April 15, 2013

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.  New GNEMSDC video  Please enjoy our brand new video promoting GNEMSDC.  The video was produced and directed by Karl Nurse with assistance from LightSpeed.  Feel free to comment and share.  Please Support Your Council by Attending the 2013 GNEMSDC Annual Gala:  Invitations available!   Our Annual Award Gala is on April 25 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center  You will be receiving your invitation to the Annual Awards Gala this week.  You can also view this digital version of the invitation and continue to register online.  Please follow these instructions to register online. Thank you to Our 2013 Annual Sponsors! Official Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc. State Street Corporation Cartus The Boston Foundation Liberty Mutual Insurance The MATLET Group Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation/Foxwoods Resort Casino United Technologies Corporation & Divisions Partners Healthcare Platinum ACP Facility Services Raytheon Company Aetna, Inc. Gold Amica Insurance Iron Mountain  Bank of America Corporation Jantris marketing Services Bauza & Associates Light Speed BNY Mellon Minuteman Trucks, Inc. Comcast - Northeast Division Nadicent Technologies commVerge Marketing Pfizer, Inc. Connecticut Lottery Corporation Pitney Bowes Inc. Deluxe Delivery Systems RBS Citizens Financial Group Diggs Construction SAI Systems International Inc. Electro-Wire Inc. Staples, Inc. Fortune Metal Inc. of RI The Hartford GBG, The Corporate Gift Source The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) General Dynamics - ATP, BIW, C-4 Systems and Electric Boat Thompson Hospitality Global View Communications The TJX Companies, Inc. Hartford Healthcare United Rentals, Inc. Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare  W & R, LLC/RCI Silver AI Engineers, Inc. Optimus Management Group LLC Alianza Services LLC Picture That, LLC ASA Environmental Products, Inc. Pinnacle Maintenance, LLC Axcess Staffing Services Prince Lobel Tye, LLP Banneker Industries, Inc. Purdue Pharma LP Bristol-Myers Squibb Resource Management Inc Eastern Bank The Bernd Group Ernst & Young LLP The Computer Company Horizon Services Corporation Turner Construction Company Contributor Advans IT Services, Inc. Penmar Industries, Inc. Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. People's United Bank Carroll communications PepsiCo, Inc. Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) PrintabiliTees, LLC CVS Caremark Sanofi Integrated Design & Construction, LLC Space-Craft Mfg., Inc. Kool Ink, LLC d/b/a Sir Speedy Printing of Bloomfield  The Walt Disney Company?ESPN Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company U.S. Postal Services Orbit Design, LLC Congratulations to our Supplier of the Year Nominees!  Category 1 commVerge Marketing  - nominated by Northeast Utilities PrintabiliTees  - nominated by Cartus  Category 2  C&C Janitorial  - nominated by Pitney Bowes GBG, The Corporate Gift Source  - nominated by Cartus Horizon Services Company  - nominated by The Metropolitan District Commission  Kool Ink, LLC dba Sir Speedy of Bloomfield  - nominated by Aetna Moor Metals, Inc.  - nominated by Northeast Utilities    PCC Technology  - nominated by The Metropolitan District Commission RTD Logistics dba Skycom Courier  - nominated by RBS Citizens  Category 3 AI Engineers, Inc.  - nominated by Northeast Utilities Banneker Industries  - nominated by Raytheon Essex Newbury North Contracting  - nominated by RBS Citizen G.A. Blanco  - nominated by Pitney Bowes PCNet, Inc  - nominated by The Walt Disney Company/ESPN  Category 4 Aquent  - nominated by Pitney Bowes Reciprocal  Arnold-Hanafin Corporation  - nominated by Hamilton Sundstrand  Deluxe Delivery Systems  - nominated by Pitney Bowes Faison Office Products  - nominated by UTC Rose International, Inc.  - nominated by Liberty Mutual Southern Elevator and Electric Supply Inc.  - nominated by Otis Elevator Company Business Unit Thompson Hospitality  - nominated by Northeast Utilities  Upcoming Events   2013 GNEMSDC Expo Date and Location Set September 24-25 at Connecticut Convention Center,  Hartford, CT 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:    April 25 -  Annual Awards Gala - Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, MA May 7 - DiversityInc Supplier Diversity Roundtable hosted by Travelers.  