THEY HAD A SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF LABOR WITHIN THE HEALTHCARE AND BIOSCIENCES SECTORS. 
          AND SO 2,225 PARTICIPANTS PURSUED TRAINING IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELDS. 
          AND THEN WE HAD, UH, A, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF 958 PURSUING IT, CAREER FIELDS 758 IN BUSINESS AND, UH, MANUFACTURING LOGISTICS AT 330. 
          AND THE SKILLED TRADES, WHICH ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER GROWTH OF OUR CITY HAD 291 PARTICIPANTS ENTERING TRAINING PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO OUR CAREER PLACEMENT, OUR TOP 10 EMPLOYERS. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD 809 TOTAL EMPLOYERS THAT HAVE HIRED OUTTA THIS PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE OVERLOOKED. 
          IT SHOWS YOU THE BREADTH OF EMPLOYERS THAT HAVE PICKED TALENT FROM THE TRAIN FOR JOBS PIPELINE, BUT OUR LARGEST EMPLOYERS, METHODIST HEALTH WITH 76, FOLLOWED BY UNIVERSITY HEALTH AT 54 TSU WITH 28, WHO HAS SOME PHENOMENAL PROGRAMS OVER AT TSU. 
          UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR WHAT THE GREAT WORK THAT LESLIE CANTU IS DOING WITH OUR PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED POPULATION, IT IS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL. 
          I THINK IT'S GONNA CREATE A MODEL FOR THE NATION TO FOLLOW, FOLLOW THEIR EMPHASIS ON, YOU KNOW, YOU GIVING PEOPLE A SECOND CHANCE AND THEN SEEING THE BUSINESS PRODUCTIVITY THAT'S BEING INCREASED AS A RESULT OF HIRING FROM THAT POPULATION. 
          UM, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WE'RE ON THE LIST WITH 26, UM, EMPLOYEES HIRED OUTTA TRAIN FOR JOBS, BAPTIST HEALTH WITH 21 JR. 
          RAMON DEMOLITION, WHICH WORKS VERY, UH, CLOSELY WITH OUR OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND RESTORING HISTORICAL HOMES HERE IN THE CITY. 
          IT'S HIRED 19 ACCENTURE AT 16 FAMILY SERVICES, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY PROVIDING CASE MANAGEMENT TO TRAIN FOR JOBS. 
          PARTICIPANTS WITH 16 HIRES FROM THE 15 HIRES FROM THE PROGRAM, COMMUNICA AND AMAZON WITH 12. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO OUR BUDGET TO ACTUALS. 
          UH, SO WE STARTED IN JULY OF 2020, UM, WITH A BUDGET OF 75 MILLION AND A GOAL TO SERVE UP TO 10,000 PARTICIPANTS. 
          UM, WE HAD 8,000 PROJECTED TO ENROLL IN TRAINING, 6,000 PROJECTED TO COMPLETE TRAINING. 
          AND WE PROJECTED 3000 WITH SECURE EMPLOYMENT. 
          AND I KNOW EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT HOW THE NUMBERS SHIFT AND THE NUMBERS MOVED. 
          UM, WE JUST NEVER REALLY LOOK AT THE FINE PRINT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE 10,000 NUMBER IS WHAT EVERYBODY KIND OF GRAVITATED TOWARDS, BUT IF YOU BEGIN AT THE TOP OF THE FUNNEL WITH 10,000, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ATTRITION ALONG THE WAY. 
          AND THAT WHITTLED DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE. 
          UM, JUNE OF 2021, THE UPDATED GOALS, THE BUDGET WAS DECREASED TO 65 MILLION. 
          10 MILLION WAS RE WAS REALLOCATED, UM, TO ASSIST WITH SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS. 
          AND SO OUR GOAL WAS STILL TO SERVE UP TO 10,000 PEOPLE AND THAT SERVE BEING, TO INTAKE THEM INTO THE PROGRAM. 
          8,062 WAS THE ADJUSTED GOAL OF ENROLLING INTO SHORT TERM, LONG TERM O J A T IN HIGH SCHOOL ANCY TRAINING. 
          AND WE WERE PROJECTING 5,973 TO ACTUALLY COMPLETE THEIR TRAINING. 
          AND 2,987 TO SECURE EMPLOYMENT. 
          AS OF MARCH 6TH, 2022, OUR ACTUALS, OUR BUDGETED, UM, WAS SHIFTED AGAIN TO 60 55 MILLION FROM THE 65 AND 35 MILLION OF THAT HAD BEEN EXPENSED SO FAR AS OF MARCH 6TH, 2022. 
          UM, WE HAVE 5.16 THAT WAS REALLOCATED TO SUPPORT THE ALAMO PROMISE PROGRAM THROUGH A C D 4.7 MILLION WAS REALLOCATED TO THE GENERAL FUND. 
          AND WE HAVE SERVED OR COMPLETED THROUGH THE INTAKE PROCESS, 10,343 CITIZENS TO DATE, 5,301 INDIVIDUALS HAVE ENROLLED IN 5,625 TRAINING PROGRAMS. AND WE'VE GOT ABOUT 2000 THAT ARE PENDING ENROLLMENT IN THE PIPELINE NOW. 
          UM, AND COMPLETED TRAINING TO DATE 2,617 AND SECURED EMPLOYMENT. 
          THAT NUMBER HAS UPDATED IS OVER 1400 NOW 1,420. 
          AND THAT'LL CONTINUE TO RISE AS THE PROGRAM CONTINUES TO TRAIN PARTICIPANTS THROUGH DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO A COUPLE OF MORE OF OUR PARTICIPANTS TO HIGHLIGHT PATRICK K, UH, WITH WOOD WINDOW RESTORATION PROGRAM. 
          GRADUATES SERVED BY FAMILY SERVICES AND HE IS SELF-EMPLOYED, IS PROBABLY, UH, VERY APPROPRIATE FOR THIS CONVERSATION, TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          HE'S DECIDED THAT HE WASN'T WANTED TO BEGIN HIS OWN, UH, BECOME HIS OWN EMPLOYER AND, UH, START HIS OWN BUSINESS AND, UH, CONTINUE TO GROW AND INCREASE OUR SMALL BUSINESS POPULATION HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          THEN WE HAVE ANA POLANCO DE MARTINEZ, WHO WAS PREVIOUSLY A HUMAN RIGHTS 
          [01:20:01]
ATTORNEY IN EL SALVADOR. 
          UM, SHE STUDIED HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY AND BILINGUAL CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, WITH RESTORE, AND, UH, HAS BEEN EMPLOYED BY THE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, SO THAT'S, UH, AGAIN, A TESTAMENT TO THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR PARTNER AGENCIES ARE DOING TO HELP PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS AND BECOME PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYEES WITHIN OUR SOCIETY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, PROGRAM LUNCH UPDATE FOR READY TO WORK. 
          UH, WE ARE DILIGENTLY, UH, WORKING TO GET THIS PROGRAM OFF THE GROUND AND LAUNCHED, UH, WORKING HARD WITH OUR PARTNERS AND TO, UH, ENSURE, UM, THAT WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA BE PROUD OF AND OUR TAXPAYERS WILL LOOK AT AND FEEL LIKE THEIR DOLLARS WERE INVESTED IN A WORTHWHILE INITIATIVE. 
          UM, AND A PART OF THAT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IS OUR PROGRAM EVALUATION. 
          WE KNOW THAT CITY COUNCIL, UM, IS VERY FOCUSED ON THE OUTCOMES THAT THIS PROGRAM PRODUCED AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. 
          UM, SO WE ORIGINALLY, UM, HAD OUR EVALUATION R F P RELEASE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, WE ONLY RECEIVED ONE RESPONSE AND THAT RESPONDENT JUST DIDN'T HAVE QUITE, HAVE THE EXPERIENCE IN EVALUATING PROGRAMS OF THIS MAGNITUDE, UM, TO DO IT JUSTICE, WE FELT. 
          UM, SO WE SOUGHT THREE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FROM UTSA'S URBAN EDUCATION INSTITUTE. 
          THE, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IS RAY MARSHALL CENTER AND, UH, WESTAT. 
          UM, AND, UH, WE HAVE, UH, OF COURSE AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE'RE PURSUING, UM, THAT IT COVERS A SIX YEAR TIME PERIOD. 
          AND I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE, UM, THAT WE HAVE DECIDED TO PRESS FORWARD, UM, WITH MIKE RE WHO'S HERE TODAY, AND THE UTSA'S URBAN EDUCATION INSTITUTE. 
          UM, AND MIKE, I'M GONNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, SIR, BECAUSE EVALUATION AND REPORTING OUT IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          UH, WOULD YOU MIND COMING UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT HOW U T SS A AND THE URBAN EDUCATION INSTITUTE WILL HELP US WITH OUR ENDEAVORS? THANK YOU, MIKE. 
          I FEEL LIKE I'M AT THE GRAMMYS . 
          NO, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST AT THE START OF OUR JOURNEY WORKING TOGETHER. 
          VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY, WORKING WITH, UH, MIKE RAMSEY, THE REST OF THE TEAM AT SA READY TO WORK, AMY, UM, AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE REALLY THE HEART OF MAKING THIS PROGRAM A SUCCESS. 
          UM, WE'RE CALLED EVALUATORS, BUT WE'RE REALLY MORE THAN THAT. 
          THE WAY WE ARE APPROACHING, UH, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND YOUR PARTNER AGENCIES IS REALLY COMING IN TO HELP FACILITATE, UH, SHARED LEARNING, UH, CLARITY ON LIKE, WHAT IS OUR THEORY OF CHANGE? WHAT DO WE EXPECT SUCCESS TO LOOK LIKE IN OUR OPERATIONS? NOT IMPOSE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT REALLY HAVE THEM COME UP FROM OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, SHARE LEARNING ACROSS THE AGENCIES BECAUSE THERE ARE SUCCESS STORIES THAT WE NEED TO LEARN FROM, UH, IN THE FIELD. 
          AND, AND IF WE CAN CREATE THAT KIND OF SHARING AND THAT CULTURE OF HAVING AN EXPERIMENTAL MINDSET AND LEARNING AS WE DO, UH, I THINK WE'RE ULTIMATELY GOING TO LEAVE THIS COMMUNITY MUCH STRONGER THAN WE FOUND. 
          FUNDING IS AWESOME. 
          EVEN MORE PRECIOUS IS HAVING A CULTURE WITHIN THIS SECTOR OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS CAN DO, THAT IS ENTERPRISING, THAT HAS REALLY CAPABLE, UM, UM, UM, GREAT CAPACITY ON THE FRONT LINE IN WORKING WITH OUR FELLOW NEIGHBORS WHO, WHO NEED HELP. 
          UM, AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GETTING STARTED AND VERY HONORED TO, UH, BE SELECTED AS PART OF, UH, THIS PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU, MIKE. 
          THANK YOU MIKE. 
          YEAH, WE'RE EXTREMELY EXCITED TO HAVE, UH, THE EXPERTISE OF MIKE AND HIS TEAM AND U T SS A ON BOARD TO HELP TO KEEP US ON TRACK. 
          UH, THAT'S WHY THE EVALUATION COMPONENT OF READY TO WORK IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE PRIDED OURSELVES ON CHANGING COURSE WHEN NEW INFORMATION PRESENTS ITSELF. 
          WE WANNA BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, UM, AS WE MAKE PROGRESS AND WHAT WE HAVE SHORTCOMINGS. 
          AND WHEN WE DO HAVE SHORTCOMINGS, WE WANT TO QUICKLY RESPOND AND SHORE THEM UP SO THAT OUR CITIZENS CAN BENEFIT THE RESULTS OF THAT NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, OF COURSE, A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT PROGRAM EVALUATION THAT WE'RE PROVIDING. 
          FORMATIVE EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, ASSISTING WITH INPUTS FOR OUR DATA DASHBOARD. 
