Black and minority business owners press NC leaders for new state contracting goals

GREENSBORO — For years, Gerald Carr knew where to turn when his Charlotte construction company needed help navigating North Carolina’s state contracting system.

Now, Carr said, the rules have changed and businesses like his are scrambling to figure out what comes next.

Carr, CEO of All-Pro Builders and Restorations, was among the dozens of Black and minority business owners and advocates who gathered in Greensboro Thursday to press state leaders for new contracting opportunities. The move follows the dismantling of the state’s Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses.

The town hall, held at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, was organized by The Collective, a coalition of minority business organizations including the Greensboro Business League, the Greater Durham Black Chamber of Commerce and the NC Black Alliance.

The message from the business owners and advocates in the room was straightforward: The state needs to make sure minority-owned and other small businesses don’t lose access to state contracts.

The group is calling for all businesses previously certified through the HUB program to be transferred into the state’s Small Business Enterprise program (opens in a new tab), which is intended to provide contracting opportunities to small businesses across North Carolina. The group also called on Gov. Josh Stein’s administration to create a new Advisory Council on Black Affairs.

The asks come less than two months after lawmakers eliminated the HUB office as part of the state’s 2026 budget (opens in a new tab). As part of a greater state effort, House Republicans also overrode (opens in a new tab) multiple vetoes from Stein, passing bills to cut government spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.