| Business Beyond Gaming Conference |
SAVE THE DATE!
Business Beyond Gaming is a groundbreaking one day conference aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth in indian Country and increasing opportunities for Minority- owned businesses everywhere.
Attendees will gain in- depth exposure to business expert's, innovated ideas, new tools, techniques and resources for establishing successful enterprises.
We look forward to seeing you On March 5, 2015 at Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. For more information contact Jade Melvin: Jmelvin@bridgeportmbdacenter.com
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| Special Advanced Leadership Program for Construction MBEs/DBEs |
The GNEMSDC in conjunction with Connecticut DOT and the Community Capital/GNEMSDC BondSure Program will offer a special 6-week training session for MBEs/DBEs in the construction and engineering areas. This six week program will begin on Friday, February 20 and run through March 27. Each Friday, we will have experts who will focus on:
Because of the support from Connecticut DOT, the program is free to certified DBEs. Scholarships are available for other MBEs who are not currently certified by Connecticut DOT. Because of the Community Capital/GNEMSDC BondSure Program, we can offer bid and performance bond guarantees up to $100,000 for every participant who completes the program. Where else can you get $100,000 at no cost? We "GUARANTEE" that this class will make your business more profitable and prevent you from making BIG avoidable mistakes. And we say this for any company doing business with state DOTs or other large prime contractors. You really cannot afford not to attend. If you are interested in attending this program, contact, Diane Thomas at 203-288-9744. Space is limited. Here is what one DBE said about the GALP program that took place this fall: "I am pleased to report that the GALP program was outstanding. I was particularly impressed by the level of expertise of all the professors. The subject matter was appropriate and will be instrumental in growing our company and improving operating efficiencies. I was also impressed by the luncheon presenters and the advice provided. I highly recommend this course to any entrepreneur that is interested in developing his or her management skills and improve their ability to run a more efficient company." Ray Boa, A & J Construction - 2nd Place Winner in the GNEMSDC 2014 Shark Tank Competition. |
Please RSVP: 1/21/15 Boston MBDA CEO Roundtable Event
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On Wednesday, January 21 the Boston MBDA Business Center will hold its first Roundtable Event of 2015. This event will be held from 10am - 12pm in the Palladium Room at the Towers in the Copley Place Mall (2 Copley Place, 4th Floor, Boston). For more information or to RSVP, please contact Joanne Wang at jwang@bostonmbdacenter.com
Speakers:
Jonathan DePina, the City of Boston's Assistant Director, Capital Construction in the Property & Construction Management Department will be speaking about opportunities with the city of Boston.
Jennie Peterson, Manager of Development at Wynn Resorts, will discuss the procurement opportunities at Wynn's newest location in Everett. Michael Randazzo, Vice President of Corporate Purchasing for Penn National Gaming, Inc. will discuss procurement opportunities at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, MA |
GNEMSDC 1st Quarterly Meeting
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We are pleased that the 1st Quarterly Meeting of the year will be hosted by Boston Scientific. This is an excellent opportunity to hear the latest news from the Council and gain new insight into doing business with our host.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 28th from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm in Marlborough, MA.
It is a great honor to confirm that Mr. Ratanjit Sonhem will be the keynote speaker at this event. Internationally renowned as Mr. Stress-Free, Mr. Sonhem is an inspirational speaker, successful entrepreneur, consultant and well know radio & television personality.
Mr. Sondhe was the founder and 34-year CEO of a material science company recently acquired by The Dow Chemical Company. He credits all of his worldly success and good fortune to realizing his place in the universe and unconditionally adding value to the bigger one ...our society.
Please click here to read more about Mr. Sonhem's Bio and his success story. |
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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GNEMSDC 40th Anniversary Annual Sponsorship
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 We are excited to announce that in 2015, the GNEMSDC will be celebrating 40 years of Minority Business Development and Supplier Diversity. We hope that all of our certified MBEs and Corporate members will consider being an Annual Sponsor this very special year. Attached is the Sponsorship Package for 2015. Your support is greatly needed and appreciated. |
Corporate Member of the Week: Partners HealthCare
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 Partners HealthCare Supplier Diversity Program
What's the Supplier Diversity Program?
At Partners HealthCare, Supplier Diversity refers to the process of including diverse suppliers in our method of procurement, in order to achieve sustainable relationships and enhance competition. The Supplier Diversity Program was developed by Partners HealthCare's Material Management department in 2004.
Ingrid Beckles, Manager of Minority Business Enterprise, Partners Materials Management, says, "Partners HealthCare is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. Our dedication to supplier diversity demonstrates our commitment to the communities in which we operate."
The Supplier Diversity Program's mission is to sustain a program that identifies, develops and builds strong partnerships with diverse suppliers. Partners is committed to increasing the supply chain spend with a diverse supplier community.
