| Denise Nappier, Treasurer State of Connecticut to Speak at GNEMSDC Luncheon at The Hartford Club - October 16 |
Connecticut Treasurer Denise Nappier will be the lead panelist at a luncheon at The Hartford Club on Wednesday, October 16, Treasurer Nappier is a four-term Treasurer of the State of Connecticut and a leading proponent of public sector investors for corporate diversity. Treasurer Nappier will talk about her efforts to nudge corporations towards greater diversity by using the leverage and influence of the State's billion investment fund
This luncheon is open to Corporate Members of the GNEMSDC and certified MBEs in financial services. The luncheon is free, but space is limited. We are asking our corporate members to see if there is interest by their CFOs and Treasurers to attend this informative and interesting luncheon. Please contact jclarke@gnemsdc.org if you are interested in attending. Space is limited. Additional Information |
| GNEMSDC Advanced Leadership Program (GALP) Professors |
 Professor Olav Sorenson is the Frederick Frank '54 and Mary C. Tanner Chair Professor of Management at the Yale School of Management. Professor Sorenson is leading off the GNEMSDC Advanced Leadership Program on Friday, October 4 at the GNEMSDC offices in Bridgeport, CT. Professor Sorenson will talk about the importance of marketing positioning as a strategy for success. This topic is very important for MBEs who are trying to become "top of mind" for corporate procurement executives. How many of our readers started their companies with a good idea based on a variation of someone else's great idea. This might get you some success, but it will not help you make profits that can sustain you. Strategy and positioning is all about how you fit in the market in ways that help you maximize your goals. This session is the first of five in the series. Professor Sorenson has taught at UCLA School of Management, the University of Chicago School of Management and the London School of Economics.  Jeffrey Fox, Best Selling New York Times and Wall Street Journal author, (How to Become Rainmaker and How to Become a Fierce Competitor)For over 25 years, Jeffrey Fox has been helping clients grow revenues and increase gross margins. Jeffrey is founder of Fox and Company, a management consulting firm that shows clients how to dollarize their value proposition to overcome the price objection and to shorten the sales cycle. Fox has written eleven best-selling business books that have been translated into over thirty languages. Jeff is the author of "How to Become CEO," which was on the NY Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Knight-Ridder, Amazon.com, best seller lists. His books have been best sellers in France, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia. His book, "How to Become a Rainmaker," was selected as one of the 100 best business books ever written. His "Dollarization Discipline" was selected as one off the top thirty business books of 2006. He is a popular speaker, appearing regularly before senior management groups and sales forces. Jeff is a graduate of Harvard Business School. Fox and Company is in Chester, Conn.  Professor Steven Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in General Management and teaches the Entrepreneurial Finance Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD and Entrepreneurial Finance) course in the MBA program. A 1985 graduate of the school, Professor Rogers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College. Prior to teaching at HBS, Professor Rogers taught in the MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management in addition to Kellogg executive programs in the U.S., Toronto and Hong Kong, including the Northwestern University PhD program. He received the Outstanding Professor Award for the Executive Program 26 times.Before joining the Kellogg Faculty, he owned and operated two manufacturing firms and one retail operation. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Professor Rogers worked at Bain and Company Consulting firm, Cummins Engine Company and UNC Ventures, a venture capital firm. In 2000, he received the 'Bicentennial Medal for Distinguished Achievement' by an alum from Williams College. In 2005, he received the 'Bert King Award for Service' from the African American Student Union at Harvard Business School. In 2006, he was selected as one of the "100 Men Impacting Supplier Diversity." In 2009, Ebony Magazine named him one of the top 150 influential people in America. In 2011, he joined Chicago Mayor Emmanuel's Supplier Diversity Task Force.  Fred McKinney is the President and CEO of the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council. The GNEMSDC's mission is to advance business opportunities for certified MBEs and connect them to corporate members. Prior to coming to the GNEMSDC, Dr. McKinney was a professor of business at the University of Connecticut School of Business where he taught economics, forecasting and entrepreneurship. Dr. McKinney has published three books on minority business development and has over 25 articles published on the subject of minority business development. Dr. McKinney served on the White House Council of Economic Advisors in 1978-79. Dr. McKinney has extensive board experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Dr. McKinney received his Ph.D. in economics from Yale University.
Participants will receive a certificate signed by all professors in the program. This will be a valuable reminder of the time invested in this innovative program. Program Details
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Corporate Member of the Week: The Metropolitan District Commission
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 The Metropolitan District (MDC) is a municipal corporation chartered by the State of Connecticut in 1929. The MDC provides water and sewer services to approximately 400,000 people in the municipalities of Hartford, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor. In addition, under a series of special agreements, the MDC provides treated water to portions of Glastonbury, South Windsor, Farmington, East Granby, Unionville and Portland. The MDC is governed by a board of 29 commissioners. Seventeen are appointed by the legislative bodies of the eight member municipalities, eight by the Governor of the State of Connecticut, and four by the leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly. The MDC employs approximately 550 full time personnel. The MDC recently completed a comprehensive organizational re-engineering process. Under the present structure there are two functional divisions: Operations & Engineering and Business Services. The funding of sewer services is through taxation on member municipalities and a sewer user charge. The funding of water services and related operations is principally through a direct use charge to customers. Major capital improvements in excess of $5 million for a single project must be approved by the electorate of the member municipalities and are financed through bonding. The 2012 operating combined budgets for all MDC operations total approximately $140 million
Learn more about the Metropolitan District Commission at their website.
