Richland County reports 310 certified SLBEs; OSBO schedules workshops to connect primes with small firms
February 23, 2026 | Richland County, South Carolina
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Alyssa Braylen of the Office of Small Business Opportunity told the Richland County advisory board on March 2 that the office has certified 310 Small Local Business Enterprises (SLBEs) to date and is actively supporting applications and renewals.
"The reporting of certified SLBEs as of today is 9 architectural and engineering services, 74 construction services, 136 nonprofessional, 85 professional, and 6 wholesale, which gives us a total of 310 certified SLBEs to date," Braylen said.
Braylen said 23 new applications are pending and 63 firms are in the renewal process. She outlined SLBE participation goals on several penny-funded projects: a Trenton-Newcastle sidewalk project was given a 22% SLBE participation goal, a Rabbit Run sidewalk goal was cited at 23%, Broad River Road widening is listed with a 5% goal, and Atlas Road Phase 1B is listed at 9%.
The office has been holding SLBE-only solicitation workshops and launched "OSBO Connect," a networking series linking SLBEs with prime contractors, county departments and other potential partners. Braylen said OSBO held sessions with Batson-Cook Construction and with Rich Stewart Stone Construction, and it will host a workshop titled "Money Matters: capital infusion or cash flow confusion" on March 17 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Richland County Voter Registration training room, 300 Columbia Mall Blvd., Columbia.
A community member thanked Braylen and OSBO for supporting small businesses. Braylen described the events as efforts to help businesses "decode RFQs and RFPs" and to prepare local firms to compete for subcontracting opportunities.
The presentation included references to partner organizations such as the South Carolina Small Business Development Center and the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, which Braylen said will collaborate on the March 17 workshop.
The board did not take formal action on OSBO items during the meeting; Braylen said staff will continue outreach and work with firms on certification and contracting opportunities.
"The reporting of certified SLBEs as of today is 9 architectural and engineering services, 74 construction services, 136 nonprofessional, 85 professional, and 6 wholesale, which gives us a total of 310 certified SLBEs to date," Braylen said.
Braylen said 23 new applications are pending and 63 firms are in the renewal process. She outlined SLBE participation goals on several penny-funded projects: a Trenton-Newcastle sidewalk project was given a 22% SLBE participation goal, a Rabbit Run sidewalk goal was cited at 23%, Broad River Road widening is listed with a 5% goal, and Atlas Road Phase 1B is listed at 9%.
The office has been holding SLBE-only solicitation workshops and launched "OSBO Connect," a networking series linking SLBEs with prime contractors, county departments and other potential partners. Braylen said OSBO held sessions with Batson-Cook Construction and with Rich Stewart Stone Construction, and it will host a workshop titled "Money Matters: capital infusion or cash flow confusion" on March 17 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Richland County Voter Registration training room, 300 Columbia Mall Blvd., Columbia.
A community member thanked Braylen and OSBO for supporting small businesses. Braylen described the events as efforts to help businesses "decode RFQs and RFPs" and to prepare local firms to compete for subcontracting opportunities.
The presentation included references to partner organizations such as the South Carolina Small Business Development Center and the South Carolina Community Loan Fund, which Braylen said will collaborate on the March 17 workshop.
The board did not take formal action on OSBO items during the meeting; Braylen said staff will continue outreach and work with firms on certification and contracting opportunities.
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