          UH, NOT ONLY THE PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD FOR OUR CITIZENS TO, UM, BE ABLE TO GLEAN INFORMATION FROM, BUT ALSO THE INTERNAL DASHBOARDS USED BY OUR PARTNER AGENCIES AND, AND PROGRAM LEADERSHIP HERE AT THE CITY. 
          UM, OUR REPOSITORY OF INFORMATION, OF LESSONS LEARNED, OF CASE STUDIES OF PARTICIPANTS MATRICULATING THROUGH THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, THEY'LL PRODUCE A QUARTERLY WRITTEN REPORT, AN ANNUAL WRITTEN REPORT, 
          [01:25:01]
AND MICRO SCRIPTS, UM, AGAIN, DETAILING THE STORY OF READY TO WORK AND HOW IT'S IMPACTING LIVES OF CITIZENS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEN INNOVATIONS, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE AND NOT JUST DO THE STATUS QUO, UM, THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST, BUT NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS IF IT'S GONNA MOVE THE NEEDLE, UM, FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO WE ALSO HAVE SOME ASSISTANCE. 
          UH, WE'RE VERY THANKFUL, UH, TO THE UP PARTNERSHIP, UM, WHO HAS SECURED FUNDING THROUGH THE BLUE MERIDIAN GROUP, UM, TO ALLOW JOBS FOR THE FUTURE, OR J F F TO PARTNER WITH US AND WITH MIKE AND U T S A ON THIS EVALUATION WORK. 
          UM, THERE, IT'S AT NO COST TO THE CITY. 
          UM, AND THEY ARE RECEIVING $600,000, UM, TO COME ALONGSIDE US AND TO ENSURE THAT OUR PARTNERS ARE WORKING IN THE MOST EFFICIENT MANNER TOGETHER. 
          THAT THEY'RE UTILIZING BEST PRACTICES THAT ARE GLEANED FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FROM OTHER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THAT THEY'VE BEEN PARTNERING WITH TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE IN THAT WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THOSE PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE READY TO WORK PROCESS. 
          AND WE'RE EXTREMELY HAPPY TO HAVE A NATIONAL NAME, SUCH AS JOBS FOR THE FUTURE, THAT HAS AGREED TO PUT THEIR EXPERTISE BEHIND THIS PROGRAM. 
          AND IT'LL ONLY INCREASE OUR CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN THE LONG RUN. 
          UM, THEY'RE GONNA ASSIST WITH OUR PROGRAM LAUNCH, UM, ORIENTATION PLAN TO ONBOARD OUR PARTNERS AND OUR VIRTUAL KICKOFF BETWEEN ALL PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM AND PROVIDING, OF COURSE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE CITY AND OUR PARTNERS WITH ONSITE COACHING INTERVIEWS TO ASSESS THE STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD. 
          AND THEN SCALING THAT ASSISTANCE OUT, AND THEN CREATING A TRULY A LEARNING CURRICULAR FOR, TO DEVELOPING OUR WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEM. 
          UM, WE KNOW THAT THIS FUNDING IS ONLY HERE FOR A FINITE AMOUNT OF TIME, BUT WE BELIEVE THE IMPACTS OF THIS READY TO WORK PROGRAM ARE GONNA REVERBERATE THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME, AND THEY'RE GONNA HELP TO ASSIST US IN ENSURING THAT SUSTAINABILITY IS PRESENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO, THE NEXT CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH IS FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY SERVICES. 
          UM, WE'RE GOING TO, UH, ENSURE THAT H SS E PREP COURSES AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES ARE A PART OF OUR PARTICIPANTS. 
          WE, YOU SAW THE NUMBERS. 
          WE HAD OVER 700 AND READY AND TRAINED FOR JOBS THAT DID NOT HAVE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY COMING TO THE PROGRAM. 
          CITY COUNCIL MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FOCUS ON THAT GROUP AS WELL TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD SERVICES PROVIDED TO THEM THROUGH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. 
          SO WE'LL BE WORKING WITH ALAMO COLLEGES AND RESTORE EDUCATION TO SERVE THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND, UH, THE BUDGET THAT COUNCIL HAS APPROVED IS 1.6 MILLION, UH, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2022, AND WE'LL BE CONTINUING THAT REQUEST FORWARD INTO 2023. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO OUR CENTRALIZED DATA PLATFORM SIGNIFY HEALTH. 
          UH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS LEARNED AND TRAINED FOR JOBS IS WE GOTTA HAVE ALL THAT DATA IN ONE SPOT. 
          UM, IT IS ESSENTIAL, UM, TO ENSURING THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS IN REAL TIME, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE TWEAKS AND ADJUSTMENTS AS WE SEE OURSELVES FALLING SHORT IN CERTAIN AREAS, AND TO CELEBRATE WHEN WE'RE REALLY EXCEEDING OUR TARGET, UH, PROJECTIONS IN OTHER AREAS. 
          UM, AND THAT, UH, SIGNIFY HEALTH HAS BEEN DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB IN WORKING WITH THE CITY STAFF AND WORKING WITH OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS TO HELP TO SHAPE WHAT THAT FINAL PRODUCT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE. 
          WE'RE PROGRESSING, UM, AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE, WE ARE READY TO GO, UM, VERY SOON ONCE THEIR PROGRAM IS COMPLETE AND THAT PLATFORM GOES LIVE. 
          UM, SO A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE ON THE CALENDAR. 
          UM, SO WE, UM, HAVE SECURED, UM, OUR MARKETING FIRM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UH, CREATIVE NAIN. 
          AND, UH, THEY HAVE BEGUN, UM, THEIR OUTREACH CAMPAIGN, APRIL 1ST. 
          THE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN IS GONNA KICK OFF IN FULL BORE, WORKING TO SECURE A WEBSITE DOMAIN TO ATTACH TO THAT, TO PROPERLY ADVERTISE THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. 
          UM, WE HAVE A TARGET DATE SET FOR A LAUNCH EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY IN MID-MAY, UH, WHERE WE'LL HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE AND A REGISTRATION EVENT, UM, IN PERSON. 
