April 20, 2023

April 23, 2023, is the MoDOT deadline for timely submission of your DBE Narrative for recertification. If your materials are not completed by that date, you are not disqualified. However, if you do not submit your recertification narrative and personal net worth statement on time, your determination may not be available when the program restarts. Additionally, your availability within your NAICS code category may not be considered when initial goals are set. The links to the left include helpful resources, including an editable narrative template you may use to draft your own submission. I have provided assistance to DBEs seeking certification through a presentation for MOKAN, hosted by the Urban League in St. Louis, and the editable narrative is one I developed. I also assist DBEs with preparing their narratives and am available at (618) 534-3618 to discuss how I may support you and your company. Here is the link that you will find for the template for a dbe narrative: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15i7XwtFlrdG5WkIM3wQgGlgzPpB4yPdNmE_IBQ2oKKo/edit?usp=sharing This link as well as others is also on the blog listings to the left. Marsha Griffiths (618) 534-3618

MoDOT Final Notice

I reviewed a MoDOT "Final Notice Letter" dated March 25, 2026, which establishes an April 23, 2026 deadline for submission of the Personal Narrative with the Personal Net Worth Statement. The letter states, "Submissions after this date will still be accepted, but any submissions received or prior to that date will be reviewed in the order received." I am not sure whether the deadline, with the notation that submissions would be accepted afterward, means that anything submitted after this date is not guaranteed to be processed by the time the program renews. I have attached a copy -- there are some formatting errors -- in a link to the blog.

Introduction

Understanding the New DBE Rules and Your Personal Narrative: Starting October 3, 2025, the rules for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certification changed in a major way. The U.S. Department of Transportation now looks at each person’s individual story instead of using general assumptions about who qualifies. One of the biggest changes is that you can no longer rely on race or gender in your narrative. Your story should not be based on identity—and I’ve even seen some applications rejected for including those details. Instead, focus on real experiences you’ve had, how those experiences affected your business or career, and what they cost you in time, money, or opportunity. Describe what happened—not what you think the other person was thinking or feeling. Stick to the facts of your experience. In this workshop, I’ll guide you through how to think about both the social barriers you’ve faced—in education, employment, or business—and the economic challenges you’re dealing with now. That might sound like a lot, but don’t worry. The workshop and blog will walk you through each step to help you write clearly and honestly. I am providing writing tools to help you prepare your DBE personal narrative. It’s not legal advice or official instruction—but it will help you express your story in your own words. I am informed that some individuals attending the workshop will need a form to write on, and I will be handing out a "Narrative Form". There is also a link on the left hand side of this blog with a link for an "Editable Narrative Form" that can be copied, pasted and editedl I am also providing another link titled, "Thinking About Writing Your Narrative" to assist you in thinking through each section that you will write. This includes the questions that MoDOT provided in their Final Notice letter dated March 25, 2026.