Super Bowl LVI Program: Is It For Your Manhattan Beach Business?

MANHATTAN BEACH — Manhattan Beach business owners have until Monday, Feb. 1 to apply for the Super Bowl LVI Business Connect Program, designed to help identify businesses owned by minorities, women, LGBTQ+ community members and veterans to compete for contracts related to the 2022 Super Bowl, which will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

To qualify, businesses must be at least 51% owned by a minority, woman, veteran, member of the LGBTQ+ community or be certified as a:

• Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise;
• Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business;
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Business Enterprise;
• Minority Business Enterprise;
• Small Minority Business Enterprise;
• Small Woman Business Enterprise;
• Veteran Owned Small Business; or
• Woman Business Enterprise.

To qualify, a business also need to have had a physical office and have been in operation in L.A. County since February 2018; provide a product or service requested by Business Connect; be the direct source of the goods and services sold by the business; and be in good standing and eligible to do business with the city of Los Angeles, county or state.

The business owners and associates will also have opportunities to network with NFL representatives, host committee staff, corporate sponsors and local small business service organizations. Casey Wasserman, the host committee's chairman, said the program will help lift up Los Angeles' diverse businesses. He said his committee is committed to harnessing the Super Bowl to build opportunity for Angelenos.

Businesses can apply through Monday at lasec.net/businessconnect.

City News Service contributed to this report.