December 5, 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 Quarterly Meeting & Business Card Exchange

GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting & Holiday Business Card Exchange will be hosted by Citizens Financial Group Inc. Wednesday, December 7, 2011, Quarterly Meeting: - 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Holiday Business Card Exchange: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Citizens Financial Group, Inc. 1 Citizens Plaza (13th Floor) Providence, RI 02093

Please note - There will be a charge for parking. You can park at the Citizens parking garage, if that garage is full you can park at the Providence Place Mall. Once you are in the building security will check you in and you will be escorted to the elevator, security will have to punch in access for you to enter elevator. You will need to take the elevator to the 12th floor. DO NOT GET OFF THE ELEVATOR UNTIL YOU REACH 12TH FLOOR. Once on the 12th floor, get off the elevator, walk towards spiral stair case and go up to the 13th Floor.


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

Thank you Kristen Hickey of Aetna and all of the folks at Aetna for hosting a fantastic Business Card Exchange last Thursday night in Hartford.

Save The Dates - Upcoming Events 2012

2012We 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.


Events and Activities:

  • December 14, 5:45 - 2011 We Are Boston Gala at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street, Boston

Information and Presentations:

MBE News - Congratulations to Banneker Industries, Inc

bannekerOn behalf of GNEMSDC Board of Directors, Congratulations to Banneker Industries, Inc.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse made a visit to Quonset Point this month to a site managed and renovated by R.I.-based and woman-owned Banneker Industries, Inc., a leader in supply chain management solutions and a past national recipient of Small Business of the Year honors. Banneker President and CEO Cheryl Snead led the tour of the Quonset site, one of Banneker's many managed sites throughout the U.S., and a former Naval facility that has been retrofitted with extensive infrastructure enhancements to suit the needs of their clients. One of their long standing success stories is with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), with whom they have a collaborative partnership in managing the supply chain of the Zumwalt Destroyer Program.
MBE Showcase from Trade Expo 2011 - The Computer Company, Inc

computer companyThis week we feature The Computer Company, Inc.


1000% Growth Since 1996

In 1996 The Computer Company began as an IT solutions provider. We focused exclusively on Web based technologies and computer networking design. By 2003, TCC had experienced dramatic growth in products, services, and clients. The Hartford Business Journal named us the 8th largest computer networking company in the densely populated Greater Hartford, CT region. The Computer Company President Eileen Hasson won recognition as one of the state's leading business people.


25+ IT Professionals in Three Locations

Today, the Computer Company service and technical teams consists of over 30 business technology professionals: web/graphic designers, programmers, and technicians. The Computer Company works with clients in nearly every major category: Health Care, Medical, Insurance, Financial services, hospitality, government, nonprofit, professional services, legal, marketing, media and manufacturing.

View Presentation
Opportunities with Corporate Members
And Finally II & Essays on Minority Business Development

eBook coverThe 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
The Housing Authority of The City of Bridgeport Invitation to Bid

BP

RUBBISH REMOVAL SERVICES

Solicitation No: 061-CM-11-S

Solicitation Date: November 28, 2011

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 Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m., at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time. More details...


SECTION 504 REHABILITATION OF UNIT AT FIRESIDE APARTMENTS

Solicitation Number: 060-PD-11-S

Solicitation Date: November 28, 2011

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport, under the provisions of 24 C.F.R. 963.10 and 24 C.F.R. 963.12, is requesting sealed bids by qualified public housing resident-owned businesses only for the Section 504 rehabilitation of one apartment at Fireside Apartments. All bids must be received by 10:00 a.m., Thursday, December 15, 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. More details...


CHARLES F. GREENE LIGHTING IMPROVEMENTS

Solicitation No: 062-PD-11-S

Solicitation Date: December 1, 2011

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting sealed bids to replace existing light fixtures with new vandal resistant fixtures at Charles F. Greene Homes. All bids must be received by Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 3 p.m., at 301 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.More details...

Boston MBDA Business Center News

MBDA

Last week I wrote about Certification 2.0 and how our corporate members are looking for more information from the Council than just the ethnic and racial status of the owners of the MBE firm. The Council in combination with the assessment and compilation of more detailed business performance information is also looking to assist MBEs and corporate members by creating a MBE Vendor Management System. The purposes of the MBE VMS is to allow corporate members to visit one site where they can find and contract with MBEs who have gone through the Certification 2.0 assessment process. As discussed last week in this column, we know that corporate buyers are looking for cost effective ways to include MBEs in their supply chains.


We also know that corporate members are moving towards fewer suppliers and not more suppliers. The MBE VMS is in alignment with both of these inexorable changes in corporate buying practices. The MBE VMS will allow corporate members to contract with fully vetted MBEs while setting up one account. MBEs benefit from this model by having greater access to corporate buyers who now will know where to go to find fully vetted MBEs. We are not asking MBEs to stop marketing to corporate members, nor will the MBE VMS pick winners once they enter the VMS. In the terminology of VMS, the MBE VMS will be "Vendor Neutral".


The goal is to launch the MBE VMS in the first Quarter 2012. All, and I repeat ALL certified MBEs are eligible to participate in the MBE VMS. And all MBEs that want to participate in the VMS will be required to go through the Certification 2.0 assessment. The MBE VMS will also allow easier collaboration between and among MBEs.

In coming weeks we will share more details about the Certification 2.0 assessment and the MBE VMS.


US Commerce.Gov, Article - Boston MBDA Business Center Opens to Assist Minority Businesses

Boston MBDA GNEMSDC Business Center Grand Opening pictures by Tom Ficklin

And Finally...

Fred in ohio

Would you buy your business right now if it were for sale? If the answer to that question is yes, how much would you be willing to pay? If the answer is no, why not? These are important questions every entrepreneur/business owner must ask. As we approach the end of the year, now is a good time for MBE owners to ask this very serious question. The answer to this question should dictate your strategic decisions moving forward. If you are happy with your business from the point of view of the cash flow it is generating and the psychic income it provides, then that is a very positive statement about your future prospects. If the answer is no, it tells you that changes need to be made. In either case, business owners should take this time to re-evaluate their strategies, their opportunities, their constraints and the areas where they need help. This analysis needs to go beyond the obvious need to have more customers. The real issue if sales and profits are not where they need to be is why isn't the customer base growing? Why isn't the profit margin increasing, even in the face of declining prices? Where is your business in it's growth plan? Do you even have a growth plan? How is your growth being financed? If your growth relies exclusively on internal funds, your growth will be constrained. Make no mistake, every company, whether minority or non-minority, whether small or a Fortune 100 company does, or should do this type of analysis. Being a successful entrepreneur is a skill and an art. I know we have MBE entrepreneurs who have the ability and the passion to make it happen.


In your service,

Dr. Fred