Capacity-Building Programs

The Bexar County Small Business & Entrepreneurship Department's mission is to link your business to opportunities for acceleration. SMWBExcel is designed to help small, minority, and women-owned businesses in the fields of Construction, Architecture & Engineering Professional services, Goods & Commodities, and other professional services grow, accelerate, and work with Bexar County and other public entities.

The SMWBExcel program is designed in three phases, each with a different focus:

• The Start Up Phase consists of forming the business, providing information to outreach events and educational programs, and identifying limited opportunities for procurement.
• The Growth Phase is designed to create awareness of opportunities, provide access to resources and service providers, and finding mentorships as well as increasing the opportunities for procurement.
• The Accelerate phase focuses on technology utilization, public & private partnerships, operations best practices, and continued mentorship. This phase also concentrates on the financial and operational needs of a growing business, including bonding, capital investment, and joint ventures.

SMWBExcel is designed to address problems identified by small, minority, and women-owned businesses and to provide them with tools to overcome obstacles to their success. Bexar County partners with incubators, accelerators, educational partners, and government organizations to provide a wide array of training, services, resources, information, and an expansive network of professionals.

You're building something great. SMWBExcel is here to help.

*All classes are on hold due to COVID-19*

The "Basics" Program

The Association of General Contractors (AGC) / Bexar County "Basics" of Construction Training Program is designed to assist small business contractors in understanding the basic elements of running a commercial construction business.

Bonding Education Program

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bonding Education Program (BEP) is a free program tailored to small businesses competing for construction-related contracts in the transportation industry. The program consists of a comprehensive set of sessions designed to provide small and disadvantaged businesses the tools and resources required to compete for transportation projects.

Mentor-Protégé Program

The Mentor/Protégé relationship is a two year commitment where the protégé, their mentors, AGC, and the County Mentor Protégé Program Manager work together to help develop the protégé firm's marketing, operations, and financial performance strategy.