August 15, 2011

The mission of the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council is to significantly increase business relationships between our corporate members and our certified MBEs. We believe that minority business development is a key component of reducing poverty, unemployment, increasing wealth, and integrating American society. You are receiving this email in order to keep you abreast of developments with the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Supplier Diversity Issues and Minority Business Development. If you like what you read please share internally and externally. GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo - October 3 through October 5 Mark Your Calendars! The GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Conference & Fair will be held Monday October 3 through October 5 at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The event brochure, and the agenda were emailed last week. The hard copy will be mailed a week from today. But there is no need to wait for the hard copy invitation to make your plans to attend and participate in what promises to be an exciting program. We have made some major changes in our typical program. The Trade Expo Committee designed these changes to make this a more productive experience for both MBEs and corporate members. Here are just a few of those major changes: 1. The first day of the program (October 3)will feature a Town Hall Meeting where everyone is invited. We normally reserve this time for the GNEMSDC Board of Directors and the C-Level Senior Advisory Board of the Council. This year we will have the Board, the C-Level Senior Advisory Board, the members of the five Regional Advisory Committees, the entire MBEIC and any other certified MBE or corporate member who wants to participate in this session. The purpose of the Town Hall Meeting is to have some serious discussion about how we can make minority business development more effective for both corporate members and certified MBEs. This will be more than just a "bull" session for people to vent their feelings. This will be a session that the leadership of the GNEMSDC plans to use to design more effective programming for years to come. 2. A second innovation to the program will occur on the second day of the program (October 4) where in the past we held the one on one meetings. Instead of using the afternoon of the second day for one on one meetings, we are going to invite 40 corporate members to make 15 to 20 minute presentations on opportunities at their companies. We are inviting category managers responsible for making the buying decisions or the CPOs of our corporate membership to make these presentations. We will run many of these presentations concurrently so that MBEs and others will have to choose which company to learn about.. Of course, MBEs are welcome and encouraged to bring multiple people. In addition to the 40 Corporate Showcases, we will also hold at least 16 MBE showcases for corporate members to attend. Both Corporate Members and certified MBEs need to contact the office if they are interested in having this opportunity to present. Space for these sessions will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. 3. The third major change in the program is on the afternoon of the Trade Expo day (October 5) where instead of seeing a slow dribble of people returning to the Trade Show floor after the luncheon, we will use that time for one on one meetings between corporate exhibitors and MBEs. One comment we heard last year was that corporate members wanted more control over who they see during the one on one sessions. This year they will have that control. Corporate exhibitors will have the opportunity to schedule these 10 to 15 minute meetings by talking to MBEs throughout the program including during the morning session of the Expo. We also have some wonderful educational sessions planned for the benefit of both corporate members and MBEs for the entire program. Each of the past three years we have sold out the exhibit space, so if you are remotely interested in exhibiting, I strongly encourage you to sign up today. Attached you will also find the detailed sponsorship packages. Please note- Ad deadline is August 23, if you are interested in placing an ad make sure you register & get it in soon. If you have any question feel free to call the GNEMSDC Office. Special Note to Annual Sponsors - Annual Sponsors-do not need to register for the expo, we already have you registered. It is going to be a GREAT SHOW! Hotel Reservation Volunteer opportunity available - Contact Volunteer Coordinator (before August 31) Connecticut Lottery Becomes GNEMSDC Corporate Member On behalf of the GNEMSDC Board of Directors, I want to welcome the CT Lottery as a new corporate member of the GNEMSDC. The CT Lottery is a quasi governemnt agency responsible for the offical state lottery games. We look forward to working with the CT Lottery as they attempt to expand their relationships with certified MBEs. MBE of the Week - Advans IT Services, Inc. Advans IT Services, Inc.is a Solution Provider and IT consulting firm with comprehensive services for all areas of IT infrastructure. From architecture to implementation to upgrade, our IT professionals consistently deliver customized, high performance IT solutions that drive your business towards your goals. With our unique Service Delivery Model, Advans deploys cutting edge technology with fixed prices, so you can better manage your budget. The delivery model was developed to boost the ROI and business value of our client's IT investments. Offering a full range of staffing solutions, Advans provides temporary, temp-to-perm and direct hire resources. In addition to staff augmentation, our Hybrid Staffing Model cost effectively manages onsite and offshore personnel. Read on... NMSDC/GNEMSDC Upcoming Events, Activities and Information Please take a close look at the events listed below. The links will take you to detailed information about the events. We will have more information for those events that do not currently have live links, but please mark your calendars and call the office. Events and Activities: Someone left a MiFi plugged into the wall after the Quarterly meeting at EMC. It is a Novatel Wireless device. Please contact Marie Henry at 508.293.7234. NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Fair at Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Georgia on October 30 - November 2. Information: Watch Dr. Fred interview with Stan Simpson Show on "Solving the Current Economic Crisis". NMSDC Quarterly Meeting in Boston Pictures are available to view -By Photographer Tom Ficklin View NMSDC Quarterly Meeting in Boston pictures on Facebook View 2011 GNEMSDC Supplier Golf Classic pictures on Facebook Ten Tips for Benefiting from the Expanded Economy - Video Links Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid ELEVATOR REPLACEMENT AT TRUMBULL GARDEN Solicitation Number: 033-PD-11-S Solicitation Date: August 18, 2011 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting sealed bids for the replacement of the elevators at Trumbull Gardens. All bids must be received by 2:00 p.m., Friday, September 2, 2011 at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time. A Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at 505 Trumbull Ave, Bridgeport, CT. 06606. Although not mandatory, all bidders are encouraged to attend. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available after 1 p.m. on Friday, August 19, 2011 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 or by calling 203-337-8820 or 8826. A $50 non-refundable check made out to the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is required. 504/UFAS REHABILITATION OF UNITS AT TRUMBULL GARDENS Solicitation Number: 034-PD-11-S Solicitation Date: August 15, 2011 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting sealed bids for the 504/UFAS rehabilitation of units at Trumbull Gardens. All bids must be received by 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time. A Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 22, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at 505 Trumbull Ave, Bridgeport, CT. Though not mandatory, all bidders are encouraged to attend. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available after 1 p.m. on Monday, August 15, 2011 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 or by calling 203-337-8820 or 8826. A $50 non-refundable check made out to the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is required. 504/UFAS REHABILITATION OF UNITS AT P.T. BARNUM APARTMENTS Solicitation Number: 036-PD-11-S Solicitation Date: August 15, 2011 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting sealed bids for the 504/UFAS rehabilitation of units at P.T. Barnum Apartments. All bids must be received by 10:30 a.m., Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time. A Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 22, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at 301 Bostwick Ave, Bridgeport, CT. Though not mandatory, all bidders are encouraged to attend. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available after 1 p.m. on Monday, August 15, 2011 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 or by calling 203-337-8820 or 8826. A $50 non-refundable check made out to the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is required. UTILITY VEHICLES Solicitation No: 039-PD-11-S Solicitation Date: August 8, 2011 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport (BHA) is soliciting bids for three (3) John Deere HPX 4x4 Gators or equivalent with an option for an additional three (3) vehicles. All bids are to be submitted no later than 10 a.m., Monday, August, 22, 2011 at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 at which time bids will be recorded and read aloud publicly. A complete copy of the IFB document along with required HUD forms can be obtained after 1 p.m., Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT Attn: Ms. Caroline Sanchez (203) 337-8820.

And Finally... This week, I had a meeting in downtown Hartford at 6:30 in the evening. I arrived early and decided to go to the Starbucks in downtown Hartford on Trumbull Street. There was no parking allowed on the street at that time so I pulled into a lot across the street from the coffee shop. I went into the shop and to my surprise they were cleaning up getting ready to close. I thought that was strange, but got my coffee walked back to my car and pulled up to pay my parking fee, which I thought would be $2. To my surprise (again) the attendant informed me it would be $7 even though I had parked less than 10 minutes. The $2 sign that I saw applied to cars coming in before 6 PM. I expressed my objection to their pricing policy in the most respectful way I could considering the situation, and thought there was a pattern in these two surprises. One, the Starbucks was closed at 6:30 PM almost across the street from the State Capitol and two, parking prices were higher despite an empty lot. The economist in me said that here is an example of what bad urban planning can do to a community. The reason why the streets were empty, the retail establishments were closed is that nobody lives in downtown Hartford. Hartford is one of the poorest cities in America, but the people and companies that work in downtown Hartford are some of the highest income folks in the country. Hartford and many urban centers across the country need a diverse group of people to not only work in these urban environments in order for them to be sustainable and vibrant, they also need people to live in them. But people will not and cannot live in these urban centers if there is no place to live in these urban centers. I wonder would happen if instead of hoping for the next big corporate client to move into the empty commercial real estate building that unfortunately is all too pervasive in urban America, these spaces were converted to mixed income housing. In Boston, our office is right across the street from Tent City, a housing development that was developed to deal with homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in the Back Bay section of Boston. In that housing development poor people live, some paying very little if any rent, next door (in the same building) as people paying $3,000 per month for the same sized unit. Across from Tent City the Starbucks stays open late and their is a vibrant and diverse retail community. Cities need to look very closely at creating an environment for economic development. and that starts with people walking the street and living downtown. In your service, Dr. Fred