December 03, 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.   GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting & Holiday Business Card Exchange GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting followed by the Holiday Business Card Exchange onThursday, December 13, 2012 hosted by Banneker Industries   582 Great Road, North Smithfield, RI.   The final Quarterly Meeting of the year is hosted by a certified MBE.   On behalf of the GNEMSDC board of directors we thank our friends at Banneker Industries for inviting us to their headquarters.  RSVP by emailing sjames@gnemsdc.org 2012 Economic MBE Performance Survey   - Preliminary Results The GNEMSDC is one of the few organizations that regularly takes the pulse of minority business owners in the country. The preliminary results for the fourth annual MBE Performance Survey are now in.  Each survey is interesting in and of itself, but now with some past data points, it is even more informative to see how perceptions and performance have changed over time.  Here are some of the preliminary results from this year's survey.      Of the respondents, 84 percent are certified with the NMSDC. 40 percent of respondents identified as Black American, 21 percent as Asian Indian, 17.3 percent as other Other, 9.6 percent as Hispanic American, 7.8 percent as Korean, Chinese or Japanese and 2.3 percent as Native American. 53..8 percent reported annual sales under $1 million, 25 percent had sales between $1 million and less than $10 million, 13.4 percent had sales over $10 million and less than $50 million and 5.7 percent had sales over $50 million.  38.4 percent reported they expected sales in 2012 to decline compared to 61.5 percent expecting sales to increase in 2012.  Interestingly, this was decidedly more pessimistic than last year, when only 10 percent of respondents expected sales in 2011 to decline. The six largest industry clusters for MBEs were, Distribution (15.3%), Construction (11.5%), Management Consulting (9.6%), Marketing, Advertising and Publishing (9.6%), Information Technology (7.6%), and Human Resource, Temporary Labor and Contingent Labor (7.6%). One half respondents reported that they did not have a single NMSDC corporate customer.  This was slightly higher than the 49 percent reported last year.   36.5 percent reported having between 1 and 5 NMSDC corporate member customers. 32.6 percent reported that it takes between one year and three years to secure a contract with a NMSDC corporate member.  This is higher than the expected time to secure a contract reported last year at 26.3 percent.  But this year only 4.6 percent reported it taking longer than 3 years compared to 22.8 percent last year reporting it takes longer than three years to secure a contract with a NMSDC corporate member. 63.4 percent of MBEs reported not having any MBE clients.  This is up from 45.6 percent last year reporting having no MBE customers.   26.8 percent of MBEs reported that they increased the number of full-time employees since 2011.  This is compared to 35 percent reporting increasing their FTE employee count in 2011 over 2010.   21 percent of MBEs have companies where they are the only employee.  38  percent report having between 1 and 5 employees.  15.3 percent report having between 26 and 100 employees. 11.5 percent of MBEs reported applying for a loan and being declined by a financial institution in 2012.  This was up from 7.5 percent in 2011.  19.2 percent reported applying for a loan from a commercial lender and being successful in 2012. This compared to 17.5 percent in 2011.   23 percent of MBEs reported they considered closing their business down in 2012.   This number was significantly higher than last year when only 7 percent of MBEs considered closing their business.   44.2 percent of MBEs either would consider or have considered merging their businesses with another business.  Last year, 43.8 percent said they considered merging their business. On a 7 point scale, where 1 represented Extremely Pessimistic and 7 represented Extremely Optimistic, MBEs averaged a score of 5.0.  This compares to a slightly more optimistic view last year of 5.4.   25 percent of MBEs reported having made major organizational changes in their businesses this year compared to 21 percent last year. 55.6 percent of MBEs reported that they were capable of handling a contract of at least $500,000, with 40.3 percent reporting they could handle a contract over $1 million.  Last year, 64.8 percent reported the capability of performing a contract larger than $500,000 with over 56.1 percent saying they could handle a contract larger than $1 million. These are the preliminary results. I will publish the full report in next week's newsletter.  Therefore, if you have not completed the survey and want your feelings included, please click on the link below to complete the survey.  It is completely confidential and should take no longer than 10 minutes.     Take this survey Upcoming Events 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: December 4 - 9:30 - 12:00 noon  - GNEMSDC MBE Input Committee (MBEIC) Meeting POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE December 5-6 MBDA MED Week in Washington D.C. We strongly encourage corporate members and MBEs to attend this event at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.  There will be many government procurement agencies represented as well as some of the largest federal government prime contractors in attendance.  The event this year will focus on Access to Capital, Access to Contracts, Advanced Manufacturing and Global Business.    December 13 - GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting at Banneker Industries  582 Great Road, North Smithfield, RI.  The final Quarterly Meeting of the year is hosted by a certified MBE.  On behalf of the GNEMSDC board of directors we thank our friends at Banneker Industries for inviting us to their headquarters.  December 13 - GNEMSDC RI Holiday Card Exchange at Banneker Industries immediately following the Quarterly Meeting December 20 -  GNEMSDC MA Holiday Card Exchange at Copley Place Mall Sky Lobby 6:00 PM to 8:00 April 25, 2013 - Annual Awards Gala - Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center, MA June 10, 2013- MA Golf Outing- Ferncroft Golf Club, Middleton MA July 12, 2013- CT Golf Outing- Lyman Orchards Golf Club, Middlefield CT Opportunities Scientific Games-Database Analyst -  Job details Massport request for proposals for proffessional consulting service for the ACDBE program at the Massport Authority and more info If you need Capital or Debt, the Business Consortium Fund (BCF) has recently announced an aggressive campaign to help certified MBEs with their capital needs.  Please visit them atwww.bcfcapital.com.  Tell them where you heard it.  This is a service explicitly for certified MBEs in the NMSDC network.  Please take advantage of this opportunity

