BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, April 1, 2026) – Yesterday, the Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development (SMBA&D) launched their 2026 Speaker Series: Casual Conversations for Entrepreneurs. This business development series will run every Tuesday for 8 weeks from 10a to 12p at the City of Baltimore Small Business Resource Center, starting on March 31st and ending on May 19th.
The training classroom was at full capacity as 36 attendees poured in to hear how they can begin doing business with the city. The first session was titled, “How to Complete a City Government Bid Package” and was presented by Cynthia Parker-Kirk, Contract Supervisor for the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT).
“I think it was fabulous,” said Parker-Kirk, after wrapping up the session and speaking to several attendees that had additional questions. “I love to see people creating new businesses that can empower the City of Baltimore – that they can help the citizens because Baltimore is a great place to live.”
Some of the other attendees weighed in on their experience.
“I love the presentation given today by Ms. Kirk – it was wonderful,” said Leslie Johnson, founder of Leslie’s Consulting Group. “This is very helpful for me to guide my young men specifically on what they need to do to start entrepreneurship along with the young ladies.”
“[I] needed to get a feel for the landscape of what’s happening,” said Thomas Huggins, co-founder of Stitch House Studios. “[F]igure out if contracting is for me and will it work for my business.”
For those that missed the first session, there are seven other opportunities to attend and network with other entrepreneurs.
Here is the full list of upcoming presentations:
Session II: Prequalification for Contractors and Consultants – Tuesday, April 7th
Session III: Navigating Through the City of Baltimore Procurement Process – Tuesday, April 14th
Session IV: Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – How Much Does It Cost? – Tuesday, April 21st
Session V: Legal Foundations for Sustainable Growth – Tuesday, April 28th
Session VI: Developing Effective Business Growth Strategies – Tuesday, May 5th
Session VII: Special Session - Financial Literacy – Tuesday, May 12th
Session VIII: Bringing It All Together – Tuesday, May 19th
Those that are interested in attending an upcoming session can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-speaker-series-candid-conversations-f…