Dr. Fred McKinney: November 08, 2010

· Credit Seminar At Bank of America November 15
	Bank of America is hosting the second of two seminars next Monday at 100 Federal Street in downtown Boston from 9:00 AM to noon. If you are interested in attending you must be a certified MBE with the GNEMSDC and you must RSVP by calling the office. 9:00am-9:50am: Optional Pre-Session, "Prequalification for Certified MBEs Seeking Consideration to be a Supplier to Bank of America". Presented by: Jaymie Mitchell, SVP, Senior Supplier Development, Bank of America 10:00am: Program Opening - Welcome Presented by: Bob Gallery, Massachusetts President, Bank of America (Pictured above) 10:05am: Observations and Trends on Procurement Opportunities for MBEs Presented by: Dr. Fred McKinney, President, Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council 10:20am: Business Case Studies Presented by: Jared Ward, SVP; Senior Client Manager, Bank of America 10:40am: Financing your Business: Traditional and Alternative Sources of Credit Moderated by: Dr. Fred McKinney, President, GNEMSDC Featuring speakers: Jared Ward SVP; Senior Client Manager, Bank of America Chris Sikes Executive Director, Western MA Enterprise Fund Ana Hammock Program Director, New England & Internet Lending, ACCION USA Representative (TBC) SBA Joe Kriesberg (TBC) President & CEO, Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations 11:40am Question & Answer session

GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting At UTC December 3

The GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting is coming up on Friday December 3 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at United Technologies Corporation in Farmington, CT at Four Farm Springs Road.

The agenda for this Quarterly will include showcases by three MBEs, a presentation on exporting goods and services to the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and a presentation by the UTC supplier development team. The export presentation will replace the seminar scheduled on November 9.

Here is a message from UTC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Louis R. Chênevert:

"United Technologies Corporation seeks the most innovative and competitive suppliers in order to maintain our competitive advantage. We spent the 1990s working on internal efficiencies and cost with great success. In the last several years we have worked aggressively with our supply base as real partners to eliminate inefficiencies, enable lower cost and deliver the highest quality to our customers. Diverse suppliers have been essential to our performance and will be for decades to come.

We also require of our top suppliers and integrators the same supplier diversity commitments we expect from ourselves. Please browse this supplier diversity website where you'll learn how diverse suppliers are a priority for UTC and what your opportunities with our company may be."

Following the Quarterly Meeting, we will have the annual CT Holiday Business Card Exchange at the Hartford Marriott, right around the corner from the meeting The HBC Exchange will start promptly at 5:30 and conclude at 7:30 PM. Please feel free to invite and bring a friend. This is a great way to end the year.

· Construction Opportunities
	A large Northeast regional bank is looking for a construction company that can build retail branches. If you are capable of building on a regional footprint and are certified, contact fmckinney@gnemsdc.org. Blakeslee, Arpaia and Champman are looking for MBEs that can work on a Bridgeport Port Project involving floating steel dock systems, steel pipes. Contact John Fucci directly at 203-483-2954 or jfucci@bac-inc.com. Fannie Mae intends on issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to eligible RESIDENTIAL REPAIR CONTRACTORS interested in providing service within the 6 New England States. The repair contractors selected will be eligible to receive work from Fannie Mae and Fannie Mae-appointed brokers to repair recently-foreclosed properties. If you are interested in one of these opportunities, please review the requirements and follow the instructions in the attached documents. If you are interested in receiving the documents contact Tatiana at tparedes@gnemsdc.org for the details.

