Target's Minority and Women Business Development Program

Target launched the Minority and Women Business Development (MWBD) program in 1998 to help the company become a preferred business partner for minority- and women-owned enterprises nationwide, and bring value-added businesses into the supply chain that reflect and truly understand the communities Target serves. Each year, Target contracts with minority and women-owned companies to fill a variety of needs from architectural engineering and translating services to advertising and staff augmentation. Ultimately, Target aims to help boost economic development in the cities where the company does business and provide women and minority suppliers equal opportunity to contribute to the company’s growth. Target now works with over 1,400 minority- and women-owned businesses and supports sourcing and developing minority and women-owned enterprises year round.

Set to open in October 2007, a new Target store in Compton, California marks a significant milestone in the company’s diversity history. The new Compton Target store is one of the largest retail developments in the country completely developed, designed and constructed by minority and women-owned firms.

Curtom Building & Development is a rapidly growing, female African American-owned general building and contracting firm in Inglewood, California. Since 1999, founder Brenda Curry and her team have helped build over nine Target stores and been instrumental in the birth of the new store in Compton. Curtom Building & Development was established in 1982 and has increased in size and business by over 60-percent since first working with Target. Curry, whose firm has deep roots in Compton, knows Target well and helped introduce other minority partners who are also leaders in their field and who have a great interest in the success of the Compton community. A great example of this is the introduction to RAW International, a 20+-year-old African American owned architectural firm with a strong track record in Compton. Founder, Roland A. Wiley has long been committed to helping revitalize urban areas and is just one of many partners working to fuel the economic development of the region.

A Minority or Woman owned business is defined as follows:

Minority Business Concern, means a small business concern that (1) is at least 51% owned by one or more minority individuals, or is a publicly owned business having at least 51% of its stock owned by one or more minority individuals and (2) a minority person or persons is actively involved in day to day management and operations, and is involved in policy decision-making. Minority individuals shall be presumed to include Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans and Asian Indian Americans. Native Americans include American Indians, American Eskimos, American Aleuts, and Native Hawaiians. Asian Americans include Americans with origins in Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh.

Woman Owned, means a small business concern that is at least 51% owned by a woman or women who are U.S citizens and who also control and operate the business.

Certification requirements: Target requires minority or women-owned business partners to be certified as a Minority or Woman owned business and accepts certification from the following organizations: