April 9, 2012

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. 
2012 Annual Gala MC - Jonathan Coachman
jc
We are very pleased to announce Jonathan Coachman is a Sports TV Personality for ESPN and ESPN Radio will be joining us at the Gala this year as our MC.  Jonathan Coachman began his career in 1997 in Wichita, KS at KAKE-TV.  He continued on to Kansas City in 1999 where he worked in the same sports department with NFL legend and Super Bowl MVP Len Dawson.  In the fall of 1999 his career took an abrupt turn as Coachman took a hob as a TV personality in WWE.  He spent the next 9 years traveling the world working for Vince McMahon.  In 2006 he began also doing sports again at CSTV and MSG network in New York City.  In 2008 Jonathan left the road and the WWE for the friendly confines of Bristol, CT and ESPN.  In His almost 4 years with the company Jonathan has done just about every sport but he has found a niche as a main host on the flagship show SportsCenter.  You may have heard Coachman as you are driving around in your car on ESPN Radio.  In 2011 Jonathan joined forces with Freddie Coleman for "The Coach and Coleman Show" on ESPN Radio.  Jonathan is married to Amy and has 2 beautiful kids, Kayana (3) and JJ (1). 
Special Guest - CT Governor Dannel P. Malloy 
malloy We are very pleased to announce that the Honorable Governor Dannel Patrick Malloy will be our Special Guest at the Awards Gala and will offer remarks.  Before becoming Governor of Connecticut in 2010, Governor Malloy was the Mayor of Stamford and during his tenure saw the city grow to become a regional business and economic powerhouse.  

Dannel Patrick Malloy, the youngest of eight children, was born in Stamford, Connecticut on July 21, 1955. Growing up, he struggled to overcome learning and physical disabilities, eventually gaining the skills he needed to go on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from Boston College and continue on to Boston College Law School. In 1982, Governor Malloy married his wife, Cathy, whom he met while at Boston College.  Read full Bio of Governor 
Annual Award Gala - April 26, 2012   
2010 gala
GNEMSDC Annual Awards Gala on April 26 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville 
, CT.
 This event will start at 4:00 pm with our Annual Meeting, followed by a cocktail reception starting at 5:00 pm. Dinner & the award presentations will begin at 6:30 pm.  {Please click below link for Sponsorship, Hotel information, and Directions}
       
Registration Information for Non-Annual Sponsors
In order to register for the GNEMSDC Awards Gala you will need to register with the GNEMSDC site {Please click below link for instruction "how to register online}.  

Annual Sponsors- please do not register online, email the names of your guests to gnemsdc@gnemsdc.org.  