          AND WE'RE, WE'RE TARGETING THE HEMISPHERE PLAZA, UM, AS THE LOCATION FOR THAT EVENT. 
          WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR THAT AS TIME GOES ON, BUT WE REALLY WANNA MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT THE LAUNCH. 
          UM, OUR PARTNERS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET READY. 
          UM, WE'VE GOT INK BARELY DRY ON SEVERAL OF THOSE CONTRACTS, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE PREPARED TO RECEIVE AND INTAKE THOSE PARTICIPANTS ONCE THE WORD GOES OUT EN MASS. 
          UM, 'CAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GONNA GENERATE, YOU KNOW, A HUGE, UH, SWELL, UM, OF SUPPORT FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY AS THE PROGRAM BEGINS TO ENROLL PARTICIPANTS BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING ON THE TALENT THEY NEEDED THEM YESTERDAY. 
          AND, UH, WE'RE CONNECTING 'EM TO TRAIN FOR JOBS FOR THEIR IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE IF THEY'RE READY TO WORK. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. 
          I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANKS. 
          BUT BEFORE WE TAKE QUESTIONS, I, ON THAT LAST SLIDE AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU, UM, THAT YOU JUST RUN DOWN AS FAR AS WHAT YOU GUYS ARE GONNA DO TO GET THE WORD OUT AND, UM, GENERATE INTEREST, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS BEING DONE IN-HOUSE VERSUS, UH, BY WAY OF, UH, CONSULTANT? IT'S CONTRACTED OUT? UH, CREATIVE NO, IS OUR MARKETING FIRM. 
          AND, UH, SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, DOING THE LION'S SHARE OF THAT WORK AND, UH, AND WORKING 
          [01:30:01]
OF COURSE WITH OUR, UM, OUR SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE READY TO WORK BOARD. 
          THEY'VE BEEN EXTREMELY ENGAGED AND INVOLVED IN GIVING IDEAS TO TRY TO SHAPE WHAT THAT MARKETING OUTREACH PLAN LOOKS LIKE. 
          UM, BUT IT IS LARGELY BEING DONE, UM, EXTERNALLY THROUGH OUR CONTRACTOR. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE GOTTA LEAVE COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA, WHY DON'T YOU GO FIRST, THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND I HAVE LIKE NINE QUESTIONS, BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME TO ASK THEM, SO I'LL, I'LL GET WITH YOU, MIKE. 
          DON'T WORRY. 
          NO PROBLEM. 
          GIMME THE HARDEST ONES FIRST. 
          YEAH, WELL, I'LL GIVE YOU THE EASIEST ONE. 
          SLIDE SEVEN. 
          CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME THE EQUITY METRIC, UH, MATRIX ATLAS SCORE? SO THE HIGHER, THE HIGHER THE SCORE, THE BIGGER THE NEED. 
          UM, AND THAT'S, UH, DONE THROUGH OUR, I'M GONNA SCREW THE NAME OF THE OFFICE UP A DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION OFFICE. 
          UM, THEY DID A LOT OF GREAT WORK IN CREATING THIS EQUITY MATRIX AND, UH, IT BASED UPON YOUR ADDRESS AND WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT THE, UH, RISK FACTORS ARE, UM, FOR YOU WITHIN THAT, UH, THAT CERTAIN, UH, ADDRESS. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT THAT EQUITY MATRIX SCORE IS. 
          AND THE HIGHER THE NUMBER, THE GREATER YOUR NEEDS ARE. 
          SO DISTRICT 10 HAS 17%, SO LET ME JUST CLARIFY THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ENTRY FOR JOBS, IT'S THE, THE BARS ARE NOT COUNCIL DISTRICTS, IT'S THE EQUITY SCORE. 
          OH, IT, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT'S THE EQUITY SCORE FOR EACH CENSUS TRACK. 
          SO I WAS SO CONFUSED, AND I LITERALLY WAS JUST SITTING HERE LIKE, WAIT A SECOND, WHAT HAPPENED? THIS LOOKS BACKWARDS. 
          YEAH, NO, THESE, OKAY, GREAT. 
          THE EQUITY SCALE IS ONE TO 10. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          GOT IT. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT IS MY MOST CLARIFYING QUESTION, SO I'LL HOLD THE OTHER RENTS FOR LATER. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          NO PROBLEM. 
          AND I WILL BE SEEING, I THINK I SEE ANNA BLANCO MARTINEZ. 
          'CAUSE I'M GOING TO A SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEXT, SO, UH, IF SHE'S THERE, I'LL SAY HELLO. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL. 
          THANKS. 
          THANK YOU, . 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND THANK YOU MIKE, FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I KNOW A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE HAD A, A MEETING WITH SOME, UH, COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND THEY ASKED ME, YOU KNOW, UM, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO SEEN DIFFERENT OR WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? RIGHT? AND I FOCUS IN ON HOW THERE WAS OPPORTUNITY TO PRIORITIZE, UH, GREEN UNION JOBS. 
          UM, BUT I'M PLEASED TO LOOK AT THE TOP 10 EMPLOYEES AND TO SEE JR RAMON, UH, WITH HIRING 19 INDIVIDUALS. 
          UM, I, I THINK WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS ONE, RIGHT? THEY ARE A HUGE PROPONENT OF A DECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM. 
          AND, UM, I, I KNOW THAT SOMETHING THAT THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION HAS BEEN WORKING ON. 
          UM, AND I THINK WHAT'S FASCINATING ABOUT, UH, THE DECONSTRUCTION POLICY IS THAT, UH, THE MAYOR OF PITTSBURGH, UM, PUT FORWARD, UM, UH, AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CREATE A DECONSTRUCTION PILOT PROGRAM USING OUR CITY'S DECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM. 
          UM, SO WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT THAT IS THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO, TO, TO GROW. 
          AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT J RAMON IS HIRING, UH, AND, AND I, WHAT I SEE SURFACING IS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND AND POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, AS A CITY SUPPORTED DECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM. 
          UM, BUT I, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND, UM, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
           COUNCIL. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          IT WAS A GOOD PRESENTATION. 
