GNEMSDC 4th Quarterly Meeting & Connecticut Holiday Business Card Exchange
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The GNEMSDC 4th Quarterly Meeting will be hosted by SAI Systems on December 5th from 1:00pm - 4:30pm at 3 Corporate Drive, Shelton, CT. (3 Corporate Drive is next door to SAI Systems headquarters at 5 Corporate Drive. Please come to 3 Corporate Drive for the Quarterly Meeting.)
This Quarterly is hosted by an MBE and as such, the format will be reversed. As a result, we will have corporate showcases from four outstanding corporate members: Pitney Bowes; The Metropolitan District Commission; and United Rentals. This is a wonderful opportunity for MBEs to learn how to do business with these large corporate members. And it is also a great opportunity for corporations to learn how their colleagues are increasing MBE opportunities. Immediately after the Quarterly Meeting will be the Connecticut Holiday Business Card Exchangehosted by SAI Systems on December 5th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm at Il Palio restaurant also at 3 Corporate Drive, Shelton, CT. Il Palio is one of the best Italian restaurants in the State. This is a wonderful way to close out the year with friends and colleagues from our expanding network. This is a "Must Do" event. For RSVP please contact: jclarke@gnemsdc.org For directions please click here. |
Boston Holiday Business Card Exchange
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Attend the Boston Holiday Business Card Exchange hosted by Prince Lobel Tye LLP on December 10th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at 100 Cambridge St., Suite 2200, Boston, MA
Please note the change in date to December 10th. Join us as we celebrate accomplishments of 2013 andmake additional networking connections before the end of the year. This year we will be joining with Prince Lobel in a toy drive benefiting the H.A.R.T House. The H.A.R.T House is a family residential program that offers individual, group and family therapy, case management, psycho-educational groups, relapse prevention groups, referral to medical and dental services, as well as a wide range of counseling for those struggling with various addictions. Please bring a toy to donate. RSVP to Sarah James: sjames@gnemsdc.org. Learn more here. For directions please click here. |
| GNEMSDC 2014 Upcoming Events | ||
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Growing to Scale Development Workshop
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The Growing to Scale Workshop is a program for small business owners to expand and improve their businesses exponentially. The workshop will deliver powerful strategies for increasing sales by joint ventures, strategic alliances; results based marketing and other proven strategies. The Growing to Scale Development Workshop is the blueprint to grow your business quickly and safely. Gain knowledge from a faculty that has actually grown successful businesses and can help you grow yours.
The Growing to Scale program will run for two and half days from Tuesday, February 18 through Thursday February 20. The program will take place at our MBE Training Room at 333 State Street in Bridgeport, CT. Please mark your calendars.
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MBE Member of the Week
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 Pinctada Events specializes in nonprofit, corporate and social events, serving New England with over 2 0 years of events management experience. Pinctada Events is a full service company that will consult with businesses, organizations and other people in handling all event arrangements including budget planning, venue and décor selection, staging, catering, audio/visual, and entertainment. Keeping in tune with the needs of the market, utilizing the latest technology and trends, all while ensuring the client receives the individual attention they deserve, is the vision and daily mission of Pinctada. Learn more here.
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Dr. Fred Speaking at South Florida MSDC Annual Expo
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| On December 6, Dr. Fred will be speaking at the South Florida Minority Supplier Development CouncilSymposium 2013 at Broward College in Pembroke Pines, Florida. "The Symposium will focus on strategies & techniques to thrive in a changing economy. Minority Business Enterprises will learn proven methods for growth & how to increase competitiveness. Corporations & government agencies will learn from a leading expert on effective implementation of policies, strategies and programs to increase the Supplier Diversity process." I hope to see some of my good friends in South Florida and meet some new ones as well. For more information visit http://www.sfmsdc.org/. |
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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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Forum Summary
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On November 14th, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, in conjunction with support from GNEMSDC and CWE-WBENC, proudly hosted the organization's 1st Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Forum at our Wellesley Gateway office. The goal of this event was to increase and expand our commitment to diverse suppliers in the communities we serve. With approximately 100 suppliers and 40 Harvard Pilgrim purchasers in attendance, the event created opportunities for minority and woman owned suppliers, and Harvard Pilgrim purchasers, to network, learn more about one another and discuss potential business opportunities and needs. The night began with welcome remarks from Maria Shakes, HPHC Purchasing, Andie Kim, Director GNEMSDC, Jodi Baier, Manager CWE-WBENC and David Westervelt, HPHC V.P. Finance and concluded with one on one networking opportunities with suppliers and purchasers representing IT, marketing, sales and varied commodities and services. Continued...
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Invitation for Bid
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Opportunities
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Advertisement for MBE Subcontractors
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Posting I:
Integrated Design & Construction, LLC is seeking prospective employee for the following positions;
construction management and administration staff as follows:
Project Manager: 7-10 yrs. experience in Commercial, Institutional or Mixed use facilities in the Hartford/Tolland counties area (Project Management, Estimating, Scheduling, etc.). Construction Field or Design experience a Plus.
