In an industry where traditional programs promoting participation among socially and economically disadvantaged businesses face challenges, the METRO Small Business Program stands out. Using strategic innovation and a sophisticated compliance framework, METRO has created a race- and gender-neutral Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Program that consistently achieves over 90% minority and women-owned business participation on contracts with a Small Business (SB) goal. This session is designed to share the success components of METRO’s 20-year-old race and gender-neutral Small Business Program and its uniqueness.