          I'M GLAD TO SEE A LOT OF THE EARLY WORKS BEING DONE SO THAT WE'RE PREPARED WHEN WILL TRAINING AND EDUCATION BEGIN? TRAINING AND EDUCATION WILL BEGIN IN THE SUMMER, UM, AS THEY START ENROLLING, UM, LATE SPRING IN THE SUMMER, WE ANTICIPATE HAVING OUR FIRST ENROLLEES ACTUALLY ENTER TRAINING FOR READY TO WORK. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE BEEN DISAPPOINTED IN, UH, THE TRAINING FOR JOBS IS TOTAL OUTPUT. 
          UH, I REALIZE IT'S STILL ONGOING AND, UH, I THINK ALL OF US ARE, ARE HOPEFUL TO SEE BETTER RESULTS. 
          BUT DO WE HAVE, UH, A SET OF, OF GOALS THAT WE EXPECT OUT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM? UH, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW SOON COULD OUR FIRST ENROLLEE FIND A JOB? OR HOW MANY ENROLLEES PER YEAR SHOULD BECOME EMPLOYED? I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE OVERALL GOAL OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S THE UPSKILL AND THE EDUCATION THAT IS GOING TO LEAD TO JOBS FOR PEOPLE. 
          THAT IS THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME THAT WE NEED TO HAVE OUT OF THIS. 
          UH, DO YOU HAVE THOSE KIND OF METRICS DRAWN UP YET THAT, UH, YOU CAN BE BRINGING TO THIS COMMITTEE AND TO THE COUNCIL SOMETIME SOON? ABSOLUTELY. 
          BUT THEY'RE JUST PROJECTIONS BECAUSE IT DEPENDS UPON THE TRAINING PROGRAMS THE INDIVIDUALS PURSUE. 
          THEY COULD BE SHORT TERM CREDENTIALS THAT LAST AS LITTLE AS EIGHT WEEKS, COULD BE A TWO YEAR DEGREE, OR THEY COULD BE FINISHING UP A FOUR YEAR DEGREE. 
          SO I CAN GIVE YOU THE AVERAGE. 
          NOW, WE ANTICIPATE ABOUT 16,000 PEOPLE BEING PLACED IN JOBS AT THE END OF THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD. 
          SO ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 3000 PARTICIPANTS PER YEAR. 
          YOU SHOULD BE TRACKING, ENTERING EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. 
          IT SOUNDS A LITTLE LESS THAN I HAD THOUGHT I HEARD WHEN, WHEN WE ASKED THE COMMUNITY TO VOTE ON THIS. 
          SO I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO KIND OF UNDERSTANDING 
          [01:35:01]
HOW WE ARRIVED AT THOSE FIGURES AND WHAT THE POTENTIAL IS FOR, UH, GROWTH IN ANY OF THAT. 
          THANK YOU, . 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO, UM, THE FIRST THING I I, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. 
          THANK YOU, MIKE. 
          I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. 
          I, I DID THINK THAT, UM, THE JOB TRAINING PROGRAM DID WELL WITH THE FACT THAT WE WERE STILL IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC YEAH. 
          AND TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO WORK. 
          UM, THE ONE THING I THINK WE NEED TO CONSIDER AS WE MOVE FORWARD IS LOOKING AT THAT BIG PICTURE APPROACH AND UNDERSTANDING, UH, IN AREAS OF TOWN WE HAVE CHILDCARE DESERTS AND FOOD DESERTS, AND TIME IS MONEY. 
          AND IF A SINGLE MOM HAS TO GO 12, THE NEAREST H E B IS 12 MINUTES AWAY. 
          UM, HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK FOR THEM? UH, IF THEIR, THEIR CHILDCARE ISN'T THERE, HOW DOES THAT IMPEDE THEM? SO I THINK THOSE ARE QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK. 
          AND I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT ON MIKE AND, AND THE U T S A T TEAM. 
          'CAUSE I THINK THERE, THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          SO I WANNA TAKE THAT BIG PICTURE APPROACH AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND UNDERSTAND THAT THAT MAY BE THE HESITANCY OF PEOPLE COMING IN AND HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT? THE OTHER THING IS, AT THE END, WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY SERVICES, I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE, UM, I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, BUT I DO WANNA DO A PULSE CHECK IN THE FACT THAT IF WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ENTER INTO OUR PROGRAM, UH, EITHER ONE, AND THEY'RE LIKE, THEY'RE AT THAT $15 AN HOUR, THAT WE, WE TELL THEM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN TO, TO KEEP MOVING UPWARDLY MOBILE, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE THAT SECOND CHILD OR YOU WANNA BUY THAT CAR, THIS IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE. 
          AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION THAT, WHERE DO YOU WANNA LIVE IN SAN ANTONIO? BECAUSE THE HOUSING PRICES CONTINUE TO GO UP AND, AND WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THIS WHILE HOUSING TRUST IS TRYING TO HANDLE THE, UM, THE AFFORDABILITY OF LIVING. 
          AND WE ALL, WE STILL NEED TO TAKE INTO THAT APPROACH, AND THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DIRECTION WE'RE WORKING IN. 
          AND SO IF THERE ARE IDEAS, I WANNA LIVE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, UNDERSTAND AFFORDABILITY IS GONNA BE MIXED WITH MARKET RATE, AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO I THINK WE, WE NEED TO TAKE THAT BIG PICTURE APPROACH AND I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, BUT I REALLY WANNA TAKE IN THOSE CHILDCARE DESERTS AND THAT THOSE, UH, THOSE FOOD DESERTS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THAT DOES IMPACT THEM FROM BEING SUCCESSFUL IN THESE PROGRAMS. ABSOLUTELY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS, MIKE. 
          UH, YESTERDAY YOU AND I, UH, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO, UH, ONE OF OUR LOCAL EMPLOYERS WHO, WHO I KNOW HAS TAKEN THE OATH. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND WOULD'VE PROBABLY BEEN AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR, UM, T F J J S A, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SHE ASKED US, WELL, WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM? RIGHT. 
