October 11, 2010

· 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.

· Join GNEMSDC and ACINDO in Miami

The GNEMSDC and ACINDO will be hosting a BBQ reception Sunday, October 24 at the Clevelander Hotel South Beach (1020 Ocean Drive) from 4 pm to 6 pm. All are welcome to join us by the pool for drinks food and networking. Please RSVP by October 21 by calling either Ipsy Banerjee at 732-303-8400 ext. 7020, or Tatiana Paredes at 888-874-7114. If your in Miami for the NMSDC conference this is a great way to kick it off.

· Coming Events and Things You should Know

AT&T is offering a full scholarship to a GNEMSDC certified MBE, a value of $4,500 to attend "Building a High Performing Minority Business from November 14 through November 19 at the Tuck School of Business. The Economist Magazine recently ranked Tuck the second best business school in the world. If you are interested in upping your game call now for an application for this generous scholarship. As American Express used to say, membership has it's benefits.

The CT NAACP 's 45th Annual Convention will feature gubernatorial candidates Tom Foley, Dan Malloy and Tom Marsh on Friday, October 29 at Stamford High School, 55 Strawberry Hill Avenue from 7 pm to 9 pm. For more information visit www.NAACP-ct.org. I have submitted three questions for the candidates. Check out my twitter and Linkedin for details.

The NY/NJ Minority Supplier Development Council aka "The Council" is holding their Annual Awards Gala on Friday, November 12 at the Marriott Marquis starting at 6:30 pm. For more information visit www.nynjmsdc.org.

Tuck School of Business "Building a High Performing Minority Business"

Going Global

One consistent theme of the senior level corporate executives who spoke at the recently concluded GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo and Conference was the need for MBEs to look at global markets as sources of suppliers and as places to expand their sales. Just about every single corporate member of the GNEMSDC has ties to the global market and, in fact many of our MBEs do as well. But without doubt, we - the GNEMSDC, MBEs and corporate members - need to do more to integrate the MBE community with the global market. It was particularly prescient that we already had on our calendar of seminars, "Going Global - Buying and Selling in Global Markets". We will run one of these meetings in the Hamden office on Tuesday, October 19 and the other in the Boston office on Wednesday, October 20. Both sessions will start at 10 AM and lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by calling 888-874-7114.

Murray Martin, President and CEO of Pitney Bowes and Jerry Burris, President of Precision Components focused a good deal of their remarks on this important topic. Particular attention was placed on the BRICK countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea, where economic growth is rapid and there is an expanding middle class of consumers who are craving modern conveniences and lifestyles. Here are some facts to get your attention:

The four BRIC countries excluding South Korea represent 40 percent of the world's population and 40 percent of the land on earth. Goldman Sachs predicts that these four countries will have combined GDP greater than the combined GDP of the worlds current richest countries by 2050. By the year 2025, the BRICs will bring another 200 million consumers with an average income of over $15,000.

If you include South Korea and Mexico, the global market will provide the most fertile ground for developing your business. Come to these seminars and learn how to get your share of the expanding global market.

BRIC Description and Data

· And Finally,

Fred in ohioI have been paying a lot more attention to the upcoming election recently as I hope you are as well. There are important issues that will impact the future of business conditions for MBEs and corporate members. Issues such as taxes, government budgets, health care, regulations, continued efforts in financial reform, and others are on the table. And your right, and I would argue obligation, to vote for the candidates who best represent your interests and the interests of what you hold dear cannot be understated. You should encourage your colleagues, your employees and your neighbors to learn about the candidates and their platforms. There needs to be a serious discussion of the issues and the capabilities of the candidates that goes beyond the 30 second sound bites.

In your service

Dr. Fred