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Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council
e-Newsletter
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Dear Thomas,
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.
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The GNEMSDC Advanced Leadership Program (GALP)
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We
are pleased to announce the second year of the GNEMSDC Advanced
Leadership Program (GALP). The program consists of 5 full-day sessions
led by outstanding business professors and writers. The professors in
this program represent the best executive educators in the world, and
are from the top business schools in the world. The GALP faculty
includes, Steven Rogers of the Harvard Business School, David
Hinson, former National Director of the MBDA. Olav Sorensen of Yale
School of Management, and Jeffrey Fox, best-selling author of "How to
Become a Rainmaker" and other top selling business books.
At lunch during each
day of the program, we will have corporate CEOs and other C-Level
executives speak to the program participants. Last year the CEO faculty
included Anne Noble, President and CEO of the CT Lottery, Kevin
Kelleher, President and CEO of Cartus, William Jennings, President and
CEO of Bridgeport Hospital, Rodney Powell, President and COO of Yankee
Gas, Carlton Highsmith, Retired Chairman of Specialized Packaging Group
and Joseph Black, Chief Procurement Officer of Aetna. The program
begins on Friday October 17, 2014 and ending on Friday, November 14.
The program is geared
to the owner/entrepreneurs of firms with $1 million in annual sales or
more who are looking to significantly grow their business's top and
bottom lines. Participants will not only experience the wisdom of the
assembled professors, participants will benefit greatly by learning from
the other high powered MBE owners in attendance. Space is limited to
25 MBEs. Think of the value of simply making the connections that being
part of this program can do for your business; that alone is worth the
investment of your time and resources.
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.
This year we are proud to
have the generous support of the Fairfield County Community Foundation.
Call the office if you are interested in being participant in this MBE
educational program.
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2014 GNEMSDC Supplier Diversity Golf Classics -
Registration Now Available!
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I am very happy to
announce that we have over 180 registrants for this event! So if you
want to participate in one of the largest golf outings in the region,
call the office now to reserve your spot!
The GNEMSDC Connecticut Supplier Diversity Golf Outing will be on
Friday, July 11, 2014 Lyman Orchards Golf Club Middlefield, CT. The tournament begins at 7:30am.
Please see the brochure
for additional information and new Golf Sponsorship Opportunities.
Enter our Putting Contest and you could win a cash prize! Not a golfer?
We have several non-golfer activities or you can learn the game and be
taught by a pro in the Golf Clinic.
Call the GNEMSDC offices with any questions: 203-288-9744 or 617-578-8900
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Accelerate with Google:
Google Is Coming To GNEMSDC Bridgeport on Thursday, July 17!
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 What:
Accelerate with Google Academy is a 12-week intensive program that
teaches underrepresented minority business how to be found online and
generate business through their websites. It focuses on Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) and Google AdWords.
Key Benefits: Use the web to attract new customers, make your business website easier to find, and learn how measure the results.
Deadline: Upcoming application deadline is June 9th, with more rounds of application available in July and August.
If you are interested in attending a luncheon and presentation by Google at the GNEMSDC Bridgeport on Thursday, July 17 from 12 noon to 3 PM, call the
office. This event will be limited to certified MBEs only. Lunch will
be provided and there is no cost to certified MBEs. And because of
space constraints, only one person per MBE for this program.
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| GNEMSDC Trade Expo and Conference is Coming! REGISTRATION IS OPEN |
The
GNEMSDC Business Opportunity Expo and Conference is coming. This year
the event will take place on Tuesday, September 30 and Wednesday,
October 1 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and resort. Please mark your
calendar. It is time for MBEs and corporate members to start preparing
for the event. One of the biggest attractions is the very successful
One-on-One sessions. These allow corporate members to schedule 15
minute appointments with specific MBEs for specific commodity/service
opportunities. This year we will once again employ some great
technology that will allow us to efficiently make these matches between
corporate members and MBEs. We encourage all of our corporate members
to participate in the Expo and the One-on-One program. This year we
have some very important editions to the program. Stay tuned. (Photo
is of CT Governor Dannel Malloy with Dr. Fred at last year's Expo.)
