The legacy of the Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) began 80 years ago, with a mission to assist underserved communities in securing economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. ULLA is one of nearly 90 affiliates of the National Urban League (NUL), one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations established in 1910. ULLA strives toward its mission through work in three Centers of Excellence: the Center for Education and Youth Development, the Center for Economic and Community Development and the Center for Policy and Social Justice. The organization is experiencing unprecedented growth as it expands from a local serving organization to a statewide entity.
ULLA established the Women’s Business Resource Center (WBRC) in 2001 to support minority and women-owned businesses as a pathway to secure economic parity for African Americans and other underserved populations. The WBRC provides small-business development services including business education workshops and interactive trainings, hands-on technical assistance, and access to resources relevant to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs throughout southeastern Louisiana.
The Contractor’s Resource Center (CRC), an extension of the WBRC, was established in 2014 as an expansion of the Urban League’s work in economic development and inclusion, and as a direct response for the need to increase access to opportunities and education services to small business contractors in the area.
The CRC provides invaluable resources to small, disadvantaged, minority and women-owned contracting firms, and provides mastery-level, contractor-specific training programs in:
- Electronic Estimating
- Electronic Scheduling
- Job Costing
- Accounting Software Set-up and Support
- Project Management
- Capability Statement
- Construction Safety
- Compliance and Legal Support
- Back-office and Administrative Structure
- Commercial License Prep
In 2019, ULLA created the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI), as an umbrella organization to include the Women’s Business Resource Center and the Contractor’s Resource Center.
ULLA understands the importance and value of DBE participation in the sourcing of LADOTD’s statewide infrastructure projects. ULLA supports and applauds the LADOTD for its deliberate and strategic efforts to attract, develop, and provide access to opportunities to DBE firms that are seeking to bid on statewide infrastructure projects.
ULLA is honored to provide DBE Supportive Services including training, counseling, and access to resources to assist DBE firms in starting and scaling their businesses. We look forward to working with businesses across Region B.