          MIKE HAD A VERY LONG, VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT ANSWER. 
          UM, AND THEN I HAD ONE THAT WAS SHORTED NOT SO WELL THOUGHT OUT. 
          AND THAT WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO NEED EMPLOYERS TO LIVE UP TO THE OATH. 
          IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF TAKING THE OATH, IT'S ACTUALLY HIRING FOLKS. 
          RIGHT. 
          WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU TAKE THE OATH AND DON'T HIRE ANYBODY, WELL, IT'S AS USELESS AS REGISTERING TO VOTE AND NOT VOTING. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND SO WE'RE, UM, I I, I'M WONDERING, I, IS THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THIS PROGRAM DIDN'T PRODUCE THE RESULTS, UH, AS QUICKLY AS EVERYBODY HAD HOPED. 
          UM, AND, AND IF THAT WASN'T ONE OF THE REASONS THEN, IF YOU HAD TO DO THIS PROGRAM ALL OVER AGAIN, WHAT LESSONS LEARNED ARE THERE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE BAKING INTO FUTURE PROGRAMS? OH, MAN, THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, THERE'S A, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT. 
          YOU KNOW, AS WE GONE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE TRAIN FOR JOBS AND TRYING TO PUSH IT, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AND INCREASE THE NUMBERS, UM, WITHIN THAT PROGRAM. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S BEEN THE FOCUS, UH, FOR SO LONG. 
          AND, UM, THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY IS BRINGING THE EMPLOYERS TO THE TABLE TO GET THEIR COMMITMENTS TO HIRE, WHICH IS EASY TO SAY, BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC, AND THEY'RE LAYING OFF PEOPLE AND HAVING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE WORKING FROM HOME. 
          UM, SO I DON'T KNOW, UM, JUST HOW MUCH OF A RESPONSE WE WOULD'VE GOTTEN TO GET THEM TO SIGN UP AND SAY, YEAH, I'M GONNA HIRE PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE GONNA KEEP THE DOORS OPEN. 
          UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY TO PAY ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACK AND SAY, HEY, WE SHOULD HAVE GOT 'EM UP HERE. 
          SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMMITTING TO HIRE THESE PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY. 
          UM, BUT THE CITY STAFF AND HIS PARTNERS DID THE BEST IT COULD TO BUILD A PROGRAM TO SET PEOPLE UP FOR SUCCESS. 
          AND I'VE HEARD IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN, 
          [01:40:01]
UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, NONE OF US HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED WHAT WE EXPERIENCED WITH COVID. 
          AND THE MAIN GOAL WAS TRYING TO RELIEVE THE PAIN OF THOSE THOUSANDS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WHO HAD LOST THEIR JOBS AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR NEXT STEP WAS GONNA BE. 
          AND THE CITY STEPPED UP AND SAID, WE'RE GONNA PUT STIPENDS IN YOUR POCKET, AND WE'RE GONNA PUT YOU INTO A TRAINING EDUCATION PROGRAM AND GIVE YOU WRAPAROUND SUPPORT TO THESE PHENOMENAL AGENCIES TO HELP YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS. 
          UM, SO I, I, I WON'T, YOU KNOW, SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A SILVER BULLET THAT IF WE HAD JUST DONE THIS, THEN PEOPLE WOULD'VE SIGNED UP SOONER. 
          UM, BECAUSE THEY ALSO WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, HOW AM I GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL OR GO TO TRAINING AND MY KIDS ARE AT HOME BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED AND I GOTTA BE HOME HOMESCHOOL MONITOR, UM, WHILE THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN ONLINE. 
          UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT, YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE EASY SOLUTIONS TO, THAT YOU CAN POINT TO, BUT MORE SO A CULMINATION OF THINGS THAT KIND OF LED TO US BEING AT THE STATE WE'RE AT, WE'RE TRAINED FOR JOBS. 
          UM, I WILL SAY THIS, WHAT'S GONNA HELP READY TO WORK IS THAT NOW THAT WE'RE FINGERS CROSSED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORST OF THIS PANDEMIC, THE EMPLOYERS BEING AT THE TABLE AND TAKING THAT OATH AND MAKING THAT COMMITMENT TO MAKE THOSE HIRES, I BELIEVE IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS THAT ENSURES THAT THERE'S, THAT ALIGNMENT TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THESE INDIVIDUALS EXITING THE PROGRAM AND HAVING A JOB WAITING FOR 'EM ON THE OTHER SIDE. 
          OUR WORK WITH THE TALENT PIPELINE MANAGEMENT PROCESS THAT SA WORKS IS SPEARHEADING FOR US TO TRULY DIVE DEEP WITH THESE EMPLOYERS ABOUT WHAT THEIR TRUE NEEDS ARE, WHICH JOBS ARE MOST CRITICAL TO THEIR SUCCESS, WHAT ARE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES THOSE INDIVIDUALS NEED TO HAVE AS WE TAKE THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM AND PROVIDE IT TO OUR TRAINING PROVIDERS THAT ARE PART OF THAT APPROVED TRAINING CATALOG. 
          AND WORK WITH OUR AGENCY PARTNERS AS THEY PROVIDE THAT ONE-ON-ONE COACHING AND CASE MANAGEMENT TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A GOOD HIGH QUALITY JOB IS. 
          HELP THEM TO NAVIGATE WHAT'S GONNA BEST WORK BEST FOR THEIR LIFE SITUATION. 
          I BELIEVE THOSE BEST PRACTICES ARE GOING TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          UM, SO A TO A LONG ANSWER, WHICH I'M REALLY GOOD AT, AT GIVING. 
          UM, BUT I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY I WOULDN'T, I, I CAN'T ARMCHAIR A QUARTERBACK IT AND SAY, WE SHOULD, SHOULD HAVE DONE X, Y, AND Z. 
          'CAUSE THERE'S TOO MANY UNKNOWN VARIABLES THAT WERE IN PLAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S FAIR. 