· The Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) Offers $1 Million Per Exporter
	The CDA because of the assistance of the U.S. Export - Import Bank has a new facility that offers $1 million to CT based companies who are seeking export financing. CDA has a new resource for Connecticut businesses to help expand their reach and succeed in the international marketplace. With "Delegated Authority Lender" status from Ex-Im Bank, CDA will enable companies to fulfill export sales orders, turn export-related inventory and accounts receivable into cash, and expand their overall access to financing. Ex-Im Bank is an export credit agency providing working capital guarantees, export credit insurance, direct loans and loan guarantees to support export sales of U.S. goods and services. In an increasingly global economy, financing is a critical component to international transactions, and CDA's recent approval highlights the jobs supported by export sales. Connecticut's exports totaled over $10.3 billion through August 2010 and include aircraft; spacecraft; industrial machinery; computers; TV and sound equipment; optic, photo, medical or surgical instruments; and agricultural products. As a Community Level Delegated Authority Lender, CDA has the authority to approve loans of up to $1 million per exporter. The benefits of this designation are significant, allowing CDA to expedite the loan process by committing the federal government guarantee without any prior approval from Ex-Im. "CDA's new service builds on our high level of finance expertise and provides more advantages to the state's manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and service companies as they compete internationally," said CDA President Marie O'Brien. "This City-State Partnership - Ex-Im Bank's first in Connecticut - will give us the opportunity to provide many more Connecticut small businesses with the competitive financing tools they need to successfully compete in the global marketplace, and create Connecticut jobs," said Diane Farrell, a Connecticut resident and member of Ex-Im Bank's Board of Directors With the U.S. dollar currently at historic lows, Connecticut products are more competitive than ever to foreign buyers. This new program at CDA will be under the supervision of Mr. John Kearney, a recent addition to CDA's lending team as Vice President and Loan Officer. Mr. Kearney's experience includes over 25 years of international transactions, many with Ex-Im Bank and other federal agencies. "CDA remains committed to helping Connecticut businesses compete and prosper in the global economy," said Kearney For more information on CDA, our programs or our recent partnership with Ex-Im Bank please visit www.ctcda.com, or give us a call at (860) 258-7800.

· Opportunity at Bridgeport Housing Authority
	HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) SECURITY GUARD SERVICES Solicitation No: 036-SEC-10-S Solicitation Date: October 31, 2010 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport ("HACB") requests proposals from qualified security firms to provide security guard services at various public housing complexes throughout the city of Bridgeport. HACB must receive the Responder's proposal by 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on Friday, December 3, 2010 at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT. 06604 attn: Mr. Eugene Sumter, Chief Contracting Officer, Procurement Department. A non-mandatory pre-proposal conference will be held on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at 361 Bird Street, Bridgeport CT 06605, during which prospective Responders have an opportunity to ask questions concerning the RFP. HACB strongly recommends that prospective Responders attend this pre-proposal conference. A complete copy of the solicitation including contract documents and all required HUD forms will be available on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at the Purchasing Department, 361 Bird Street, Bridgeport, CT 06605 or by calling 203-337-8820 attn: Ms. Caroline Sanchez.

· Follow me on Twitter and.Linkedin
	For breaking news and information, follow me on Twitter (drfredmckinney) and on Linkedin. And if you have info you need to get out, send me a note, I might be able to help.

· And Finally,
	If I were to start a business today, I doubt that I would start a business from scratch. Starting with no consumers and no reputation is daunting enough. I would do my homework and see what businesses are in the market that I want to enter and simply approach the ones that met my requirements and systematically let them know I was interested in buying their company. Now this approach may seem to not be relevant to certified MBEs who are already in business, but I beg to differ. This approach can and does work for existing businesses as well. Organic growth is hard. Growth by acquisition while not simple can be a better strategy to get big fast. In this economy there are more opportunities to buy companies than during periods of economic expansion. This strategy works particularly well for certified MBEs who are purchasing non-minority businesses that have a good portfolio of customers. Converting these businesses to certified MBEs can generate a bump in sales, profits and market size. I encourage MBEs to look into this as a viable strategy and if you need help, give me a call, I would be happy to help you get started. In your service Dr. Fred

· Office For Rent at GNEMSDC Boston Office

The GNEMSDC is looking for a certified MBE to rent a beautiful large office within the GNEMSDC offices at Copley Plaza. The rent is $800 per month. The office is furnished and if you rent before November 1, 2010 we will provide wireless Internet and a computer for the office. Call 888-874-7114 for details.

· Diggs Construction

If you are looking for a certified MBE construction management firm that can handle large and small corporate jobs, I suggest you consider Diggs Construction.

"Diggs is a construction management firm offering a full range of construction services. We serve both the private and public sector, including commercial construction, industrial construction, and educational facility construction. As a minority owned Company, Diggs Construction's philosophy is simple: there are no challenges, only opportunities. This philosophy allows Diggs to find solutions other firms overlook. From individual projects to concerns commonly associated with the building industry, our unique insight has lead us to be one of the best construction service providers available. We believe in up-front and honest communication, enhancing the quality of life of the communities we build in, reducing environmental impact through green building techniques, and as always, providing excellent service."

Diggs Construction

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November 08, 2010