October 4, 2010

Take a look at my recent article "The State of Minority Business in New England" · The Messages of the Conference
	Over the next few weeks, I am going to elaborate on the messages and things I learned from attending and participating in the sessions at this week's GNEMSDC Expo and Conference. But here are few of those messages boiled down to their essence: The Hispanic consumer market is a trillion dollar market now and if you are not focused on it now you are already late to the game. And capturing that market means more than translating your existing material verbatim into Spanish The minority media is an under utilized high value add, low cost tool that MBEs and corporate members are not utilizing to reach a market that is the size of France and the UK combined Self preservation of corporate America requires that minority businesses thrive as suppliers, employers, taxpayers and supporters of the American dream Selling is Job One. Anyone can be a Rainmaker and a Fierce Competitor if they are willing to prepare and understand the concept of "dolarizing" your proposition. Business customers buy Money, so that is what you need to sell. Global Strategic Sourcing does not necessarily mean fewer opportunities for MBEs, in fact, it can mean more for MBEs prepared to grow. Global companies have a responsibility to assist MBEs who are too highly concentrated with a single customer by providing them connections to other potential customers and new products and services to produce and sell. Being prepared and being there are key to success. Making the most of the One on One meetings means you now have another meeting on your calendar with a company you met at the One on Ones. MBEs need to copy what large companies are doing by looking outside of the U.S. for new and expanding markets. The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are great places to do business not only because of lower labor cost, but because their economies and middle classes are growing much faster than they are here in the US. Take a business trip. (We as the GNEMSDC will explore this in depth for 2011.) Markets change and strategies and tactics must also change even for companies that have been around for over a century. If you do not change with the markets, you will simply not be in business tomorrow. Collaboration is as important as being a great competitor. Find partners who you can help and can help you. There are no guarantees and never is there a time to rest on your laurels. Each of the bullets above came from the workshops and seminars and One on One meetings we held this week. If you were not there. I wish you could have been there to feel the energy in the rooms.

· Leaders in Diversity Breakfast - October 21
	The Boston Business Journal is hosting its first "Leaders in Diversity Breakfast on Thursday, October 21 at the Westin Waterfront Hotel starting at 7:00 AM. The event recognizes individuals and companies who are making a difference within their organizations and the community. Among the honorees are James Sturgis of Stop and Shop and Kim Duke Rivers of Diversity Staffing Pros. Also being recognized are MassHousing and Deloitte. I will be serving on a panel discussion on the subject of diversity along with Alberto Vasallo of El Mundo, Beth Williams of Roxbury Technology, Steve Crosby of the Commonwealth Compact and the McCormack School of Business, and Paul Francisco of Foster and Francisco. The panel will be moderated by Howard Manley of the Boston Banner. I hope that you can join us for what will be an informative and important event. For more information and registration information click on the link below. The proceeds for this event will go to the Urban League of Eastern MA.
	Leaders in Diversity

· Opportunity at Bridgeport Housing - Television Services
	Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Request for Proposals (RFP) Television Service, Equipment and Maintenance Solicitation Number: 034-PD-10-S Solicitation Date: September 28, 2010 The Housing Authority in the City of Bridgeport (BHA) is soliciting competitive proposals from qualified firms for a two-year renewable contract to PROVIDE TELEVISION SERVICE, EQUIPMENT & MAINTENANCE at Charles Greene Homes. Proposals are to be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 15, 2010, at the main administrative office of the Authority located at 150 Highland Avenue, Bridgeport, CT. Late proposals will not be accepted. A Pre-Proposal Conference and Site Walk-Through will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT. in the Executive Conference Room. A complete copy of the solicitation, including proposed forms of contract and proposal requirements, can be obtained on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at the Purchasing Department, 361 Bird Street, Bridgeport CT 06605, Attention: Ms. Caroline Sanchez Telephone No. (203) 337-8820.

