What MWBE Certification Actually Means
A Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certification, issued by New York City and New York State, verifies that a business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by individuals from a qualifying group. It's not a marketing label — it involves documentation, verification, and ongoing compliance.
Why It Matters for Developers and Property Owners
- Public and mixed-financing projects — many city, state, and mixed-financed developments carry MWBE participation requirements. Working with a certified general contractor helps developers meet those goals directly, not just through subcontracted line items.
- Institutional and corporate procurement goals — many large landlords, REITs, and corporations track supplier diversity as part of their own compliance and reporting.
- A genuinely different vantage point on the trades — MWBE-certified firms are frequently built by people who came up through the trades themselves rather than purely on the business side, which shows up in how a job site is actually run.
It's Not a Trade-Off on Quality
The certification doesn't change what a licensed general contractor is required to carry: the same DOB license, the same insurance minimums, the same Licensed Construction Superintendent requirement on every job. What it adds is documentation that can help satisfy a developer's or institution's own diversity procurement requirements — without asking anyone to compromise on licensing, safety, or craft.
NYEE's Certification & Track Record
New York Empire Enterprises is a 100% minority-owned general contractor and real estate developer, certified by the City and State of New York, licensed across all five boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester County. We've delivered everything from Fifth Avenue commercial fit-outs to ground-up residential construction in the Bronx — the certification is real, and so is the work behind it.
Considering an MWBE Contractor for Your Next Project?
Whether you're a developer working toward participation goals or a property owner who simply wants a contractor with deep, hands-on trade experience, we're glad to talk through your specific project and how our certification fits into it.
Ready to talk through your project? Let's build.
