June 4, 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. 
Over 500 Scheduled to Attend 2012 MED Day 
Conference and Expo, June 7
Governor Patrick
The Honorable Deval Patrick will attend and speak at the 2012 New England Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Day Conference on 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 partners are organizing New England MED Day 2012 at the Boston Convention and 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.  This year the event is FREE and open to the public.  We have a limited number of tables available to large buying organization that would like to meet with some of the largest and finest Minority Business Enterprises in New England. 

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. This free event includes continental breakfast and luncheon. . .
Space is limited, so please REGISTER by Friday, June 1.

This year we are going to present the Schwartz Award for Minority Business Development to Mr. Heyward Davenport, the New England Regional Director for the Minority Business Development Agency.  Mr. Davenport has spent over 30 years in the "struggle" for minority business inclusion and development.  Congratulations Mr. Davenport. 

Dr. Fred will be address the group in the morning on the topic:  "What Does Success Look Like?" 

Large corporations can expect to meet Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) and MBEs to achieve their federal government goals. Buying organizations interested in participating in the afternoon match-making session should contact Sarah James at 617-578-8900 or sjames@gnemsdc.org   
Golf Alert!  GNEMSDC CT Supplier Golf Classic - July 13   
golf
The GNEMSDC Supplier Diversity Golf Classic is coming to Lyman Orchards Golf Club on Friday, July 13.    We are asking for sponsors to provide us with the names of their guests by June 15. Due 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 15.  One of the main attractions of this event is getting MBEs and Corporate members together.

If you are interested in a fun afternoon 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).   We are also looking for volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to meet hundreds of guests.
                                         
***Volunteer  Opportunity  available for July 13, CT  - Contact Volunteer Coordinator*** 
 Business Card Exchange 
at Medtronic, Inc. Cardiovascular, June 12   
MI
Business Card Exchange hosted by Medtronic, Inc. Cardiovascular, June 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. 
 
Please join us to meet with Medtronic procurement team from MA and to meet other Corporate Members/MBEs to do a card swap and network.  This event is part of the GNEMSDC efforts to bring MBEs and Corporate members together in a relaxing atmosphere to network and have fun.   
 Register Now!
 More information and registration contact: Julia Thomazoni at gnemsdcintern@gnemsdc.org
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.  In order to help you organize your own calendars and keep things straight, we have begin sending out invitations using Constant Contact.  This way we can include directions, agendas, share with you who else is attending and allow you to register.  If it seems like we are busy, it is because we are.  As I like to tell people, business is a contact sport.  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:
MBE Education Survey:
MBEIC
In the interest of gathering information on what types of educational events would be useful to our council's MBE population, the MBEIC Education sub-committee requests that you complete the survey. Take Survey
 
It's very short--should only take 3-5 minutes, and it will provide the MBEIC Education sub-committee with much needed info on the topics most important to you.  As many of you saw in our presentation at the last Quarterly meeting, we have an opportunity to identify which topics matter most to our MBEs so that we can develop programs that meet their needs effectively.
NMSDC Success Story -  Alcatel-Lucent and Telcobuy.com
ALTB
Telcobuy, owned by David Steward, became engaged with Alcatel-Lucent  (ALU) inearly 2000 when the company had the opportunity to be one of the participants in ALU's out-sourcing of its Litespan Access Wireline cabinet build operation. From there, Telcobuy had the opportunity to work with ALU as a value-added reseller (VAR) of related products to their customer, SBC Communications (now AT&T).

Read more...
Ahold USA Local Vendor Fair - July 19
aholdThe Ahold USA Company would like to offer diverse and locally owned businesses the opportunity to personally present their products to our buyers for consideration for placement on our grocery store shelves.  The event is scheduled to take place onJuly 19, 2012 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Venue in Harrisburg, PA.  Each vendor attending will have the opportunity to meet with the buyer responsible for their category of product.

Please register your company -  Invitation & Registration, more details can be found at the registration website.  Registration closes on June 30, 2012.  However, we are expecting a record number of participants for this event, so we suggest registering early.  We anticipate having to close registration early.  There is no charge to attend this event!
   
Any questions contact Cindy Dang or Larry Vereen via email at: tien.dang@ahold.com or larry.vereen@ahold.com
  MBE News - Carlton Highsmith
hightsmith

The vice chairman of Quinnipiac's Board of Trustees, Carlton Highsmith, donated $1 million to accelerate the School of Business' innovations in entrepreneurship.
The University announced that it has established the Carlton Highsmith Chair in Entrepreneurship. Quinnipiac will match Highsmith's gift, creating a $2 million fund in perpetuity.

"The Carlton Highsmith Chair in Entrepreneurship will provide the School of Business with sustainable leadership and ensure the long-term success of our entrepreneurship program," said Matthew O'Connor, dean of the School of Business. "This is a remarkable gift for the School of Business that instantly raises our program to a new level." 
Highsmith is the retired vice chairman of PaperWorks Industries of Philadelphia. Highsmith was the founder, president and chief executive officer of the Specialized Packaging Group, Inc., which merged into PaperWorks in 2009, according to Forbes. PaperWorks is the third largest integrated recycled paperboard company in North America.