Here is the preliminary program:
Monday, September 29
6:30 PM GNEMSDC Board of Directors and Senior Advisory Dinner
Tuesday, September 30
7:00 AM Registration Opens
7:15 AM Breakfast
8:45 AM Industry Opportunity Sessions - Part 1
10:30 AM Industry Opportunity Sessions - Part 2
12:00 Noon MBE Sponsors Lunch
2:00 PM - MBE "Shark Tank" ($5,000 in total prizes for the top 3 sales performances by an MBE)
4:30 PM Break
5:30 PM Shining Star Reception
9:00 Expo Booth Set Up
Wednesday, October 1
7:15 AM Breakfast
8:55 AM Expo Ribbon Cutting
9:00 AM Morning Expo Session
12:45 PM Corporate Sponsors Lunch
2:00 PM Expo Afternoon Session
2:00 PM One-on-One Meetings between MBEs and Corporate Members
4:00 PM Expo Closes
5:00 PM One-on-One Meetings End
5:30 PM Post Expo Reception
Here is the link for the Expo Registration.
From this site you can also sign up to participate in the One-on-One
program. You will need to register for the event before you register
for the One-on-Ones.
Hotel Reservations
Single & Double Occupancy Rooms are available for $159/night
To make a reservation by phone please call 1-866-708 1340 and reference the group code: GNEMS14
Reservations
must be made by Tuesday September 9 any reservations made after this
date will be based on room availability and regular hotel rates
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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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July 1, 2014 - MBE Pre-Certification Webinar Tuesday, July 1st at 2:00 pm click her to RSVP.
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July 11, 2014 - GNEMSDC CT Golf Outing, Lyman Orchards, Middleton, CT Additional Info
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July 21, 2014 - CT MBE Orientation click here to RVSP attendance.
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August 6, 2014 GNEMSDC 3rd Quarterly Meeting
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September 26, 2014 6pm-10pm ritmos de salud to
benefit Joslin's Latino Diabetes Initiative. For more information
contact Caitlin Enright at 617-309-2531 or Caitlin.enright@joslin.harvard.edu.
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September 30 - October 1, 2014 - GNEMSDC Expo and Conference, Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, Uncasville, CT
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October 10, 2014 - GNEMSDC Advanced Leadership Program, Bridgeport, CT (First Weekly Session)
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November 20, 2014 - GNEMSDC/MBDA Best Practice Forum, Fenway Park, Boston, MA
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Corporate Member of the Week: Iron Mountain Inc.
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Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a leading provider of storage
and information management services. The company's real estate network
of over 67 million square feet across more than 1,000 facilities in 36
countries allows it to serve customers with speed and accuracy. And its
solutions for records management, data management, document management,
and secure shredding help organizations to lower storage costs, comply
with regulations, recover from disaster and better use their information
for business advantage. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain stores and
protects billions of information assets, including business documents,
backup tapes, electronic files and medical data.
Iron
Mountain works with suppliers that are chosen because of their
commitment to the high standards and principles that are the backbone of
our culture. We value the strong and long lasting alliances that we
have built with our suppliers and strive to maintain close business
relationships in order to promote optimal benefits for our suppliers,
our customers and Iron Mountain.
At
Iron Mountain, we are committed to supplier diversity. We recognize
that minority, women and veteran-owned businesses, small business
enterprises, and other diverse organizations contribute significantly to
the overall economic strength of the country, the markets we serve and
the communities in which we live and work. At the same time, the use of
diverse suppliers helps Iron Mountain deliver to our customers the
highest quality services at the best price. Through our Supplier
Diversity Program, we promote the presence and growth of diverse
suppliers in the market by providing qualified firms with an equitable
opportunity to compete for business. Over the past 12 months, Iron
Mountain purchased more than $150 million in goods and services from
diverse suppliers and small business enterprises.
We
continue to seek opportunities to expand the use of diverse suppliers
and encourage qualified vendors to register with us. Learn more about
procurement at Iron Mountain here.
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MBE of the Week: Cheryl Harris & Associates, Inc.
