Updated 5/1/08

Welcome to the ProBid Training Program


The ProBid Training Program is designed to help small construction, janitorial, landscaping, tree trimming, trucking and other businesses with you need to bid on a project. ProBid was developed with the support of the City of St. Paul's Minority Business Development and Retention program to assist businesses in a hurdle that has been often cited as a reason why minority businesses are under represented in government contracts.

After several successful classes the Selby Area CDC partnered with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to offer the class to thier DBE's. Business owners, project manager, and estimators from across the state have participated in this highly interactive program. Learning how to calculate thier overhead, project future jobs, find out what thier competition is doing, navigate through past and future projects on the MNDot website, discover the wealth of resources avalible to them.

The first class began in February of 2007 and was a great success. It identified the needs of business owners, who had great skills in their profession but less business savvy, with math and reading standing in the way of success. The class was taught by Erroll Foster and Dale White who have experience with construction, business ownership, and working with government institutions winning bids. The class teaches blue print reading, bidding and estimating, reading request for proposals (rpf), measuring job costs, overhead costs, cash flow and sales projections.

Participants from the class have seen almost immediate results. One of the participants received a contract for the project on 940 Selby and others have seen an increase in business. Business owners have said that the different ways to market and the critical thinking about bids and estimates were very helpful.

The instructions have been working with small businesses for many years.
Instructors:
Dale White: After working as a business development specialist for. The Neighborhood Institute (TNI), a subsidiary of Shorebank Corporation, Chicago Illinois, Dale started his own consulting business in 1994.  His business specializes in debt and equity financial packaging, management consulting, start-up business training, and on-site contractual management services for nonprofit community economic development corporations.  Currently he provides management consulting to small business clients of the Selby Area CDC and serves as a loan officer for the organization.  He also serves in a similar capacity for the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), Minneapolis Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) and the Whittier Community Development Corporation (WCDC).  In addition to management consulting he teaches a class in estimating and profitable bidding sponsored by Selby Area CDC, and instructs three micro-entrepreneur training classes for NDC.

Dale’s previous employment experience includes operations director for a medical and dental supply company, manager of his family owned jazz nightclub, insurance sales representative, employment agency counselor and telecommunications specialist.

He is a graduate of Roosevelt University, Chicago Illinois where he majored in computer science and demography as well as attended graduate school at DePaul University, Chicago Illinois.

Currently Dale is a board member of LegalCORPS, a pro bono legal service provider based in Minneapolis; and the chairman of the Economic Development Committee for the Minneapolis Consortium of Community Developers.

Erroll Foster: started his career with the United States Army as a nuclear weapons technician. He went on to study at Western Illinois University were he majored in Industrial Technology with an concentration in Construction and Drafting and minored in Management. He was a National Dean's List scholar student (1990-91) while attending the university. During his summers he interned with the Illinois Department of Transportation, and after graduation took on full time employment. Erroll was exposed to first class training while serving in the roll of resident engineer. Erroll completed many bridge projects as well as road overlays and road construction projects while serving in this role.

Erroll's exposure to sales and marketing came from the fortune 100 companies of Warner Lambert and Merck Pharmaceutical were he excelled in sales. He was exposed to different types of sales approaches which garnered Erroll top sales honors at the respected companies.

In 2001 Erroll started Image Contractors LLC. a small contracting company that focused on residential construction. Image contracted with local (Minneapolis Public Housing) and federal (HUD) contracts. While running the company Erroll also taught carpentry mathematics and blueprint reading at a local technical college. In 2006 Erroll formed the ProBid training program, with two other colleagues and has been teaching workshops and classes for the Selby Area Community Development Corporation.

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Vendor Certification
Working Capital Loan Program

Download a list of services we offer to small business owners


Vendor Certification

Certification You can find out how to become certified with the City of St. Paul, City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and Ramsey County. You can download the form. If you have questions about certification you can contact us and we will work with you to complete the form and become a certified vendor. You can also download a list of vendors if you are looking for someone to contract with.

It's especially crucial for construction, janitorial, painting, landscaping, tree trimming, and other businesses who bid on project to become certified. Certification allows you to be counted as a WMBE for city, federal, state, and project goals. It also says to individuals that someone else has looked at your books and decided that you were an actual business and can make people much more comfortable doing business with you. Selby Area CDC can provide assistance working through the steps of becoming certified. Please contact your instructions for help.
Saint Paul and Ramsey County Contract and Analysis Services

Are you a small, minority, or woman owned contractor interested in hearing about opportunities with the City of St. Paul and other opportunities within the community? Are you certified with the City of St. Paul?

E-mail Address:
Please let us know what type of business you are with a brief description, or preferably your SIC number.

Class attendees will schedule one on one time with Erroll Foster. (See contact info above.) When you come to the one on one please make sure you bring your estimate for the last project you bid on so he can tailor assistance to your needs.

For loan or certification assistance please gather the following materials:

SELBY AREA CDC

WORKING CAPITAL LOAN FUND

Would you like to do business with the City of St. Paul?

Are you a certified vendor with the city, or would like to become certified as a small business vendor? Then the Working Capital Loan Fund might be for you.

WHAT IS THE WORKING CAPITAL LOAN FUND?
The Selby Area Working Capital Loan Fund is sponsored by the City of St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development Department and is a new financing product for business owners seeking to conduct business with the city.

HOW IT WORKS
Selby Area CDC will pledge up to $15,000 in the form of a certificate of deposit as security with a commercial bank to assist business owners in obtaining small business loans or lines of credit.

ELGIBILITY
To be eligible for the Working Capital Loan Fund you must meet the following guidelines:

HOW TO APPLY
Contact Selby Area CDC to schedule an appointment with a business consultant 651-291-7704

Selby Area CDC will assist you in determining your loan readiness.

Then, if your business qualifies, Selby Area CDC can package your bank and vendor application.

There is a credit report fee.

Selby Area CDC home

sreller@selbyareacdc.org

phone: 651-291-7704

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