Dr. McKinney will be the keynote luncheon presenter. Info and rsvp here May 8 - Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce and GNEMSDC networking event 5:30-7:30 at the GNEMSDC Boston office May 14, 1:30-4:30pm, GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting at Ocean Spray May 20, 9-11am,  MBE Orientation (GNEMSDC CT Office) May 22, NMSDC Minority Business Leadership Awards Dinner-Dance, Hilton New York and Towers, New York May 29, 9-11am MBE Orientation (Massachusetts), GNEMSDC Office, 100 Huntington Ave, Copley Place, Boston, MA June 4-5 MBDA, GNEMSDC and U.S. DOD Small Women and Minority Business Trade Fair, Burlington Sheraton, Burlington MA,  More Information to Come! June 10, 6:30 -2:30pm, GNEMSDC Supplier Diversity Golf Classic - MA, Ferncroft Country Club, 10 Village Rd, Middleton, MA 01949 July 11, 6:30-3:00pm, GNEMSDC Supplier Diversity Golf Classic: CT, Lyman Orchards Golf Club- Middlefield, CT July 25, How to do business with Stop and Shop, MA August 14, 1-4:30pm, GNEMSDC 3rd Quarterly Meeting, CVS Caremark, 200 Highland Corporate Drive, Cumberland, RI 02864 August 19, 9-11:00am , MBE Orientation (CT),GNEMSDC Office, Bridgeport, CT August 21, 8:30 -11:00am, MBE Orientation (Massachusetts), GNEMSDC Office, 100 Huntington Ave, Copley Place September 24-25, GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo, Hartford Convention Center, 100 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, Connecticut 06103 October 27, - November 31,  NMSDC Business Opportunity Fair and Conference, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX    Yumi Eco Solutions Products Now Being Sold At Wrigley Field  Congratulation to Boston MBDA Business Center client Yumi Eco Solutions. Their disposable, biodegradable and compostable products are now being sold at Wrigley Field.     FYI My editorial on State Contracting and the Department of Corrections is creating quite a stir.  The article has been picked up and published in a half-dozen places.  Also, the Fairfield County Business Journal ran this story last week on the issue.  Feel free to share.   Photos from Dedication of Carlton Highsmith Board Room at the GNEMSDC by Ficklin Media    3rd Annual MBE Capital Summit 2013 video Last Week's And Finally was published on Saturday, March 30 in the CT Post.  Take another look and feel free to forward to others. Dr. Fred interview with Gwen Edwards on News12 GNEMSDC Open House Pictures Please enjoy this video message from Dr. Fred on Supplier Diversity.      The dark history behind the Second Amendment by Dr Fred.Ct Post, Published on 2/08/2013 Diversity Plus Magazine article - The Misuse of Small Business Interests   Diversity Plus Article - The Economic History of Income Inequality The  Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Hartford has busy March with many upcoming programs.  They are continually adding more workshops so check the Entrepreneurial Center website for a full list of classes.   Mel King Institute Training - Best Practices in Evaluation for Small Business Development.   The Small Business Innovation Office at Connecticut Innovations provides ongoing support for companies that pursue Small Business Innovation Research grants.    Their "Spring 2013 Webinar SBIR Series" is designed to provide insights from winning companies and resources.  The topics are Batting Almost A Thousand -- How One SBIR Company Has Beaten the Odds, SBIRsource.com a New Resource for SBIR Technology Companies, Connecticut Business Incubators - Where Startups Go to Grow!, Branching Out: Using SBIR to Develop New Customers Modern Healthcare names Marna P. Borgstrom, of Yale-New Haven Hospital, one of it's top 25 leaders Please enjoy the second in a multi-part advise series from The MATLET Group involving the production process.   There is a Small Business Seminar on April 19, 2013 sponsored by the NW CT Chamber of Commerce.  Speakers will be representatives from SBA, SBDC, Small Business Innovation Research, CT PTAP and Department of Commerce. Speakers will give an overview of services that are available from each of the agencies and there will be a question and answer period. There will also be another seminar on May 7, 2013 in Waterbury.  For more information see this flyer or email Cheryl.McClellan@Trade.Gov

Minority-Owned Business Percent of All Business In a meeting I recently had with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, information on the numbers and percentages of minority owned and women owned businesses in the region was discussed.  The numbers are for the year 2007.  It is important to note that this was the last year before the financial crisis hit.  It would be even more interesting to see what has happened since.  Unfortunately, one of the casulties of deficit reduction is the collection and analysis of economic data on minority and women owned enterprises.  So without the perspective of time, here is a snapshot of minority and women owned businesses in the region.  I want to thank Marques Benton of the Federal Reserve for providing the information. Minority and Women Owned Business Statistics in New England, 2007. Opportunities SBA E200 Program- Qualification: *Company based in metro Boston area *Three year experience *Have more than one employee ^Revenue at least $400,000. If you are interested to participate the program please email akim@gnemsdc.org  617-578-8900 or call David Polatin at SBA  617-565-5562.  