An example of this is Partners Supplier Diversity Program's relationship with Roxbury Technology Inc. (RTC). A remanufacturer of ink and toner cartridges, Partners began doing business with RTC in 2004. This Minority Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) is located in Boston and is a model supplier. They employ local residents who are challenged in finding employment at other organizations, thus keeping these individuals off the neighborhood streets and out of homeless shelters and prisons. Ingrid adds, "We view our partnership as one way of supporting our community. Roxbury Technology provides academic scholarships and sponsors local charitable events. They represent everything we look for when choosing a diverse supplier."
Most recently, the Supplier Diversity Program was recognized with the 2014 Earl G. Reubel Award at the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium, hosted by Owens & Minor. Every year the award is presented to honorees for their commitment to diversity in the health care industry. The three categories include a women/minority business entrepreneur, health care systems, and a civic leader. Winners are selected by a committee from nominations in each category.
Other information about the Supplier Diversity Program:
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MBE of the Week: The Bernd Group
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The Bernd Group has specialized in streamlining the procurement process of high tech manufacturers since 1989 when founded by its current president, Pilar Bernd. The focus is to offer a broad range of products and services that allow costumers to benefit from consolidated purchasing, which eliminates long hours of research, phoning and emailing sub-tier suppliers with no progress.
These are some of the time costly practices that The Bernd Group handles with an excellent customer-centered and consistent approach.
Corporations primarily in the aerospace, transportation, construction and manufacturing sectors
are assisted with The Bernd Group's highly experienced sales team. The Bernd Group's procurement and billing departments accept major credit cards, allowing you to quickly become our trading partner, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and web-based pricing documents to speed up the procurement, expediting and billing processes. They also have access to a network of over 35,000 suppliers worldwide.
The Bernd Group offers world-class service and quality to expedite your overnight and
monitored purchases to ensure on time delivery, further servicing their customers with:
The Bernd Group is a "Preferred Supplier" to some of the world's leading corporations such
as Lockheed Martin Corp. & United Technologies Corp. They can save your company time and money by focusing on your requirements, making your buyers' transactions easy, pleasant and most importantly accurate.
Anyone who may be interested in The Bernd Group can reach their Rapid Response Team by calling 1-800-346-8835 or email info@berndgroup.com.
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| GNEMSDC and Dr. Fred Featured in CT Post Cover Story |
Connecticut Post Article ran a Business Section cover story on the GNEMSDC and Dr. Fred on Friday, January 9, 2015. Please feel free to share and comment.
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Can your business survive a disaster?
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According to the Red Cross 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster. A Disaster Recovery Plan can increase your chances of survival. Please go to www.PrepareCT.com for more information or email Andres Lopez alopez@gnemsdc.org for one on one consultation. Get ready today to develop a Disaster Recovery Plan.
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Invitations for Bid and Opportunities
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| Bridgeport MBDA Project Director - Job Posting |
The Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council (GNEMSDC) is the program operator of the Bridgeport Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center. The Center is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency. The purpose of the Center is to assist minority business enterprises with growing their sales and profits, and increasing their access to capital. The Center supports its clients by offering business critical advice and expert consulting services. The Bridgeport MBDA Business Center is one of 44 Business Centers across America. The Bridgeport MBDA Business Center has a particular focus on growing Native American business enterprises.
The Project Director is the professional responsible for the accomplishment of performance goals and metrics. The goals include contracts, client financings, exports, the establishment of maintenance of strategic relationships and job creation and retention. The position is full-time. The Project Director reports to the CEO of the GNEMSDC and works closely with other MBDA Centers across the country and the National Office of the MBDA at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The Project Director needs to possess strong senior-level managerial and business development skills along with great oral and written communication skills. The position also requires that the person have experience in corporate and government supply chain management and minority business development. The position is available immediately. If interested, send your resume to Diane Thomas at dthomas@gnemsdc.org. |
| FYI |
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| And Finally... |
I have been known to exaggerate a tidbit. But this is no crying wolf. I want to strongly encourage all of our corporate and MBE stakeholders to become sponsors this year. This year is the 40th Anniversary of the GNEMSDC, and we have a really special line-up of really - really special guests and speakers at all of our major events this year. Annual sponsors will get priority seating and guaranteed participation in these major events. I am not at liberty to disclose who we will have at our Annual Awards Gala on Saturday, April 11 at the Boston Convention and Expo Center, but suffice it to say, it is going to be big! And the same can be said for our Expo at Foxwoods on September 24 and 25th. We have someone lined up to be our Keynote speaker at the Expo this year that you will want to see and hear. In addition to some fantastic speakers and guests, for the Gala and Expo, we have confirmed Professor Len Greenhalgh of the Tuck School of Business to be our Keynote Speaker at the Capital Summit (March 25th) hosted this year by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. It is good to be back at the Fed.
Not only will your Annual Sponsorship secure your seats and participation at some historic events in 2015, this is the best way to show your love for the GNEMSDC. We need your support.
For more information about our Annual Sponsorship Packages for Corporate Members and MBEs, see the article above or visit www.gnemsdc.org. Don't delay!
In your service,
Dr. Fred
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