If you are a minority or a woman who owns a business, the City of Indianapolis has someone who is ready to introduce you to exciting opportunities. Camille Blunt has been selected as the new director of the Office of Minority and Women Business Development for Indianapolis. The appointment was announced this week by Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office.
Blunt’s mission as director will be to promote business opportunities for enterprises owned by minorities, women and veterans, as well as people living with disabilities.
Doing this, city leaders say, promotes inclusiveness, economic growth and stability for both the businesses and the community at large.
Blunt believes that one of the challenges faced by minority- and women-owned businesses is “getting opportunities and their moment to shine” with the city.
“A lot of businesses are capable of doing a lot more than they are currently doing,” Blunt told the Recorder. “One of the things I want to do is to make sure that we help them develop relationships with prime contractors.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 37 percent of Americans identify with at least one minority group, and the number of minority-owned businesses grew from 5 million to 8 million between 2007 and 2012. They contribute approximately $1.3 trillion in revenue and 7.2 million jobs to the economy.
Blunt says more than 700 minority- and women-owned businesses are certified with the City of Indianapolis. Currently, the City, the State of Indiana and the federal government each have their own certification processes.
“One of our goals is to streamline the City’s process and make it easier for minority businesses,” Blunt said. “I don’t want to do anything that will add more red tape or complicate the process.”
For example, Blunt embraces the use of technology to make everything faster and simpler for business owners. However, she also keeps in mind that not every person uses a computer for their business or is able to scan all of their documents.
“Providing options but also making things easier for businesses is the goal,” Blunt stated.
She added that the Office of Minority and Women Business Development is also presenting various events throughout the year. Those events will give business owners advice on topics such as growing their business, having the right documents in place, filing taxes, keeping track of important details and building relationships with the city’s prime vendors.
“Those contractors want to know who you are and feel comfortable that you’re going to do a good job,” Blunt said. “So these events will be an opportunity for businesses to meet with the contractors, get to know them and get in front of decision makers.”
In a statement, Hogsett said he believes that in her new role, Blunt will help the city further a culture of inclusiveness in its business community while building a stronger and more diverse local economy.
“Camille’s ability to foster engagement through dialogue perfectly positions her to support and uplift local businesses of all backgrounds,” he said. “I am confident that our community will continue to benefit from Camille’s expertise and passion for service.”
Before her new appointment, Blunt served as the legislative director for the City of Indianapolis. In that role, she was the liaison to the City-County Council and oversaw the execution of the City’s legislative strategy on the state and federal level. With Blunt as legislative director, the Hogsett administration has gained bipartisan support for most items on its legislative agenda, including passage of its 2018 budget with a 21–2 vote.
Prior to working with the City, Blunt was vice president with Bose Public Affairs Group. She was responsible for working with clients in the areas of grassroots lobbying, political action committee management, state and local legislative lobbying, and relationship development.
Blunt graduated from Ball State University and is a member of both the Ball State Alumni Association and the Government Affairs Society of Indiana. She is fond of saying that she did not choose her career in public service — it chose her. Originally, the Indianapolis native wanted to be a television news anchor.
“In my young mind, I didn’t realize that people don’t just graduate from college and go straight to the anchor chair,” Blunt said with a laugh.
Blunt expanded her communication skills and was given an opportunity to become a legislative lobbyist, a role she excelled in after being hired by Bose in 2002.
“Everyone has a different style of lobbying, and it’s interesting to watch that if you ever just sit in the halls of the Statehouse and see how people interact,” she said.
No matter how busy or difficult her day may become, Blunt gets renewed motivation from her 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.
“They drive me to do more and to be more,” she said. “They always say how proud they are of me and say, ‘Mommy, every time we go somewhere you know everybody.’ I just remind them that I have been in this city a long time.”
Blunt would like to use the relationships and talents that she developed as a lobbyist to foster more opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses.
She has also worked with leaders in city and state government to offer programs that educate youth, especially young African-American women, on the importance of being involved in government.
One of those leaders, State Rep. Cherrish Pryor, believes Blunt is the right choice for the Office of Minority and Women Business Development because she understands the importance of diversity in employment, business opportunities and contracts.
“Camille has a passion for ensuring that minorities and women get a fair chance to have successful businesses and get opportunities, not only with other businesses, but also as it relates to government contracts,” said Pryor, who chairs the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus.
Blunt sees a major role for the office in the community. Increasing opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses, she says, not only benefits those businesses and the city, but that entrepreneurship can also address issues such as crime and poverty, particularly in predominantly minority areas.
“The more opportunities we create for ourselves, the less we will see individuals planning a role in criminal activities,” Blunt said. “When entrepreneurs do positive things in the community, it has a positive impact on kids. They can say, ‘That person came from the same neighborhood I came from and started a successful businesses. I can do that, too.’”
Camille Blunt sees entrepreneurship as a solution to some of the community’s challenges. (Photo/City of Indianapolis)
