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 Quarterly Meeting & Business Card Exchange |  | 4th Quarterly meeting & Holiday Card Exchange |
GNEMSDC Holiday Business Card Exchange MA Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Location: Copley Place Sky Lobby (Center Court - Office Level) 100 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02116 RSVP by emailing jclarke@gnemsdc.org
We are proud to be collaborating with the Massachusetts Black Business Association on the event this Tuesday evening. We look forward to mingling and networking with these outstanding business leaders.
Thank you Lynette Shenefield of Citizen Financial Group and all of the folks at Citizen Financial Group for hosting a fantastic Quarterly meeting and Business Card Exchange last Wednesday in Providence RI |
Annual Award Gala 2012 |  It is not too early to start thinking about and planning for the 2012 GNEMSDC Annual Awards Gala that will take place on Thursday, April 26 at the Aqua Turf in Southington, CT. Corporate members can begin by thinking about the MBEs they worked with who went the extra mile to provide excellent services for them in 2011. These MBEs benefit from the public recognition of a job well done. MBEs can similarly think about the corporate buyers and supplier diversity managers who assisted them to win contracts and to learn more about them and their corporations.
MBEs and corporate members who are interested in assisting us make this year's event fantastic are also welcome to volunteer to serve on any of the sub-committees we have established. Just give Tatiana a call at the office, 888-874-7114. We welcome your participation. |
Save The Dates - Upcoming Events 2012 |  We are extremely pleased to share with you information about some of our upcoming events so that you can mark your 2012 Calendar TODAY. In 2012 we will have two brand new events on our calendar for both corporate members and MBEs. The first new event is Greater Boston Minority Enterprise Development Conference on June 7. The GNEMSDC, because of our Boston MBDA Business Center, is taking on the challenge of making this event one of the premier events that bring together public sector buyers, large federal and state non-minority contractors and certified MBEs. The second is actually a return to a New England tradition; the Greater Boston Supplier Diversity Golf Classic on Monday, June 11 at Ferncroft Country Club. Ferncroft is one of Boston's top private clubs and will surely be a hot ticket.
We encourage our corporate members and MBEs to become Annual Sponsors in 2012. These sponsorships help the Council, and they give you a price break over buying participation in the events a la carte. We are also filling out the calendar with some unique events at some of our corporate members' places of business. We have events in the planning process for Pitney Bowes, UTC, and PepsiCO, with more to follow. We are also in the process of selecting sites for GNEMSDC Quarterly meetings. This year we held Quarterly meetings at EMC, Citizens Bank, The Basketball Hall of Fame, and Raytheon. We know that in 2012, Liberty Mutual has signed up to host a Quarterly Meeting. If your company would like to host a Quarterly meeting or a "How to do Business With" meeting, we welcome your participation and support. Just call the office for details.
Here are dates and locations for some of the major events we want you to be aware of. - Tuesday, March 27 - 2nd Annual MBE Capital Conference - Hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM (Date Subject to Change)
- Thursday, April 26 - GNEMSDC Awards Gala and Annual Meeting at Aqua Turf Club, Southington, CT 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Wednesday, May 23 - NMSDC Awards Gala, NYC at the Hilton Towers Reception stars at 6:00 PM
- Thursday, June 7 - Greater Boston Minority Business Enterprise Conference and Expo Location to be determined
- Monday, June 11 - Greater Boston Supplier Diversity Golf Classic at Ferncroft County Club, Danvers, MA 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- Friday, July 13 - Greater Connecticut Supplier Diversity Golf Classic at Lyman Orchards Golf Club, Middlefield, CT 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM
- Wednesday through Friday, September 12 to 14, GNEMSDC Annual Business Opportunity Fair and Conference, MGM Grand at Foxwoods
- Sunday October 28 to Wednesday, October 31 - NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Fair, Denver, CO
We hope to see you at as many of these events as possible! |
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.
Information and Presentations: |
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New Corporate Member - Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare |  On behalf of the board of directors GNEMSDC, I welcome our new corporate member Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.
For more than 35 years, Harvard Pilgrim has built a reputation for exceptional clinical quality, preventive care, disease management and member satisfaction and has consistently rated among the top plans in the country. Harvard Pilgrim is a full-service health benefits company serving members throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and beyond. Our mission is to improve the health of the people we serve and the health of society.
Harvard Pilgrim tops the list of America's Best Health Plans for eighth year in a row.
We look forward to working with HPHC. |
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MBE Showcase from Trade Expo 2011 - Banneker Industries, Inc. |  This week we feature Banneker Industries, Inc.
Banneker Industries, Inc. is a world class provider of supply chain management solutions, specializing in third-party logistics (3PL) services. Headquartered in Rhode Island and with operations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Indiana, California, Texas and Virginia, Team Banneker offers our customers a wide-range of 3PL services including Value-Added Warehousing, Procurement, Inspection, Onsite Services, Kitting, Packaging & Fulfillment and Distribution. Our customers demand precision in the management of their products and we deliver with instantaneous access to the critical information for swift decision making. Our "one-stop-shop" capabilities offer an array of value-added services to our customers that eliminate the redundancy, frustration and most importantly high costs associated with utilizing multiple supply chain partners. When you choose Banneker to consolidate and strengthen your supply chain, we deliver these capabilities with speed and agility.
As an ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100:2009 certified company, our Six Sigma and Lean/Agile trained Team Members reflect our commitment to provide our customers with the highest quality services possible. At Banneker we focus on the process as opposed to the product, enabling us to effectively provide solutions to multiple customers in diverse markets both domestically and internationally. View Presentation |
Congratulations on 20 years & 10 years success in business - Danial Penn Associates, Banneker Industries and Liberty Power | On behalf of the GNEMSDC board, I congratulate on twenty years of success in business to Daniel Penn Associates, Banneker Industries, Inc and ten years on Liberty Power.