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Cheryl
Harris and Associates, Inc. launched in 2004 as an independently owned
management consulting firm dedicated to authentic, purposeful and
effective leadership. We assist clients in three areas of organizational
effectiveness ; leadership coaching, tea m development, and diversity
and inclusion .
With
extensive experience, our seasoned consultants are trained educators,
lawyers, psychologists, theologians, and human resource executives. Our
diverse and rich backgrounds make it possible for us to weave effective
leadership practices with a true understanding of the human condition.
Some of our clients include Pfizer, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, and individuals.
We can help you with:
- Diversity and Inclusion Consulting
- Team Development
- Leadership Coaching
- Organizational Assessments
Recently, we announced the start of a new group coaching program, specifically for leaders of Color.
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MBE Input Committee Retreat at Water's Edge August 8
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| GNEMSDC Wins Grant from Connecticut Health Foundation |
 On behalf of the GNEMSDC Board of Directors, I want to announce that the Connecticut Health Foundation
has awarded the GNEMSDC a $50,000 grant to promote greater utilization
of the Affordable Care Act by MBEs not currently offering their
employees health insurance coverage All of the data suggest that
offering health insurance and other benefits are critical for small
businesses to attract the best talent and keep them. MBEs interested
in learning more about the Affordable Care ACT can call the office for
more information.
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Invitations for Bid and Opportunities
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- MBE looking for an experienced sales rep to cover the CT market, selling into the Biotech and Manufacturing industries. Highest commissions paid in the industry, and working for a company with over 23 years in business.
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Experience required, the right person could exceed 100,000 in total compensation. Needs to grow the region, but will also be given accounts to expand on in the CT area. All interested applicants can either email you and you can forward their info to me or they can email me directly atfrankq@qaisupply.com .
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The Boston Public School Department is seeking bid proposals "T0 provide hot and cold vended meals for the Boston Public Schools - Mu;ti Year contract (3 years) - RFP# 866" and for the "Purchase of fall sports equipment and supplies for Boston Public Schools - BID# BPS 867" If interested please contact Andie Kim for a complete bid proposal packet.
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One Source Mechanical Solutions is looking for Licensed HVAC Piping Refrigeration Installer for more information contact jlittle-greer@gnemsdc.org.
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Harvard
University is committed to increasing their efforts in hiring a more
diverse population at Harvard Medical School. Please visit their career website for employment opportunities.
- We have Saint Paul's Commons residential project available for Subcontractor bids. It is new construction, open shop, tax exempt. Bids due ASAP, before July 15. Architects - Guedes Associates, Inc.; GC - Primrose Companies, Inc.; Owner - Mutual Housing of South Central Conn., Inc.; Project location - Bridgeport; Site one - 412 Summerfield Ave, 40 apartments; Site two - 1525 Noble Ave, 16 apartments.; Construction start date - August 1, 2014. Contact: John N. Guedes / President Primrose Companies 1425 Noble Ave, BPT, CT 06610; Telephone (203)349-5180; Fax (203)322-0677.
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| Bridgeport Housing Authority Invitation to Bid |
Vacant Properties Grounds Maintenance Grass Cutting
Solicitation Number: 012-AM-14-S
The
Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport, DBA Park City Communities
(PCC) is requesting sealed bids from qualified Landscaping Contractor
for Grounds Maintenance (Grass Cutting) of properties located throughout
the City of Bridgeport. A complete copy of the Invitation for Bid may
be obtained beginning on JUNE 30, 2014 @ 1:00 PM at PCC's Executive Office located at 150 Highland Ave. A pre-bid conference will be held at 150 HIGHLAND AVENUE, BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604 ON JULY 15, 2014, @ 10:00 AM.
Although attendance is not mandatory, bidding the project without
attending conference and viewing the site is not in the best interest of
PCC. Additional questions should be emailed only to Caroline Sanchez
at bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than JULY 21, 2014 @ 3:00 PM. All answers to the questions will be posted on PCC's Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. All bids must be received by JULY 25, 2014 AT 3:00 p.m., at the office of the Housing Authority, 150 HIGLAND AVE, BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.
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And Finally...
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In case you missed last week, this is speech from Luncheon Comments at ESPN by Dr. Fred McKinney
on June 20, 2014
"What Do You As an MBE Have in Common With Disney?"
