Women- or minority-owned businesses

Compiled by textile professionals

We’re applying for a grant and need to show how many women/minority owned businesses there are in the sewn products industry. Can you tell us where to look for that information?

Special programs or consideration are sometimes given to companies that are women- or minority-owned. The U.S. Census Bureau does a survey of American business owners every five years; the last one was conducted in 2007. The amount of data is large, and there are a variety of public access reports you can run from it. To get the most meaningful data, you’ll want to use filters whenever possible; the NAICS code we suggest using as a sewn products manufacturer is 314, Textile Product Mills. The definition of this category is: “Industries in the Textile Product Mills subsector group establishments that make textile products (except apparel). With a few exceptions, processes used in these industries are generally cut and sew (i.e., purchasing fabric and cutting and sewing to make nonapparel textile products, such as sheets and towels).”

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Business Owners (SBO)

Our textile professionals answer questions about sources of supply, building codes, technical issues and more. This free service is exclusively for IFAI members. Contact us at +1 651 225 6967, e-mail infocentral@ifai.com.