Quinnipiac also announced that it will partner with the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT), to establish the ConnCAT Entrepreneurial Academy, where inner city youth will learn how to launch their own businesses.

"Helping to spread the word about free enterprise to young, aspiring students at ConnCAT will help an entire generation of inner-city youth gain an appreciation for entrepreneurship," Highsmith said. "Students will learn what it takes to build a business - from that first great idea to the birth of a successful company- from business leaders in the Greater New Haven area and Quinnipiac faculty. Quinnipiac students will serve as mentors, sharing their knowledge of finance, management, marketing and advertising while also serving as role models that are essential to youth at ConnCAT."   
  MBE News - East West Bank Relocation
EW
 East West Bank to announce that the New England Regional Administration Office and Commercial Lending Group of East West Bank will be relocated to a new office effective June 18, 2012.  

The retail banking centers will remain in the current locations of Boston, Allston and Quincy.
Our new address, telephone and facsimile numbers are as follow.

East West Bank - 2223 Washington Street, Suite 306, Newton, MA 02462
Telephone: 617- 841 2370 Facsimile:  617- 244 4584
  MBE News - Banneker Industries Awarded
banneker
Banneker Industries Awarded Raytheon IDS Highest Supplier Recognition

North Smithfield, R.I., May 2012 - Banneker Industries was once again recognized for their outstanding performance in 2011 by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) at the 2012 Operational Excellence and Mission Assurance Supplier Conference held at the Wyndham Hotel in Andover, Mass. on May 15, 2012. Since 2008, Raytheon has annually recognized its suppliers based on three important factors: on-time delivery, quality assurance and sustainable continuous improvement processes. Out of over 4,000 Raytheon IDS suppliers, Banneker was one of 15 suppliers selected to receive the 5-Star Supplier Excellence Award. This honor was awarded to Banneker because of their ability to maintain 100% on-time delivery, 100% quality assurance and sustainable continuous improvement processes including Banneker's Six Sigma Program over the course of twelve consecutive months. The award marked Banneker's fourth Supplier Excellence Award, earning a 3-Star and two consecutive 4-Star awards in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

"This award is confirmation of the strong partnership that Banneker and Raytheon have established over our 20 year history together. We are incredibly honored to be named one of Raytheon's top suppliers and we attest this achievement to our incredible Team nationwide that has been able to consistently deliver and add value to our Customers every day," said Banneker's President & CEO, Cheryl Snead. "Despite this award, we will not rest on our laurels but rather continue to drive improvements in our business to deliver world class services and products to our Customers, both domestically and internationally."

Banneker has active contracts supporting five of Raytheon's six business units including Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), Space & Airborne Systems (SAS), Network Centric Systems (NCS), Intelligence & Information Systems (IIS) and Raytheon Technical Services Company (RTSC).
  Opportunities 
  Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport (HACB)
BP Solicitation No:  015-S8-12-S Solicitation Date: June 4, 2012

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport (HACB) requests proposals from landlords, property owners and developers for the commitment of Section 8 project-based vouchers (PBV) for greater Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Greater Bridgeport includes the City of Bridgeport and the Towns of Stratford, Trumbull and Fairfield.  Existing" units must substantially comply with HUD housing quality standards (HQS) at the time of selection.  Proposals will be received on a rolling basis until June 4, 2013.

A Pre-Submission Conference is scheduled for Thursday, June 7th, 2012 at 3 p.m., in the Executive Conference Room, 150 Highland Ave., Bridgeport, CT.
A complete copy of RFP and application forms will be available on Monday, June 4, 2012 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Ave, Bridgeport, CT, attn: Ms. Caroline Sanchez (203) 337-8820.
 Dr. Fred's Corner
Fred on Stan Simpson Show
Dr Fred on the
Stan Simpson Show
Please take a close look at the information listed below.  The links will take you to detailed information.


On June 13, I will be the keynote speaker at the 14th Annual Communities that Care Dinner in Hartford, CT.  This event is also open to the public.  For more information 
And Finally...
Fred in ohio
This Thursday morning at the GNEMSDC/MBDA MED Day Conference at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center I will be speaking on the topic of "What Does Business Success Look Like?".  When given the opportunity to speak and the ability to choose the topic of my talk, I gravitate towards questions that I am unclear about the answers.  This gives me the opportunity to ponder the question more fully.  My comments on Thursday are within this same vein. Economists when looking at the issue of economic development of a country often look for common themes that mark the progression of whole societies.  Some of the factors include the quality of workforce, the stability of political an social institutions, the openness of markets, and the entrepreneurship of the business class.  In our world of minority business development, I take a similar approach where I look for common characteristics of successful companies.  The very popular book Good to Great also uses this approach, but for very large enterprises.  In my research and my observations, I have found that the things that make large companies great are often the same types of things that make their smaller cousins great as well.  You will have to attend to hear my remarks.  I look forward to this event and the great response we have received from the regional business community, our MBEs and our corporate members.  We expected about 250 attendees at this first time event for the GNEMSDC, but we will have over 500.  This is an example of success from which I draw some lessons for my remarks.  I will see you Thursday.  Come prepared for success.
In your service,
Dr. Fred
Dr Fred QR