Women and Minority Owned Business Certification Summit

11:49AM / Sunday, December 18, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire, EforAll Berkshire County, the Berkshire Innovation Center, and Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation, with support from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and the United States Economic Development Administration are excited to announce their upcoming Women and Minority Owned Business Certification Summit.

This event, happening on Jan. 20, 2023, from 8am-1pm at the Berkshire Innovation Center, aims to bring together women and minority owned businesses in the Berkshires, resource providing partners, and educational presentations to support our women and minority owned business community through the process of becoming certified as such.

"We've seen firsthand how powerful certification of W/MBEs can be, and how unfortunate it can be when businesses aren't certified," Ben Lamb, 1Berkshire Director of Economic Development said. "Our hope is that by bringing eligible businesses together in a common space to network, learn, and engage resource providers with a mission to support them will help to foster a culture here where certification is accessible, supported, and common practice across our W/MBE business community."

While the Berkshires heave businesses owned and operated by women, BIPOC individuals, immigrants, veterans, members of the LGBTQ community, and individuals with disabilities, a very small percentage of these businesses are formally certified as such. Certification of women and minority owned business enterprises (W/MBEs) is a tool for building business success, sustained revenue, acquiring larger contracts, and gaining access to critical resources for resiliency, recovery, and emergency issues.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this lack of certification disadvantaged hundreds of businesses in the region and beyond who missed out on an array of grant and emergency funding resources only available to certified entities.

Since 2020, 1Berkshire and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission have been working to provide referrals and technical assistance to W/MBEs to help businesses begin the process of getting certified.

"We are excited to empower local entrepreneurs to use all of the tools available to them," Allison Schmitt, Program Manager for EforAll Berkshire County said. "This summit is a great opportunity to learn about these valuable certifications, but also to network and continue building crucial relationships in the small business community."

Partners and panelists to which attendees will have direct access are coming onboard, but currently include, Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, DEI Outdoors, LGBT Chamber of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network.

This event will run from 8am-1pm, is free to attend, and will include light breakfast refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration is required. For more information and to register, please go to: https://1berkshirestrategicalliancemacoc.weblinkconnect.com/events/Women%20Minority%20Owned%20Business%20Certification%20Summit-4433/details

Agencies that specifically provides support for businesses to go through the W/MBE certification, please contact the Economic Development Team at 1Berkshire at EconomicDev@1Berkshire.com.

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Pittsfield Wants People to Know Where Free Public Wifi Is

By Brittany PolitoiBerkhshires Staff
04:46AM / Friday, September 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city wants it to be clear where people can connect to free public wifi— which expands beyond downtown.

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission approved "Free Wifi" signage at The Common, Riverway Park, and Durant Park. Community members can access the internet without charge in these locations, as well as in downtown areas.

Two years ago, Pittsfield received a $99,972 Digital Equity Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. This allowed the city to take a comprehensive look at digital equity and determine where to focus attention.

"That was a lengthy process that we worked on, and there was a lot of public input. We did some surveying. We met with a lot of focus groups; [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission] was the group that spearheaded that for us, and one of the things that came up was the lack of accessible wifi," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reported. "Particularly in the westside."

Throughout this process, residents also wanted to see connectivity at the nearby Westside Riverway Park.

In 2023, Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the state and MBI, focused on ensuring residents can use the internet to conduct day-to-day activities. A digital equity plan also qualifies Pittsfield for additional grant funding.

Around 16,000 city households qualified for the Federal Communications Commission's affordable internet program that ended in 2024.

Dodds said adding Wi-FI and signage to Durant and Riverway Parks is a small piece of the larger digital equity project. Signage is already downtown, and the city plans to hire the same designer for the expanded wayfinding so it is cohesive.

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