The Longwood Small Business Development Center is offering a free workshop with the Virginia Department of Minority Business (DMBE) on January 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, in the Blackwell Dining Hall on the Campus of Longwood University.

Registration is required by January 9.

“If you are a small business but not certified as a Small, Women and Minority owned (SWaM) business by the Commonwealth of Virginia, you might have lost some potential sales. Representatives from DMBE will give you the information needed to apply for the certification as a SWaM vendor,” a spokesperson said.

In accordance with the Code of Virginia, Section 2.2-4310, whenever solicitations are made, each public body shall include businesses selected from a list made available by the DMBE. It is the goal of the Commonwealth to spend 40 percent of its discretionary expenditures with the DMBE certified small business.