· Opportunity with Bridgeport Housing - Rubbish Removal
	THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) RUBBISH REMOVAL SERVICES Solicitation No: 035-CM-10-S Solicitation Date: September 29, 2010 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting Sealed Bids for Rubbish Removal Services at Trumbull Gardens and various scattered sites. All bids must be received by October 12, 2010 at 10:00 a.m., at the administrative office of the Housing Authority, 150 Highland Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time. A Pre-Bid Conference is scheduled for Tuesday October 5, 2010 at 361 Bird Street, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at 10:00 a.m. A site walk-through will take place at that time. All interested bidders are strongly encouraged to attend to clarify the scope of work and the intent of the bid documents. Proposed forms of contract documents are on file at the Purchasing Department, 361 Bird Street, Bridgeport, CT 06605 and can be picked up on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 after 1 p.m. attn: Ms. Caroline Sanchez, (203) 337-8820. The Housing Authority City of Bridgeport reserves the right to reject any or all bids or to waive any minor informality in the bidding process.

· NMSDC Business Opportunity Fair and Expo Alert
	MBEs who have registered for the conference, NMSDC will be checking the MBISYS database to see if the certificate has expired. If the certificate has expired, the MBE will be charged the higher price, $1,800. MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATION VALIDATION Corporate members are procurement entities paying national and/or local dues. MBEs are suppliers certified as minority-owned by an NMSDC-affiliated Regional Council only. MBEs must be listed in the MBISYS® database or provide a copy of their NMSDC-issued certificate in order to validate MBE status and take advantage of registration discounts offered. If your corporate membership or MBE certification is not current or cannot be verified by NMSDC, you will be charged the corporate non-member or non-certified supplier registration

· Please Take the Survey - You Deserve It
	For those who attended the GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo and Conference, we promised that everyone who gave us a business card would receive something. Well you should have received an electronic survey. Please complete the survey as we attempt to improve upon all of our services. To take the Friday Expo Survey click here. To take the Thursday Conference and One on One Survey click here. To take the Wednesday Conference Survey click here.

· Special Thanks to the Trade Expo Committee and Volunteers
	The GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo and Conference Committee led by the Committee Co-Chairs, Lawrence Wooten (Pitney Bowes), Cheryl Clarke (Northeast Utilities) and Karl "Karlos" Nurse (Nurse Communications) deserve a special thanks. The other committee members were: Alton Moss (Pratt and Whitney) Diane Winston (Winston Strategic Partners) Ecem Elci (Banneker Industries) Vee Adusei (Vase Management) Ted Graziani (Hamilton Sundstrand) Amanda Desai (Desai Communication) Valerie King (Raytheon) Lynn Ulman (Jantris Marketing) Mark Hemingway (Zones) Jere Eaton (PrintabiliTEES) Kyong Eun Chong (Industrial Safety) Kristen Hickey (Aetna) Lori Johnson (commVerge Marketing) Dan Cooperbey (Creative Film and Video)<.li> Jose Garcia (Horizon Staffing) Benita Fortner (Raytheon) Sandra Desai (Desai Communications) The volunteers at the show also deserve a special thanks. They include: Janet Davis Ecem Elci (Banneker Industries) Shawn Morris (BKM Resources) Kyong Eun Chong (Industrial Safety) Nancy Hamel (John Hancock) Kenneth Williams (Light Speed) Steve Ham (MiRae, Inc) Ann Marie Stewart (NU) Al Tawrel (NU) Chantel Williamson (NU) Sandra Billeoudeau (NU) Debra Tobin (NU) Lisa DiMattia (NU) Colleen Flaherty (W & R, LLC) Oyinade Akindele-Alo (Stanley Black & Decker) Jan Wahnon (The Computer Company) Vee Adusei (Vase Management) Janet Wooten Henry Ryoo Andi Kim Sheila Harris Jim Choi And we cannot forget to thank again our Honorary Committee Co-Chairs: Murray Martin, President and CEO of Pitney Bowes Corporation and Beth Williams, President and CEO of Roxbury Technology.

· And Finally,

Wow, what a week. I wish that every corporate member and every certified MBE could have been there to see and experience what the attendees saw and experienced. Now that it is over I can only think that it is not over. For MBEs, it is time to follow up with the corporate members they met and impressed in order to set the next appointment, and in the words of speaker Jeffrey Fox, COCO (Close On Call One). For corporate members, it is time to prepare the ground for those MBEs who they think can provide real value to their organizations. And for the Council, the time is now to build on this event by visiting with and talking to those corporate members and MBEs who did not attend to impress upon them that we want them to get in the game as well, for their benefit and the benefit of our talented MBEs. In your service Dr. Fred