THANK YOU for Attending Annual Gala!!!
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On behalf of the GNEMSDC Board of Directors, I want to thank all of the sponsors, attendees, nominees, awardees, volunteers, honorary chairs, committee members, well wishers and staff for making this past week's Awards Gala a great success.
And thank you once again to all of our Sponsors:
2013 Annual Official Sponsors:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Inc
Cartus
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation/Foxwoods Resort Casino
Partners Healthcare
State Street Corporation
The Boston Foundation
The MATLET Group
United Technologies Corporation & Divisions
2013 Annual Platinum Sponsors:
ACP Facility Services
Aetna, Inc.
Raytheon Company
2013 Annual Gold Sponsors:
Amica Insurance
Bank of America Corporation
Bauza & Associates
BNY Mellon
Comcast - Northeast Division
commVerge Marketing
Connecticut Lottery Corporation
Deluxe Delivery Systems
Diggs Construction
Electro-Wire Inc
Fortune Metal Inc. of RI
GBG, The Corporate Gift Source
General Dynamics- ATP, BIW, C4 Systems and Electric Boat
Global View Communications
Hartford Healthcare
Hammons Paper Group
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Iron Mountain
Jantris Marketing Services
John Hancock Financial Services
Light Speed
Minuteman Trucks, Inc.
Nadicent Technologies
Northeast Utilities Service Company
Pfizer, Inc.
Pitney Bowes Inc.
RBS Citizens Financial Group
SAI Systems International Inc.
Staples, Inc.
The Hartford
The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC)
Thompson Hospitality
The TJX Companies, Inc
United Rentals, Inc
W & R, LLC/RCI
2013 Annual Silver Sponsors:
AI Engineers, Inc.
Alianza Services LLC
Axcess Staffing Services
ASA Environmental Products, Inc
Banneker Industries, Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Eastern Bank
Ernst & Young LLP
Horizon Services Corporation
Optimus Management Group LLC
Picture That, LLC
Pinnacle Maintenance, LLC
Prince Lobel Tye, LLP
Purdue Pharma LP
Resource Management Inc
The Bernd Group
The Computer Company
Turner Construction Company
2013 Annual Contributor Sponsors:
Advans IT Services, Inc.
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co.
Carroll Communications
Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA)
CVS Caremark
Integrated Design & Construction, LLC
Kool Ink, LLC d/b/a Sir Speedy Printing of Bloomfield
Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company
Orbit Design, LLC
Penmar Industries, Inc.
People's United Bank
PepsiCo, Inc.
PrintabiliTees, LLC
Sanofi
Space-Craft Mfg., Inc
The Walt Disney Company/ESPN
U.S. Postal Services
2013 Annual Special Sponsors:
Port Electronic
WorldCom Exchange
Essex Newbury North Contracting Corporation
Hammons Paper Group
Tavares, LLC
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And the Winners Are...
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 National Corporate Member of the Year - RBS Citizens
Local Corporate Member of the Year - Northeast Utilities Service Company
Buyer of the year - Joan Davidson, Hamilton Sundstrand
Advocate of the Year - Ingrid Beckles, Partners Healthcare System
MBE Empowerment - Ted Hsu, Horizons Services Company
Supplier of the Year Category 1 - commVerge Marketing
Supplier of the Year Category 2 - Kool Ink dba Sir Speedy Printing of Bloomfield
Supplier of the Year Category 3 - Banneker Industries, Inc.
Supplier of the Year Category 4 - Aquent, LLC
Reciprocal of the Year - Rose International, Inc.
The MBEs who received full scholarships from the GNEMSDC to attend the Tuck School of Business "Building a High-Performance Minority Business are:
Marc Carroll from Carroll Communications;
Jere Eaton from PrintabilTEEs;
Francesco Pagano from Interpreters and Translators; and
Chirag Modi from SAI Systems.
Congratulations to all!
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Photos from the Gala
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 Please enjoy some photos from the Awards Gala courtesy of Dimonika Bray.
There are many more to come!
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Supplier Diversity Roundtable Invitation
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A free event hosted by Travelers on Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at Hartford Marriott Downtown, 200 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CT 06103
DiversityInc invites you to join diversity and procurement professionals for a day of networking and discussion around what it takes to change the game to increase opportunities for supplier diversity. Speakers and a panel discussion with executives from DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® will share innovative ideas that move the needle and deliver results.
Corporate Members Only!
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Attend the GNEMSDC Quarterly Meeting!
