BART’s Small Business Support Services provide assistance to local entrepreneurs
Catherean and Taishawn Mitchell are pictured.
Catherean and Taishawn Mitchell opened their Oakland-based trucking company in just 17 days. They won their first contract within 30 days of being in compliance. And they haven’t slowed down since.
“We are first-generation entrepreneurs, my husband and I,” Catherean said. “And we really bootstrapped our business to get it where it is today. It has been a difficult, eye-opening journey.”
Mitchells Transport is one of more than a thousand businesses assisted by BART’s Small Business Support Services (SBSS), a program facilitated by BART’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Implemented in 2018, SBSS provides a variety of services to small businesses owned by minorities, women, disabled veterans, and members of the LGBT community, who are looking to bid on BART construction contracts.
“The SBSS program was instituted as a free resource to assist small business owners by identifying BART construction opportunities and guiding their efforts to successfully bid on projects,” said Fei Liu, the program administrator. “Once a contract is secured, the SBSS program provides relevant support services to ensure the successful delivery of that project from start to finish.”
SBSS provides assistance in the form of one-on-one support, interactive training, workshops, access to potential teaming partners, marketing services, and more. All services are provided at no cost to participating small businesses.
“BART recognizes that the ingenuity, risk-taking, and skills of small businesses are propelling economic development in the Bay Area, and we are committed to supporting that advancement,” Liu said.
While Mitchells Transport awaits the right BART project to bid on, the business has benefited from the coterie of training and services offered by SBSS in the meantime.
“The SBSS program has supported us tremendously,” said Catherean, noting that she’s received assistance writing grants, finetuning pitches, and redesigning the company’s website. She’s also taken advantage of SBSS events and trainings.
The Mitchells Transport fleet.
Started in 2018, Mitchells Transport grew out of the founders’ desire to spend more time with each other and their daughters – ages 13, 7, and 11 months old.
“The unraveling story of how Mitchells Transport began was simply a husband and wife with small children wanting to spend more time with their family and witness their children grow,” Catherean said. “It’s for our children – something to pass down as a legacy.”
Before starting the business, Catherean managed business accounts for large companies, picking up logistics skills along the way. Taishawn worked as a professional driver. A trucking and logistics company seemed a natural fit for the duo, and what they didn’t already know when they set off, they learned along the way.
“We were in business for two years before I picked up my first book on starting a trucking company,” Catherean said. “I was glad we were doing things right, but I was thanking god I didn’t read this book earlier because I’d never have started! It made it seem so difficult, like you’d never be able to get a company going.”
Catherean said juggling it all can be challenging, and a “Superwoman” effort at times. But she’s grateful for the support of her close family, who lean on one another for support. The older children often help with their baby sister and pick up extra chores around the house.
Catherean and Taishawn structured their company around equality. Catherean said the mission of Mitchell Transport “is to employ individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities and pay them wages that are 20% above the natural average for freight hauling.”
“We have built our company not on the backs of others, but on our shoulders moving side by side,” she continued. “We have one goal in mind: deliver the best possible service to our customers.”
For Mitchell Transport, the support from SBSS has been invaluable. Catherean encourages anyone looking to start a small business to “find an organization that’s willing to mentor you.”
“You have to invest in your future,” she said. “If you never start, you’ll never know how much opportunity is out there.”