          UM, AND WHAT EXTENT ARE WE PARTICIPATE IN THIS HIRING? TO WHAT EXTENT ARE WE SEEING THE H THE COUNTY, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THIS HIRING, UH, PROGRAM AND THE, THE OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, LIKE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THE COUNTY HAS SIGNED THE PLEDGE, THEY'VE TAKEN THE OATH, AND THEY'RE A LARGE EMPLOYER, YOU KNOW, IN OUR CITY AS WELL. 
          UM, SO THEY'RE GONNA PARTICIPATE IN GIVING US DATA ON WHAT JOBS THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, SEEKING TO HIRE, JUST LIKE WE AS A CITY, AS AN, AS A GOVERNMENTAL HIRING ENTITY WILL. 
          THEY'RE A MULTI-SECTOR EMPLOYER, UH, MEANING THAT THEY HIRE FROM MULTIPLE OCCUPATIONS THAT CROSS, YOU KNOW, THE INDUSTRY SECTORS THAT WE'RE PRIORITIZING. 
          AND, UM, THEY'VE COMMITTED TO BEING AT THAT TABLE AND DOING THAT. 
          THEY ALSO HAVE SOME VERY SPECIFIC INITI INITIATIVES, UM, SUCH AS THEIR WORK IN THE MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY AND THEIR SUPPORT OF TEXAS FAME. 
          WE HAVE NUMEROUS MEETINGS WITH TEXAS FAME BECAUSE THE LAST THING WE WANNA DO IS RECREATE AND DUPLICATE WORK THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING. 
          SO WE'LL BE WORKING WITH TEXAS FAME AND SAM AND THE OTHER MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE VERY TIGHTLY CONNECTED TO THE COUNTY TO ENSURE THAT READY TO WORK IS ALIGNED WITH THEIR EFFORTS SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THEIR WORK AND THOSE PARTICIPANTS CAN BENEFIT FROM THE WRAPAROUND SUPPORT THAT READY TO WORK PROVIDES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MY GRAMS ARE, YOU ARE A SMOOTH OPERATOR, , UH, I LOVE LISTENING TO YOU PRESENT, MA'AM. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          YOU, YOU DID GREAT. 
          APPRECIATE YOU, SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY, SO WE'VE GOT ONE MORE PRESENTATION. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE FROM OUR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. 
          MELODY WOOSLEY IS GONNA BE PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON OUR HEAD START PROGRAM. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          MELODY, LAND THE PLANE VERY FAST. 
          ALRIGHT, SO GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          UM, ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS TODAY. 
          I AM. 
          THERE WE GO. 
          SO TODAY I'M PROVIDING A BRIEFING ON THE CITY'S HEAD START PROGRAM MODEL, OUR FEDERAL FEDERALLY MANDATED PROGRAM GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, AND THE IMPASSE PROCEDURE THAT WE HAVE BETWEEN OUR GOVERNING BODIES, UH, WHEN IT'S NEEDED, IF IT'S NEEDED. 
          AND SO THIS IS A BRIEFING ONLY AND IT'S REALLY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, LIKE I SAID, ON THE PROGRAM GOVERNANCE, WHICH IS REQUIRED BY, UH, FEDERAL REGULATIONS THAT, THAT YOU ALL RECEIVE THAT TRAINING. 
          AND SO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF NINE HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START, UH, PROVIDERS IN THE COM. 
          IN BEXAR COUNTY, WE WORK WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, HEALTH PROVIDERS, NONPROFITS, AND SERVE A TOTAL OF 3,364 CHILDREN IN THE SAN ANTONIO AND EDGEWOOD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AREAS. 
          [01:45:01]
SO HUMAN SERVICES IS THE GRANTEE, LIKE I SAID, AND WE OVERSEE PROGRAM GOVERNANCE AND, UH, LEADERSHIP POLICIES, FAMILY SUPPORT AND, UH, FAMILY WELLNESS STRUCTURES AND QUALITY ASSURANCE AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PROGRAM. 
          FEDERAL HEAD START REGULATIONS. 
          WELL, UM, YEAH, I'M ON THE WRONG SLIDE. 
          SORRY. 
          TRY TO GO TOO FAST. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, FEDERAL REGULATIONS MANDATE THAT HEAD START GRANTEES OPERATE UNDER A SHARED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE BETWEEN THE AGENCY'S GOVERNING BODY AND THE PARENT POLICY COUNCIL. 
          CITY COUNCIL SERVES AS THE GOVERNING BODY FOR OUR PROGRAMS. OUR LOCALLY DESIGNATED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ALSO INCLUDES TWO ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 
          CITY COUNCIL HAS DESIGNATED REVIEW AND ADVISORY FUNCTIONS TO THE HEAD START, UH, OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM TO THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. 
          AND IN 2019, ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE DESIGNATED ONGOING MONTHLY PROGRAM REVIEW TO THE COMMUNITY ACTION ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH INCLUDES REPRESENTATION FROM DISTRICTS 1, 3, 5, AND SEVEN, AND COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S PRECINCT NUMBER ONE, THE CAB RECEIVED THE COMMUNITY ACTION ADVISORY BOARD RECEIVES A MONTHLY BRIEFING ON HEAD START ACTIVITY, EXPENDITURES AND MONITORING RESULTS. 
          AND THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE SHOULD RECEIVE PERIODIC, UM, AT LEAST ANNUAL BRIEFINGS ON THE PROGRAM. 
          CITY COUNCIL MUST STILL APPROVE ALL GRANT APPLICATIONS, BUDGETS, CONTRACTS, AND MAJOR PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS. 
          THIS MODEL HELPS ENSURE THAT EXTERNAL OVERSIGHT OF THE PROGRAM AND PARTICIPATION BY AN AREA'S COMMUNITY ACTION ADVISORY BOARD AND HEAD START PROGRAM GOVERNANCE IS CONSIDERED A BEST PRACTICE. 
          IT IS A RECOMMENDATION OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY ACTION BOARD AND THE NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION. 
          AND THERA STRATEGY DOES IMPROVE EXTERNAL OVERSIGHT FOR ONE AND COORDINATION OF SERVICES SINCE THE PROGRAMS OVERLAP IN THE POPULATIONS THEY SERVE. 