Assistant Project Manager: 3-5 yrs. experience (similar to above)
For inquiries and submissions please contact Thaddeus M. Stewart at: 203.909.6559
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Posting II:
Agency Name: Executive Office for Administration and Finance
Official Title: Edp Systems Analyst III
Functional Title: Edp Systems Analyst III
Occupational Group: Information Technology
Agency Name: Executive Office for Administration and Finance
Official Title: Computer Operator I
Functional Title: Computer Operator I
Occupational Group: Information Technology
Agency Name: Dept. of Revenue
Official Title: Tax Examiner III
Functional Title: Tax Examiner III
Occupational Group: Budget & Accounting
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Solicitation for Minority Business Enterprises (MBE and WBE)
Associated Construction Company seeks letters of interest from qualified and certified minority business enterprises (MBE and WBE) for the following bid packages relating to a high end corporate dining facility located in the greater Hartford Area. The project consists of a first class corporate kitchen, servery and dining seating space. The total facility will occupy 36,500sf., of which 21,000sf. will be new construction and 15,500sf. will be renovation of existing space. Upon prequalification, bids from subcontractors will be received during the months of November and December. The work will take place from March 2014 through June 2015. Interested contractors may inquire by sending a Letter of Interest, Company Profile, List of Similar Projects and Certification via email to Joseph Jankowski at jdj@accgc.com on or before November 1, 2013. Learn more here.
The Associated Construction Company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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| FYI |
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| MBE Orientation at State Street Corporation |
GNEMSDC would like to thank participating MBEs for attending the MBE Orientation held at State Street Corporation in Boston on November 22, 2013.
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The GNEMSDC Community Business School
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| This year we have introduced a very successful GNEMSDC Advanced Leadership Program that featured Ivy League Business school professors from Yale and Harvard along with CEOs from our corporate membership. In February we will run our first "Growing MBEs to Scale" program that is designed to help our MBEs grow - profitably. (More on this program next week,) And we are also planning to work with UCONN, NU, SCORE and our corporate members to mentor early stage businesses. So we are very active in the area of MBE development. So it is not like we have a lot of free time on our hands at the GNEMSDC, or that we are not involved with MBE development, but there are circumstances that demand our attention, and more importantly our action. One of the things that has become crystal clear since moving to Bridgeport, is that there is not an institution in the City or region that creates a culture for entrepreneurship for minority business owners and would-be entrepreneurs. Our response to this is to fill a need that I believe can be the key to the economic resurgence of the region and minority businesses throughout our network. There are simply not the number of minority owned businesses and minority owned suppliers that are starting or locating in the urban centers. This problem is not unique to Bridgeport. We see this in urban centers across our region. I recently asked Jose Colon in our office to do some analysis on MBEs located within the City of Boston, the largest market in our region. I needed this information in preparation for a meeting with Boston Mayor Elect Marty Walsh that took place this past Friday. (More on this meeting in a future report, but I will share with you that I was impressed with the knowledge and commitment of the incoming Mayor on issues important to MBE development.) What Mr. Colon found in his research was that we have only 13 certified MBEs that are located within the city limits of Boston! The numbers in Bridgeport are even worse. These are the largest cities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. There is no magic bullet to solve this problem, but I believe we as an organization need to do more within these large urban centers that have the largest minority populations. But one part of this solution will necessarily include business education and development. We offer development support for our suppliers, which is great, but we need to do more. The GNEMSDC Community Business School (GCBS) is our humble attempt to improve business information to residents of Bridgeport. The GCBS will meet every Saturday morning starting the third Saturday in January 2014. The program will be free and open to anyone interested in learning more about how to start, manage and grow a business. I will donate my time each Saturday morning and will be asking our MBEs and corporate members to consider donating some of their time to share their wisdom and stories with entrepreneurs who have dreams, but very few resources or connections to help them understand the nature of business or to encourage them to pursue those dreams. There are countless examples where entrepreneurial businesses grow in a geographic area because there is a place for entrepreneurs to convene, compare notes, compete in the market of ideas and get inspiration for success. I believe the GCBS s consistent with our mission of growing minority suppliers. We not only have to grow existing suppliers, we have to grow and inspire future suppliers. This effort not only will benefit those entrepreneurs and the communities where they live. This effort will benefit our corporate members as well. |
And Finally...
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Like many of you, I spent an inordinate and inexcusable amount of time this weekend eating and watching college football. My alma mater, UCLA beat its cross-town rival (whose name I will not dignify in this column) for the second year in a row. My graduate school alma mater, Yale lost to its historic rival Harvard (who as a corporate member of the GNEMSDC I have no similar compunction to ban from naming) the previous weekend. But the game of the weekend was the Alabama-Auburn game. As they would say in Alabama, a game in which I don't have a dog in the fight.
The game was close throughout, but it was the ending which will perhaps make this game more memorable, at least for Alabama and Auburn fans and countless other college football fans that marks this game as special. With only one second remaining on the clock, Alabama's great coach Nick Saban decided he would attempt a 57 yard field goal. Perhaps in his mind, and everyone else's, the worst thing that could happen would be a valiant but unsuccessful attempt and the two teams would then decide the affair in overtime. While the best thing that could happen is that the red shirt freshman kicker, Adam Griffith, who had only two attempts this year would have a "miracle" he would remember the rest of his life.
But there was a third thing that did happen, that perhaps nobody considered: The Auburn player positioned in the end zone could run a failed field goal attempt 100+ yards for a touchdown. The unexpected, the unbelievable, the remarkable, the incredible, the least likely thing happened. Chris Davis ran the failed field goal attempt back for a game winning and game ending touchdown.
We are all tempted to right this odd and fantastic ending off as a fluke. However, I beg to differ. The credit goes not to the "football gods", but to the coaches from Auburn and Mr. Davis who executed something that has been practiced and thought about. I know the chances of things working out in real life are much more difficult than making things work in practice, or on paper, or more appropriately today on a tablet, but for those who are prepared, whether they be on the football field or in business, things can work out as planned.
We do not control everything, but we do not have to control everything in order to reach our goals. But we must be prepared. Being prepared is something that we can control, and should.
In your service
Dr. Fred
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