Wednesday, August 21
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Register to learn how to access California’s multimillion-dollar utility contracting Clearinghouse.
Are you a small or diverse business owner in California? If so, three Bay Area electricity providers – MCE, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), and Ava Community Energy – are excited to invite you to this year’s Certify & Amplify Webinar. This event will help you certify in the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Supplier Diversity Program and amplify your business opportunities throughout the state. We’ll also have a speaker from California’s Department of General Services (DGS) focused specifically on how to get certified as a small business.
Commonly referred to as “Supplier Diversity,” General Order (GO) 156 is a statewide program that encourages utilities to prioritize contracts and subcontracts from businesses that meet diversity qualifications. To qualify, businesses must meet the state’s small and diverse business qualifications:
- Diverse businesses must be at least 51% woman-, minority-, LGBTQ-, or disabled-owned enterprises.
- Small businesses may have no more than 100 employees or have grossed more than $18 million in the past three years.
After being certified as a diverse supplier, qualified businesses are listed in the CPUC’s and DGS’ multimillion dollar clearinghouses, which utilities and state agencies can then access for their contracting needs. In turn, this will increase a certified business’ visibility and credibility across the industry.
Our speakers will include:
Stephanie Green oversees the General Order 156 Supplier Diversity Program in the CPUC’s Executive Division. In addition she supervises the Business and Community Outreach team and serves as the Commission’s Tribal Liaison. Stephanie came to the CPUC from the private sector industries of telecommunications and technology and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Dr. Victor Baker, MBA, is the founder and CEO of EquitiFy, the largest professional development firm for the State of California, training more than 10,000 people per year in Leadership, Organizational Development, Performance, and DEI. EquitiFy offers coaching, consulting, and training services designed to promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work ecosystem while maximizing performance. Vic has personally gone through the certification process for his business and has helped dozens of others through the process. Before founding EquitiFy, he worked for over 25 years in the utility industry, including at SDGE, PG&E, and SoCal Gas, with a focus on supplier diversity.
Laura Rasmussen, is the CEO and sole owner of Energy 2001, the largest landfill gas-to-energy producer in Placer County, and a leader in the field of green energy. As an MBA-educated business attorney, Laura joined Energy 2001 in 2004 and expanded the small business to the local “powerhouse” it is today, producing enough energy to power 3,000 homes a year. In 2022, Laura certified Energy 2001 as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE).
A representative from the California Department of General Services will walk through the steps on how to get certified as a small business.
Contact us:
MCE: Alexandra McGee ([email protected])
Ava Community Energy: Joseph Sit ([email protected])
Silicon Valley Clean Energy: Emily Muniz ([email protected])