FYI MGCC Tools to Grow Pilot Program for Focused Management Assistance and Flexible, Customized Financing  The short article can address how the Council has assisted the development of your company or how your company has contributed to increasing employment in the area. Article on Norm Rodriques Springfield Springs  SBA Press Release - Disaster Assistance  Information on How to Start Your SBA Disaster Application online  Diversity Plus Article - The Economic History of Income Inequality

Opportunity at Bridgeport Housing Authority The Housing Authority  the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid  Marina Village Unit Repair - Buildings 28 & 29 Solicitation Number: 042-PD-12-S Solicitation Date: November 27, 2012 The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport is requesting sealed bids for needed repairs to sixteen (16) apartments at Marina Village, buildings 28 & 29, due to storm damage from Hurricane Sandy. All bids must be received by 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2012 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. A Pre-Bid/Site Walkthrough is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Marina Village, Building #28, 66-80 Ridge Ave and Building #29, 50-64 Ridge Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. Although not mandatory, all bidders are encouraged to attend. A meeting will be held at 301 Bostwick Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06605 after the site-walkthrough to address any questions bidders may have concerning this procurement. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available after 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at the Purchasing Department, 301 Bostwick Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06605 or by calling 203-337-8820 or 8826. Attn: Ms. Caroline Sanchez.

And Finally...  In the quiet pre-dawn freezing morning as I walked my 9 week old Springer Spaniel (Princess Aurora -Rory for short) it dawned on me that caring for the newest member of my family requires the same care as it does to develop a healthy relationship with a new corporate customer.  Perhaps it is my sleep deprived state of consciousness that leads to such spurious speculation, but I think there is something to this, even as I apologize to all of the puppies in the world for comparing them to a new corporate client.  New corporate clients like puppies require/demand constant attention. It is in their genetic makeup that the world centers around them and their comfort.  The inner wolf in the puppy drives her to hunt, or in these early stages of development, practice hunting because the day might come that survival depends on this fundamental ability.  For MBEs working with new corporate clients, they should realize that these organizations are by their very nature aggressive predators who must compete in a dangerous competitive world where survival is not guaranteed.  Nobel playwright, Maurice Maeterlinck said "We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us."  That alliance is symbiotic.  MBEs who can assist corporations in their hunting success will more likely be with those corporate clients for the long run.  MBEs who learn to successfully hunt and can build their own network of suppliers can one day become the size of that large company they now serve.  I have convinced myself that this early morning imprinting with Rory will be in the words of Rick in Casablanca, "the beginning of beautiful friendship."  I hope our MBEs can experience the same with our corporate members. But it will take patience and care.