If you have questions about the portal's features or are having problems, please give Tatiana a call, (203) 288-9744.  
2012 Annual Gala President's Award  - Mr. Jack Bryant 
bryantThis year we are very proud and honored to announce that Mr. Jack Bryant is the recipient of the President's Award.  Mr. Bryant is the President of Bryant Engineering Associates, a GNEMSDC certified MBE, from Boston, MA. Mr. Bryant is also a Tuskegee Airman, like the famous World War II unit featured in the block buster film Red Tails produced by George Lucas (Star Wars) this year.  George Lucas will is part of our program this year, making this year's program one of the most memorable in recent years.  We honor Mr. Bryant for his years of service to our country and for his business and entrepreneurial leadership.  I hope you can join us and help us honor this special American and special MBE. 
2012 Annual Gala Honorary Corporate Chair - Jennifer Jackson 
JacksonJennifer Jackson is CHA's President and Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the operation and management of the Association and its affiliated organizations.
 Prior to being named CEO in 2000, Jennifer served as CHA's General Counsel and Vice President of Clinical Services. Before joining CHA in 1988, she held various positions in hospital nursing, nursing administration, and insurance medical management.
 Jennifer holds a bachelor of science in Nursing from the University of Delaware, a master of business administration from the University of New Haven, and a juris
doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
2012 Annual Gala Honorary Corporate Chair  - Carlton L. Highsmith 
hightsmithChairman of the Board, Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology. Carlton has led the expansion into Connecticut of McArthur Genius Award winner Bill Strickland's replication model for adult training and after school student arts programming. Known locally as the Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology (ConnCAT), the Center is located in Science Park at Yale in New Haven and has become Strickland's fifth replication Center in the nation, joining San Francisco, Grand Rapids, Cincinnati and Cleveland.  Vice Chairman, SPG PaperWorks, a portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners. In 2009 orchestrated a successful merger of Specialized Packaging Group with Paperworks to form the 3rd largest integrated paperboard packaging company in North America. Carlton served as Vice Chairman of the merged company until his retirement in April 2010.  Carlton was founder, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Specialized Packaging Group, Inc (SPG) from 1983 until 2009 
 2012 Annual Gala Entertainment - Ray Gonzalez Latin Jazz Quartet
We are very pleased to have the Ray Gonzalez Latin Jazz Quartet as the musical entertainment for the Gala.  This award winning group recently played at Mayor Pedro Segarra's Inaugural Ball where they brought down the house.  I know you will enjoy the music and bring your dancing shoes! 
Ray's bio and Sample Music 
  And the Corporate & MBE Nominees Are.... 
award
We are pleased announce the following Nominees for Corporate and MBE Awards:
  Corporations ,Supplier Diversity Advocates and Procurement Professionals nominated by certified MBEs and the MBEs nominated by our corporate members. 

The purpose of the Annual Awards Gala is to recognize excellence.  We are proud of all of theCorporate and MBEs nominees.  On behalf of the board of directors, I wish each of you the best.  
   MBE News
MT
Minuteman Trucks, Inc. is pleased to announce the New State of the Art Paint Spray Booth groundbreaking which will be held Tuesday, April, 17th at 10 am.

This new facility will cover approximately 3,800 square feet and house an 80ft x 20ft split preparation cabin spray booth, paint mix room, spray gun washer, central vacuum unit, compressors and hazardous material storage containers.   Both the building and equipment are specifically designed to provide a safe and hazard free area for truck body repair.  The new Paint Booth is set to operate by August, 2012.   See invitation
  Opportunities with Corporate Members
Connecticut area corporate member is looking for suppliers in the following areas  Call GNEMSDC office for more information.  (GNEMSDC certified MBEs only) 
  • Air Filters
  • Marketing 
  • Tools
  • Copier repair services 
  • Telemarketing
  • Safety Supplies
  • Quick turn parts for DMT Custom work
  • Janitorial Products & Sub Contractors
  • Electrical and Mechanical Sub Contractors
  • Compensation Plan Design Consultants
  • Skills Assessment & Workforce Planning
  • Organization Development and Organization Effectiveness
  • Digital Design/Motion Graphic
  • Graphic Designers
  • Copywriting 
United Rentals is looking for suppliers in the following area:
Events That MBEs Should Not Miss  
There are several events coming up on our calendar that are designed specifically for MBEs to learn about corporate opportunities.  We know how busy everyone's schedule is, but these are events often hosted by our corporate members with the expressed purpose of finding out more about you and your business with the ultimate aim, to make you a valuable supplier to their companies.  Here are some events you should consider:
  • 2012 Upcoming Events
  • April 26 - GNEMSDC Annual Awards Gala- Aqua Turf Country Club, 556 Mulberry Street, Plantsville, CT.  
  • May 15 - The Pitney Bowes Supplier Diversity Summit is a business networking event that increases awareness, builds business relationships, and educates stakeholders on the benefits and value of supplier diversity.  The Summit also provides the opportunity for diverse business owners to share capabilities with decision makers. May 15, 8 am to 3 pm  
  • June 7 -  2012 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day Conference & Expo! at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
  • June 11 - GNEMSDC  Massachusetts Supplier  Diversity Golf Classic
  • July 13 - GNEMSDC  Connecticut Supplier  Diversity Golf Classic
 Pitney Bowes 2nd Annual Supplier Diversity Summit 2012
Pitney
The Supplier Diversity Summit is a business networking event that enhances awareness, builds business relationships, and educates internal and external stakeholders on the benefits and value of supplier diversity.  The Summit offers the opportunity to bring together diverse businesses with the appropriate end-user that are responsible for sourcing/purchasing the goods and services offered by the diverse supplier community.