          AND SO THE HEAD START ACT ALSO REQUIRES THE PROGRAM TO DEVELOP IMPASSE POLICIES TO RESOLVE INTERNAL DISPUTES BETWEEN GOVERNING BODIES, SO BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL AND THE PARENT POLICY COUNCIL, AND TO FACILITATE COLLABORATION ABOUT DECISIONS OF THE GOVERNING BODY AND THE POLICY COUNCIL. 
          ESSENTIALLY OUR IMPASSE POLICIES AND PROCESSES DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY CONSIDERS PROPOSED DECISIONS FROM THE POLICY COUNCIL AND THAT THE POLICY COUNCIL CONSIDERS PROPOSED DECISIONS FROM THE GOVERNING BODY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, JUST AS BACKGROUND IN THE 24 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY AND HUMAN SERVICES, WE HAVE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THIS PROCESS BETWEEN GOVERNING BODIES, BUT WE ARE READY IF WE NEED TO. 
          AND SO A FEW PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS. 
          SO IN ADDITION TO IMPLEMENTING AN EVIDENCE-BASED, UH, FRAMEWORK DESIGNED TO PREPARE CHILDREN TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN READY TO LEARN, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE HEAD START FAMILIES TO HELP THEM ADDRESS BARRIERS TO FAMILY AND PERSONAL SUCCESS. 
          WE HELP THEM TO ESTABLISH MEDICAL AND DENTAL HOMES FOR PREVENTATIVE, UH, CARE AND EARLY WARNING OF POTENTIAL CONCERNS, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENTAL, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LED, AND DENTAL SCREENINGS. 
          FAMILIES WORK WITH THEIR FAMILY SUPPORT WORKERS TO SET GOALS SUCH AS IMPROVING PARENTING SKILLS, IMPROVING FAMILY FINANCIAL HEALTH, AND EVEN THEIR OWN EDUCATION SUCCESS. 
          PARENTS ARE OFFERED OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAM GOVERNANCE AND DECISION MAKING THROUGH CAMPUS LEVEL ADVISORY COMMITTEES, THE PARENT POLICY COUNCIL, UM, AND OTHER PROGRAMS SUCH AS PLAUS, WHICH FACILITATES COMMUNITY TALKS BETWEEN PARENTS AND PRINCIPALS. 
          AND SO THAT DOES CONCLUDE MY BRIEFING AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          THAT WAS SHORT. 
          THANKS. 
          YES. 
           GOT ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS, SIR? NO, NO, NO QUESTIONS. 
          UH OH. 
          ALL I, ALL I WANNA SAY IS I DO APPRECIATE HEAD START FOR KEEPING ME UPDATED AND MY STAFFER, RUBEN'S VERY INVOLVED, SO I GET UPDATES FROM HIM. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          COUNCILWOMAN. 
          ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? COUNCILMAN? I'LL JUST MAKE AN OBSERVATION. 
          I HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO ONE OF THE, UH, CENTERS RECENTLY, AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. 
          UH, IT WAS A FORMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT'S BEEN CONVERTED, UH, TO A HEAD START SCHOOL. 
          BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT YOU SAID THERE ARE NINE OTHER AGENCIES THAT ADMINISTER HEAD START PROGRAMS. MM-HMM. 
          , UM, IS THERE, IS THERE EQUALITY EQUITY BETWEEN ALL OF THOSE HEAD START 
          [01:50:01]
PROGRAMS? I KNOW WE WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT OURS, BUT MM-HMM. 
           OVERALL, I THINK HEAD START HAS THE SAME TARGET IN EVERY PART OF THE CITY. 
          IS IS THERE A COLLABORATIVE MEETING OF ALL OF THESE GROUPS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THE SAME KIND OF QUALITY ACROSS THE BOARD FOR HEAD START? HEAD START IS VERY REGULATED. 
          SO THERE ARE A LOT OF CONSISTENCIES ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          THE PROGRAMS ARE DIFFERENT. 
          UM, WE ARE SERVING THE SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND, UH, EDGEWOOD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AREAS, WHICH ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST EQUITY SCORE AREAS IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, BUT THERE ARE PROGRAMS IN THE NORTHEAST NORTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S NOT EQUITY INVOLVED THERE. 
          THE REQUIREMENT FOR HEAD START IS BELOW 130% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL. 
          UM, CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES, CHILDREN WHO ARE HOMELESS AND FA CHILDREN WHO ARE IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. 
          SO FOR THE MOST PART, YOU ARE SERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. 
          UH, DO WE OR, OR HAVE THERE BEEN, UH, OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPARE THE SUCCESS LEVEL OF THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THE HEAD START PROGRAM WITH THOSE CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO HAVEN'T HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY? HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH THAT KIND OF, UH, EVALUATION? WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF COMPARISON FOR SAN ANTONIO. 
          THERE ARE NATIONAL STUDIES THAT HAVE LOOKED AT, UM, UH, CHILDREN WHO GO TO HEAD START IN CHILDREN THAT DON'T, UH, MOST OF THEM SHOW POSITIVE RESULTS, UH, BOTH IN EDUCATION, SUCCESS AND IN BEHAVIORAL, UM, AND FAMILY SUCCESS MEASURES. 
          BUT WE CAN PROVIDE SOME MORE OF THAT DATA AND ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH DATA ON THE, THE DATA THAT WE DO MEASURE AS FAR AS, BECAUSE WE DO ASSESSMENTS BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, AND END OF YEAR, AND WE CAN SHOW THE PROGRESS THAT CHILDREN MAKE DURING THAT TIME. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MELODY. 
          EXCELLENT WORK. 
          UM, THAT'S IT. 
          YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK. 
          UH, THANK YOU. 
          AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF ANOTHER, UH, GOOD MEETING AND THE MINUTES WILL REFLECT THAT. 
          UH, SOMEBODY PROMISED THAT NEXT TIME WE'LL HAVE COFFEE. 
          UH, AND SO . 
          THANKS EVERYBODY. 
          HEY.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.