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 GNEMSDC 2nd Quarterly Meeting hosted by Ocean Spray at the Fireside Grille
May 14th 1:00pm - 4:30pm 30 Bedford St Middleboro, MA 02346
The 2nd Quarterly Meeting will be hosted by Ocean Spray at the Fireside Grille Restaurant. There will be a Corporate Showcase by Ocean Spray and networking opportunities with the Ocean Spray Procurement Department.
To RSVP; email Sarah James at sjames@gnemsdc.org
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GNEMSDC Massachusetts & Connecticut Supplier Diversity Golf Classic
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 The GNEMSDC Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Golf Outing is coming to Ferncroft Country Club on Monday, June 10. 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 Ferncroft Country Club MA outing or the Lyman Orchards Golf Club, CT outing Thursday, July 11 or both.
We are asking for sponsors to provide us with the names of their guests by May 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 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).
***Volunteer Opportunity available for July 13, CT - Contact Office***
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Upcoming Events
2013 GNEMSDC Expo Date and Location Set
September 24-25 at Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, CT
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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:
- 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 Marriott, 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 12, 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
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| MBE Assessment Tool |
 As you may remember, we held our 3rd Annual MBE Capital Summit on March 15 th at Eastern Bank (the number one SBA lender in MA) It was a phenomenal event. One of the things that all of the presenters consistently said was that there is plenty of money/capital available right now, but the businesses have to be well managed and ready in order to access that capital. Our guest from Babson College, Elizabeth Thornton, demonstrated The Business Advantage Tool, a powerful financial tool that provides:
I am happy to report that Elizabeth Thornton has agreed to offer the Business Advantage Tool at a discount to our MBE's and also provide a revenue share to the GNEMSDC to support our ongoing MBE programs. Simply go to entrepreneurshipadvantage.com and click personal user, click yes to the licensing agreement and enter the discount code: GNEMSDC. At the PayPal screen you will pay only $200, instead of $245.
We highly recommend this tool as a comprehensive business analysis tool that will help you quickly measure and understand the current financial condition of your business, your business model and your key drivers of profitability to guide you through the development of a financial plan for sustainable growth.
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Request for MWBE Qualifications (RFQ) for the Construction of Numerous School Projects for the Hartford School Building Committee
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The Construction Managers, on behalf of the Hartford School Building Committee and ARCADIS/O&G Program Management, will receive pre-qualification statements for minority and women business enterprises (MWBEs) desiring to qualify for certain work on the construction of public school projects in Hartford which will go to bid during a thirty six month period starting in 2013.
At least 15% of the total construction cost for each of the above referenced projects has been designated for eligible and qualified MWBEs.
Those MWBEs desiring to furnish materials or services under contract directly with each construction manager mustfirst pre-qualify for each project pursuant to this RFQ and be certified or certifiable as an MWBE under Hartford Municipal Code § 2-660 et. Seq. and other corresponding City of Hartford regulations and procedures. Pre-qualified MWBEs for a specific project will be eligible to submit a price proposal to the construction manager for specific MWBE bid packages to be determined in the future. Pre-qualification shall in no way assure or guarantee any MWBE that it will be invited to bid on a project.
A total of six (6) completed pre-qualification statements must be received by ARCADIS/O&G Program
Management on or before 3:00 P.M. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013.
Information sessions to assist prospective respondents will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. at the Metzner Recreation Center, 600 Franklin Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114. Monday, April 29, 2013 and Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. at the offices of ARCADIS/O&G Program Management, 207 Main
Street, Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06106.
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Are You Looking for a Business Loan or a Line of Credit?
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 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.
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Do You Need to Reach 2,000 MBEs and Corporate Buyers a Week?
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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.
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And Finally...
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 For those unfortunate enough to witness Larry Wooten, Bill Boodry, Tom Davis and myself do one of the worst renditions of soul legend Billy Stewart's classic song "I Do Love You", (Complete with dark sun glasses.) I apologize. For those who were not there, and want to see the You Tube version, I have searched and it has been pulled, deleted, and otherwise burried in the dump heap of bad performances, or so I hope. I thought this would be a great way to send everyone home with a big smile on their faces, primarily at the expense of me and my back-up singers. I think we accompished that goal. So after all was said and done, I fully expected to hear from friends, well wishers and attendees that they loved the send-off, but that we should keep our day jobs. But guess what? One of our guests came up to me afterwards, and in all seriousness asked if I would be willing to sing a duet with Donna Summer's daughter! I responded in disbelieve. Saying you cannot be serious. So despite the critics, my singing career continues. I do not think Harry Connick, Jr., Frankie Beverly, or Stephen Marley have anything to worry about. But who knows? If you are interested in booking Dr. Fred and the SDD's - SDD's for Supplier Diversity Directors - call our new business manager, Tatiana Paredes at 203-288-9744.
Dr. Fred
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