The minimum requirements to qualify as a MBE with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) or a local MBE program administered by a city, county or state are:

•  A for-profit business located in the United States
•  51% owned, operated, capitalized and controlled by a member(s) of a presumed group identified below, who is the top executive officer responsible for managing daily operations with a technical expertise (experience) in the firm’s primary business expertise
•  Legal residents (green cards) are accepted by most MBE programs administered by a city, county and state; however, the NMSDC require U.S. Citizenship

Generally speaking, a member(s) of a presumed group includes:

• Black American: any Black racial group originating in Africa;
• Hispanic: origins in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South American, or other Spanish or Portuguese cultures;
• Native American: a Native of Alaska or Hawaii, or certified member of a federal or state recognized Indian Tribe;
• Asian Pacific: origins in the Pacific Islands, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore or Philippines;
• Subcontinent Asian: origins in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives Islands, Nepal or Sri Lanka.

We look for Certified Minority Owned Businesses as one of our Simple Switch Impacts because

We support minority-owned businesses and believe that helping minority companies gain traction strengthens local economies in minority communities.

We're passionate about transparency surrounding the impact of the products we sell. You can find a full list of the impacts we look for here, or browse in our "SHOP BY IMPACT" menu. If you have questions about the impact behind our products, don't hesitate to reach out!