City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities

The mission of our office is to support initiatives that benefit small, minority, veteran, and women owned businesses located in, or that want to do business with, the City of Columbia.  This is accomplished by providing creative financing, technical assistance and capacity building opportunities that contribute to the economic growth of all communities.

Commercial Loans and Lending: Financial assistance to start-up and existing businesses for growth, expansion, retention and the creation of new jobs, and assistance in the redevelopment of commercial corridors.  To learn more, click on the links for information on the Commercial Revolving Loan Fund and the Commercial Retention & Redevelopment program!

Contractor & Supplier Diversity: Training and support for city initiatives designed to increase local contractor’s capacity to compete for government contracts and other procurement opportunities.  Programs include: Mentor Protégé Program; Local Business Enterprise; and the Columbia Disadvantaged Business Enterprise!

Technical Assistance, Education & Advocacy: Business development assistance and courses for start-ups and existing businesses looking to grow and expand.  Topics covered include: marketing, use of social media, business plan development, finances. legal issues, and more.  Sign up for our OBO Newsletter to stay updated on any events that OBO or our community partners host in the Columbia, SC area!  You can also view past events and webinars on our OBO Events and Webinars page!

If you have any questions on our areas or would like more information, contact the City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities at (803)545-3950 or email us for more information!