For more information please see this flyer Federal Reserve Board 2013 Vendor Outreach Fair on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 in Washington DC  W.T. Rich Company has been selected as the Construction Manager at risk for the Brooke Charter School Mattapan and has a Project Bid Opportunity.  Epifano Builders Inc. have an Invitation to Bid Bombardier Aerospace Learjet Inc. has career opportunities available. Are You Looking for a Business Loan or a Line of Credit?     Are you a MBE looking to purchase large assets and/or increase long-term liquidity at flexible terms, or manage cash flow and prepare for long-term success by purchasing short-term assets, such as inventory and accounts receivable, or funds to help you finance a contract? The GNEMSDC and the Boston MBDA Business Center can help!   We have relationships with numerous banks and non-bank lenders who can help you get the financing you need.   Even if you have been turned down, we can help.   Contact the  office at 888-874-7114.   Do You Need to Reach 2,000 MBEs and Corporate Buyers a Week? One of the great things about this newsletter technology is that we can track readership, clicks on links and forwards.  I am pleased to report that this newsletter is reaching over 2,000 readers a week.  If you are an MBE or a corporate member, this is an excellent vehicle to get your message out.  If you are interested in becoming a GNEMSDC e-newsletter sponsor, send an email to Sarah James at sjames@gnemsdc.org.  We would like to hear from you.  This ad space will be limited to no more than five MBEs and five corporate members.

And Finally... This past Thursday I was invited to speak at the Washington DC headquarters of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.  The 75 attendees were executives of the system and were from all 12 regions of the system.  The topic was supplier diversity.  My message was pretty standard fare of what works in corporate minority supplier development, and the role organizations like the GNEMSDC/NMSDC can play in the process.  I also addressed why minority business development is important for the nation's (arguably the world's) most important economic development organization.  It is the mission of the Federal Reserve to promote non-inflationary economic growth.  The business sector of the economy that needs the most help is minority business community.   But I want to focus on the last question asked during the Q&A from Sheila Clark from the Board of Governor's office.  She asked what two things I would recommend to the people responsible for building supplier diversity programs within their regional banks. I informed Ms. Clark that I could boil it down to one recommendation, that if done well could have a significant impact on MBE development.  My answer might surprise a few of my readers, and quite frankly it surprised me a bit, but my answer was for the regional Federal Reserve banks and the system headquarters was for them to develop a select few of the certified MBEs they currently have in their supply chain.  The key word here is "develop".  I gave some specific examples of how some of the most successful corporate members of the NMSDC network have worked with very specific MBEs to make sure that those targeted MBEs are aware of opportunities, are supported to be successful, and are strategically included in ways that lead to significant growth for those MBEs with their companies and others.  I generally do not like to pose either or situations.  But here I think it appropriate.  In this case you either do a lot with a few MBEs, or do a little with a lot of MBEs.   My recommendation, particularly for early stage minority business development programs, is that they choose to significantly support a few MBEs that  they can assist to gain scale rapidly and successfully.  If every corporate member identified some strategic MBEs that they are committed to develop over a period of time, I believe the long-term result would be a larger number of strong MBEs. Of course there are challenges with this approach, and questions that result from not being one of the selected and fortunate few.  However, it is really up to the MBE at the end of the day to be ready for success.  And enough corporatations adopted this strategy, the opportunities for MBEs would be spread around.  Corporate members in the public and private sector are critical in making this strategy a success.  At the end of the day, it was an honor to be invited to talk to representatives from Federal Reserve I think it speaks highly of the work we are doing to make minority supplier development a reality.    In your service,     Dr. Fred