May 7, 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 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day 
Conference and Expo 
MBDA logo
 2012 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day Conference & Expo!  
June 7, 2012 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
            
Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 7.  The GNEMSDC along with the Boston MBDA Center and several strategic parters are organizing MED Day Boston 2012 at the Boston Convention And Exposition 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.  This year the event is free and open to the public.  Corporations who would like a booth and MBEs who would like a booth will have to pay a nominal charge, but our pricing is designed to get maximum attendance at the beautiful BCEC.  There will also be a free lunch and light breakfast served. You will be receiving an electronic invitation to the event this week. Please sign up, space is limited for those interested in having a booth and for the free luncheon program.  

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.
 
More information contact Sarah James at 617-578-8900 or sjames@gnemsdc.org
GNEMSDC  Massachusetts Supplier  Diversity Golf Classic - Almost Sold Out!
golf
The GNEMSDC Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Golf Outing is coming to
Ferncroft Country Club on Monday, June 11.  As of this past Friday, we have only about 20 golf slots left.  This is will be a sold out affair. Please reserve your slots today.  We are very pleased to announce one of our celebrity MBEs will be in attendance and playing at the Boston event:  Hall of Fame great, Gayle Sayers of Sayers40 will be  joining us this year.  

Annual Sponsors have the choice of participating in either the Ferncroft Country Club MA outing or the Lyman Orchards Golf Club, CT 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.  

Another great way to support the Golf outing is to donate something we can raffle off at the luncheon on June 11.  If you would like to donate any items for our very popular raffle, please contact the office (888-874-7114).  These will be greatly appreciated and all the proceeds go to great cause, our MBE Scholarship program.  This year thanks to your support, we were able to pay for 8 full scholarships to Tuck and Kellogg.  Our goal is to make it possible for every certified MBE with 3 or more years of consecutive certification to get executive education.  
                                             
***Volunteer Opportunity  for June 11, MA is Closed***
***Volunteer  Opportunity  available for July 13, CT  - Contact Coordinator*** 
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:
 Grand Opening of The Met School's
Center for Innovation & Entrepreurship
met Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship -Thursday, May 10, 2012 8:00 AM to 10:45 PM
 
On Thursday, May 10, 2012, The Met School will celebrate Young Entrepreneurs Day by inaugurating its 3,600 square foot building dedicated to the study of entrepreneurship - a site that is the only stand-alone entrepreneurship center for high school students in the country. The event begins at 8:30 AM and will consist of an introduction to the entrepreneurship program at the Met, a keynote speech by entrepreneur Scott Case, a ribbon cutting, and tours of the facility.  We invite you to join us and assist in making this event a huge success for the Rhode Island community.

The GNEMSDC is supporting this event not only because we support youth entrepreneurship.  We are also supporting this event, because event co-sponsor CVS is using this as an opportunity to bring their buyers to meet with GNEMSDC entrepreneurs from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon.  If you are interested in meeting with CVS buyers in IT, marketing and advertising and several other categories, you should attend. 

Program
8:00 - 8:30 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 9:30 am Speaking Program
9:30 - 9:45 am   Ribbon Cutting
9:45 - 10:30 am Tours of Center
10:30 - 12:00 pm CVS Caremark/GNEMSDC Business Building Event
To sign up for this event, please email events@metmail.org or visit our website at www.metcenter.org
  GNEMSDC & the Boston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 
Business Card Exchange
Join us for the GNEMSDC and the Boston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange at the GNEMSDC Boston Office at Copley, Thursday, May 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  
It is FREE! 
This is a great opportunity for GNEMSDC MBEs and corporate members to meet members of the Boston  Hispanic Chamber.  

GNEMSDC Office, 138 Dartmouth St., Copley Place, Dartmouth Shops, Boston, MA 02116
More information and registration contact: Sarah James - sjames@gnemsdc.org
  s SBA Mentor Protege Forum in Boston Thursday May 10
sba
SBA will be hosting its Mentor Protege Forum in Boston on Thursday, May 10 at the Boston Sheraton Hotel from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  The purpose of the Forum is to assist 8a firms in their efforts to learn more about the SBA's Mentor-Protege Program, joint ventures, and meeting potential mentors and proteges.  
 
To register visit, https://sba.mybusinessmatches.com 
Choose the Mentor-Protege Boston MA
Click on the Register as a Mentor or Register as a Protege button
Enter email and create a password
Complete the registration form
Accept the Terms and Conditions
Press Register.
GNEMSDC 2nd Quarterly Meeting - Tuesday May 29
LM
GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting-
Tuesday, May 29, 2012 -Liberty Mutual will host the Quarterly meeting at their location at Weston, MA  from 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm. More information to follow.  These meetings have  been averaging about 125 corporate members and MBEs.  This is our first 2012 Quarterly Meeting in Greater Boston.  We strongly encourage our corporate members to sign up for this informative meeting where several MBEs will have the opportunity to present their businesses to the network.  These presentations have led to multiple business relationships in recent years.  We thank our host Liberty Mutual for allowing us to use their facility in Weston, MA. 
RSVP for this event by emailing sjames@gnemsdc.org
  Employment Opportunities  
It is very important in business to be able to balance between staying close to your core competencies and meeting the needs and demands of your customers.  For many years I have resisted the offer to take employment ads, however at the risk of opening the flood gates, I will begin accepting offers for employment at MBEs and corporate members.  Even though the economy continues to improve unemployment is too high.  If we can play any positive role in connecting people to jobs, we will do so.   We reserve the right to publish.
Supplier Diversity Manager's Corner - NEW
In our on going efforts to share information with our MBEs and corporate members, we will be reserving this spot in the newsletter for supplier diversity managers to share information about themselves, their company, their supplier diversity program and other relevant information.  We are asking that supplier diversity managers, or those responsible for supplier diversity write no more than one page and submit a jpg photo.  This is an excellent opportunity for our corporate supplier diversity partners to communicate directly to large numbers of MBEs and other corporate members.  Please take advantage of this offer. 
Dr. Fred's Corner
Please take a close look at the information listed below.  The links will take you to detailed information.   
And Finally...
Fred in ohio
One day will come for all of us when we will no longer be doing what we are currently doing.  For some that next day will be blissful retirement.  For others, it will be the start of a new career or a job with a new company.  That one day is also going to come for me in the not too distant future.  As I think about that day, I think about the legacy of my time with GNEMSDC and what I leave behind.  I wonder if, and hope that I was a good steward, and that I left behind an organization in better shape than when I came on board.    It is not with a sense of gloom that I ponder these thoughts. Quite the contrary, I smile as I look back and think about all of the people we have interacted with and helped over the years.  I am reminded of the days of my youth when the old guys, some retired, some just unemployed used to hang out in the park and tell tall tales about their exploits as young men.  I already have plenty of tales to tell, some of them are unbelievable even without the poetic license of natural embellishments of which I can be so fond of at times.  After all it takes many years of experience in the art of embellishment or some would call the art of BS.  But not matter when you leave, the work is never done.  There will be great things my successor will be able to accomplish that I may not even imagine today. But do not start marking your calendars, rumors of my departure are slightly exaggerated. But it is a healthy exercise for entrepreneurs to imagine a day when they walk away from the day to day management of their businesses.  What will happen to that business?  Will it survive?  Will it continue to support you and reward you for the years of sweat, blood, treasure and tears you invested in the business?  We should all be spending some time thinking about that day.   But now I am focused on now and how to make now better now.
In your service,
Dr. Fred
Dr Fred QR