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MBE of the Week: GSR Global
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GSR Global is a leading manufacturer and supplier of fiber optic & copper components for the past 33 years. GSR manufactures miniature to complex components that are utilized, but are not limited to telecommunication,
data center, renewable energy, broadband and wireless industries. These products range from ferrules to cable assemblies, modules and loaded fiber enclosures for Head-end Sub Systems and Data Centers. GSR Global's manufacturing facility can terminate 15,000 terminations daily. Whether you need one piece or demand high volume, GSR can accommodate your requests with a quick turn around. These productsinclude but are not limited to: Connectors, Cable Assemblies/ Patchcords, Multi Fiber Assemblies, Attenuators, Fan Out Kits, Splitters, Transceivers, SFPs, Enclosures/Cable Management Solutions, Fiber Optic Cleaning Products, Splice Trays and Accessories. GSR has over 1 million dollars in stock in our MA Headquarters, and will stock your products with blanket P.O.s or for any up-coming projects. Headquarters / QC - Boston, MA - 5,000 sq ft 7 Total Staff. This office not limited to receiving inbound goods, provides quality control and ships to North American customers. JDSU endface testing equipment / 400X Microscopes to inspect the finish of connectivity products. Light manufacturing capability. GSR's management and engineering team has served Fortune 100 companies and has a combined 87 years in the Telecommunication Industry. Our customer oriented staff, specializes in custom, high volume assemblies and products that vary with different colors, lengths and connectivity.
Learn more about GSR Global at their website.
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Kevin Brown, Former GNEMSDC Employee Elected Chairman of the Mohegan Nation
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 Congratulations to former GNEMSDC employee, Kevin Brown, on being elected chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council! We look forward to working with him in his new role. |
Upcoming Events
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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:
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| Celebrating Diversity in the Greater Bridgeport Business Community |
October 23, 2013 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
People's United Bank Lobby
850 Main Street, Bridgeport
Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served
R.S.V.P.
We look forward to seeing you!
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Opportunities
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Jobs and Contracting Opportunities Community Forum:
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 You are invited to attend The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport's Jobs and Contracting Opportunities Community Forum. Who should attend: General Contractors, Subcontractors,Municipal, State, and Public, Housing Agencies, Small Business and Local Business Enterprises, Minority, Women, and Section 3 Business Enterprises. The event will be hosted on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Testo's Restaurant at 1775 Madison Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut. |
| FYI |
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And Finally...
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Last week I noted that the Federal government shutdown will have significant effects on the economy in general and minority businesses in particular. Now we are two days away from a default on U.S. government debt. Once again, this is an effort on the part of radical Republicans to change the direction of fiscal policy and the Affordable Health Care plan. A Federal government default would worsen an already bad economic environment.
But one hopeful thing that might come out of this impasse is that a saner Congress (sometime in the future - I have no hope for this one) may change the law that eliminates the need to raise the debt ceiling. There was a time when Congress voted on every new debt issue. The current seemingly insane approach is a reform of that tedious and time wasting activity. There really is no need to have the debt ceiling voted on at all, since it only reflects prior government fiscal policy. People are quick to forget that raising the debt ceiling is not a commitment to spend more future money, it is only a commitment to pay for the things that Congress already agreed to pay for. It would be like you agreeing to lease a car, paying for that car directly from an account at your bank and then deciding not to fund that account with your income. We could avoid these damaging dramas by simply taking the debt ceiling decision away from Congress, after all, they voted to spend this money once already.
In the meantime, and in the real world, a default will damage our credit rating around the world, lower the value of the dollar, increase domestic interest rates in order to factor in the greater risk associated with our debt, and make everyone around the world a little more nervous about the future. And why you ask are we being forced to endure this? Because a small minority of legislators from gerrymandered districts who have no practical economic intelligence are hell-bent on destroying a health care law that was passed by this very same body, signed into law by a re-elected President, and upheld by the Supreme Court. In the meantime, MBEs need to hold onto their seats. There is economic turbulence ahead and it might get a little bumpy.
And P.S. I was very pleased to see that United Technologies Corporation cancelled a furlough of 2,000 employees that was announced about a week ago, and I mentioned in this space last week. This is great news and a demonstration of corporate leadership that political leaders could learn from.
In your service,
Dr. Fred
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