 Danial Penn Associates - (20 YEARS) is chieving true competitive advantage is an elusive goal. Just when you think you've arrived, fresh challenges present themselves in the form of new competitors, changes in the world marketplace, budgetary pressures, new technologies, and evolving workforce dynamics. Even positive factors such as business growth can stress operational performance to the point of declining profit margins and decreasing customer service levels.
Banneker Industrial, Inc. (20 Years) is a world class provider of supply chain management solutions, specializing in third-party logistics (3PL) services. Headquartered in Rhode Island and with operations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Indiana, California, Texas and Virginia, Team Banneker offers our customers a wide-range of 3PL services including Value-Added Warehousing, Procurement, Inspection, Onsite Services, Kitting, Packaging & Fulfillment and Distribution. Our customers demand precision in the management of their products and we deliver with instantaneous access to the critical information for swift decision making. Our "one-stop-shop" capabilities offer an array of value-added services to our customers that eliminate the redundancy, frustration and most importantly high costs associated with utilizing multiple supply chain partners.
 Liberty Power (10 Years) is a leading supplier of retail electricity and the fastest growing independent energy retailer focused on business and government customers in the United States. Large enterprises, entrepreneurs, emerging and mid-size businesses as well as city, state and national government agencies rely on Liberty for low-cost electricity and outstanding customer service.
Liberty Power is the only national, minority-owned energy provider and has a singular focus on understanding the specific needs of business and government customers providing the electricity and services they need to succeed. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Liberty currently serves tens of thousands of business customers and numerous large enterprises in New York, Texas, Maryland and Washington, D.C |
MBE News - Sir Speedy in Bloomfield | 
New Equipment brings expanded services to Sir Speedy in Bloomfield!
"For several years we have provided mailing services for some of Hartford's most recognizable financial services, healthcare and diversified manufacturing corporations. As our expertise and volume in mailing services increased, we found ourselves at a crossroads of maintaining the status quo or going big! As you've come to expect from us, we choose "BIG"!
We're proud to announce that we have increased our mailing capacity by adding Bell & Howell insertion equipment that allows us to do more....faster. Bottom line: increased mechanical capacity equals more competitive pricing, faster turn-around times and the peace of mind that comes from working with the recognized leader in print and marketing services.
After all, when you have 2 healthcare giants, the leading provider of insurance and wealth management services and the most recognizable high tech product manufacturers for the building and aerospace industries worldwide....you go BIG!
Next time you have a mailing project, no matter how small or large, consider giving us the opportunity to provide you with an estimate. " |
Opportunities with Corporate Members | |
And Finally II & Essays on Minority Business Development |  The Book is Now Available in Paperback!
Click here to Order Book Today!
Why you should buy? Minority business owners who are looking for practical advice on better managing their enterprises will find a wealth of information in the book. And anyone interested in the best practices in supplier diversity will find the book instructive and inspiring.
***All of the proceeds for the book will be donated to the GNEMSDC. So this is a great way to have your own personal record of this historic time and support the Council. And since all proceeds are going directly to the GNEMSDC your purchase is tax deductible. Our plan is to only sell the book on line. You can read it on all I-Pads, other tables, cell phones and computers. Your purchase supports the work of the Council. Thank you for your support.
View Book Table of Content |
Boston MBDA Business Center News | 
One tool the Boston MBDA Business Center will have at its disposal to assist MBEs in the identification of Federal prime and Tier 2 contract opportunities is a system called Input. This is more than a simple database of Federal contract award information and prospective contracts. The Business Center will be able to go into this system and see which large companies, universities and hospitals have federal contracts. Perhaps even more important is the level of detail we will have into these contracts. We will be able to know which of these large contractors have small business goals, small disadvantaged business goals, HUB Zone goals, and importantly how these firms are doing on these goals. The Center will be in contact with these Federal contractors with the intent of introducing them to MBEs who they can work with meet the requirements of the those contracts. Because of our MBE assessment process, we will be able to present the best businesses these large contractors can work with. This new approach of proactively seeking opportunities where known opportunities exist is exciting and I believe the key to our future success at MBE development. MBEs who want to participate and access this information need to contact the Business Center, Joanne Wang at 617-578-8900 and set up an appointment. We are looking for the best MBEs in every industry. Give us a call. We are also looking for the best corporate members to come forward and try out this new approach to MBE development. Let's start making some big things happen!
US Commerce.Gov, Article - Boston MBDA Business Center Opens to Assist Minority Businesses Boston MBDA GNEMSDC Business Center Grand Opening pictures by Tom Ficklin |
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If you have not noticed, the GNEMSDC has sharpened our focus this year on effective business development. I have to credit the MBDA for some of that concentrated effort. But most of it comes from years of experience in minority business development and a growing sense of urgency. I believe that the success of MBEs is desirable from the perspective of our corporate members and society, not to mention the very direct benefit to the MBEs. And I also believe that our organization has matured to go beyond simply bringing corporate buyers and MBEs together in an effort to build relationships. Relationships are vitally important, and we will continue to make relationship building a key component of our activities and programs. But now we are laser focused on finding out exactly what our corporate members want and what it will take for MBEs to win those opportunities. The discussions we are having and want to have with all of our corporate members is that simple and that direct. This type of "straight talk" is productive for both our MBEs and our corporate members. It cuts through all of the fog and gets to the essence of why we ultimately exist as an organization. I hope to be spending much of my time in coming weeks having these discussions with as many corporate members as possible. Remember, I will be asking: What do you buy? And, what will it take for any business to win that business? I will also ask corporate members to let us, together, look at all opportunities from the C-suite to cargo bay. I believe we have MBEs who are ready, right now, to win more business with all of our corporate members, right now. 