Date:
Tuesday May 15, 2012
Time:
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location:
Pitney Bowes World Headquarters
1 Elmcroft Road, Stamford, CT

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Business networking opportunities
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Business to business matchmaking
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Informative educational workshops
2012 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day Conference & Expo 
MBDA logo
Save the Date for the 2012 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day Conference & Expo!  June 7, 2012 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
            
MED Day is the premier event for minority enterprises and the public and private sectors. MED Day will offer the opportunity for MBEs to access information, tools and resources to grow their businesses both domestically and internationally. MBEs across a variety of industries will gather to connect with public and private sector buyers, explore avenues for business expansion, and develop thriving partnerships with firms across multiple industry sectors. Large corporations can expect to meet Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and MBEs to achieve their federal government goals.

This conference will also introduce the new U.S. Department of Commerce's Boston Minority Business Development Center, a powerful tool for MBEs who want to grow. Attendees can expect networking, business-to-business matchmaking sessions with corporate procurement officials and capital providers and workshops.
GNEMSDC  Massachusetts Supplier  Diversity Golf Classic
golfThe GNEMSDC Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Golf Outing is coming to Ferncroft Country Club on Monday, June 11.   This is the first golf outing in MA since the 2009 merger.  Our CT golf outing has been a tremendous success over the past few years, so much so, that there was no room to accommodate more players.  We are hoping that the reintroduction of the Golf Supplier Diversity Day to the Greater Boston Market will also be a tremendous success. Annual Sponsors have the choice of participating in either the Massachusetts outing or the Connecticut outing July 13 or both.
We are asking for sponsors to provide us with the names of their guests by May 15Due to the limited space, we will not be able to hold your slots if you do not send your names to the office by June 1.  One of the main attractions of this event is getting MBEs and Corporate members together.

If you are interested in a fun morning of golf, networking, food, drinks and relationship building and are not registered, we can put your name on a waiting list. 

 If you would like to donate any items for our very popular raffle, please contact the office (888-874-7114).  
                                                   
2012 MA Supplier Golf Outing Co-Chairs: Bill Boodry of Liberty Mutual and Michael White of ACP Cleaning.

***Volunteer opportunity available -  Contact Volunteer Coordinator (before May 30)*** 
NMSDC/GNEMSDC Information  
Please take a close look at the information listed below.  The links will take you to detailed information.   
And Finally...
Fred in ohio
One of the common themes I experience in speaking with MBEs is that things do not happen as quickly as they would like or expect.  Phone calls and emails are not returned promptly when sent to corporate buyers or supplier diversity professionals.  Is it just the impatience inherent in running a business?  Or, is it that MBEs and our corporate stakeholders operate on different dimensions of time?  I do not know the answers to these questions, but I was struck by my encounter this week with the wild birds who are at least seasonal residents of my home and its environs.  As I was gazing out the kitchen window, I noticed a couple of blue jays, a robin. a pileated woodpeckert, and three beautiful cardinals, a virtual ornithological United Nations.  I suspect that I was the subject of this meeting of colorful winged ambassadors.  Specifically, they were wondering was I aware of the time and season.  You see I bring in the bird feeders in the winter to protect them, but in the opinion of my friends, it was long overdue to put the feeders back out.  What choice did I really have,  but to comply with this request under the threat of 4:00 AM wake-up chirps until the feeder was placed in its proper location and filled with the sunflower seeds? So comply I did, late and not on their timetable, but done.  Eventually, is sometimes too long, but more often than not, eventually becomes history. So stay vigilant and persistent, but patience is a virtue, it will happen.  And with a little patience life is so much sweeter.
In your service,
Dr. Fred
Dr Fred QR