On
behalf of the GNEMSDC board of directors, let me thank The Walt Disney
Company and ESPN for hosting this Supplier Diversity conference today.
It is these types of events that provide great value to both MBEs/WBEs
and the corporate host. As many of you know, the GNEMSDC has a long and
rich history with Disney and ESPN. For the past two years, ESPN anchor,
Jonathan Coachman has served as our Awards Gala Master of Ceremonies.
Jay Harris, another ESPN anchor served as the moderator for the GNEMSDC
"Sports and Entrepreneurship Conference" in Boston in 2010, where we had
Herschel Walker, Magic Johnson and Sayers40 among other participants.
Before Stuart Scott became a household name, he did a wonderful video on
behalf of the GNEMSDC. And three years ago when we honored Jack Bryant
of Bryant Engineering for serving as a Red Tail in World War II, we had
George Lucas of Lucas Entertainment, now a Disney company as a video
presenter. And to top this off, Andie Arnold is a director of the
GNEMSDC. So thank you Disney for your support.
The
title of my talk this afternoon is: "What do you have in common with
Walt Disney?" On the face of it, it seems like a ridiculous question.
Disney has annual sales over $45 billion. Disney has employees on every
continent. Disney has thousands of employees. In the biography by Neal
Gabler points out that by the year of Walt Disney's death in 1966, 240
million people saw a Disney movie, 100 million people watched a Disney
TV show, 80 million read a Disney book, 50 million listened to Disney
records, 80 million bought Disney merchandize, 150 million read a Disney
comic strip, 80 million saw a Disney educational film, and nearly 7
million visited Disneyland. Walt Disney still holds the record for most
Academy Award nominations at 57 including one year in which he won 4
Academy Awards.
Not
many MBEs can match these accomplishments. However, every business, no
matter how big starts somewhere, usually with zero sales. Every business
has a leader, who is responsible for setting the course of the
business. Every business leader makes mistakes and either learns from those mistakes, or is destroyed by those mistakes. So let me start with another question.
How many people here have heard of a company called Newman Laugh-O-Grams?
Newman
Laugh-O-Grams was started in Kansas City in 1922. The company was named
after a KC businessman, named Frank Newman who owned a movie theater.
For some of us in the room, we remember that when you went to a movie
theater in the 1950s or before, cartoons were shown prior to the
featured movie. So it made sense that a movie theater owner would want
to vertically integrate and have his own cartoon production operation.
Newman provided some early working capital to a young cartoonist named
Walt Disney to create cartoons for the theater. Disney hired his first
employee and within a year the company was bankrupt.
Disney
moved to Hollywood in October 1923 and with the help of his brother Roy
created Disney Brothers Studio. And they say the rest is history. But
before we get to the $45 billion company that we know today, Walt Disney
had the same types of problems MBEs face today. And all of this success
started with a failure in Kansas City with a little firm called Newman
Laugh-o-Gram.
Walt
Disney during those early days reportedly slept at the office, worried
constantly about the financial viability of the company, but none of
that stopped him from taking big risks. Is this not what you do as
entrepreneurs today? How many of you believe that what you are doing is
superior or at least as great as the competition?
Despite
the success of Disney, Disney has significant competition, including
the likes of Fox Sports, CBS Sports, NBC Universal, Netflix, Play
Station, Microsoft and Google. I was surprised to learn that EA Sports
has sold 85 million copies of Madden Football, leading one analyst to
state that there are more people playing Madden Football on Sunday than
are watching the real thing. But before these global giants were
Disney's competition, Disney and Mickey Mouse had other competitors,
though animated, just as formidable. There was Betty Boop, Felix the
Cat, and who could forget Popeye the Sailor Man with his fashionably
thin girlfriend Olive Oil, Bugs Bunny, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and
Woody Woodpecker. So we all have competition.
And
we all have something in common as entrepreneurs: we have big dreams.
Your success today and in the future with Disney and all of your
customers is in your hands. So what should you being doing to maximize
this wonderful opportunity today? Here are a few things for you to
consider:
1) Focus on the Customer
It
has become the mantra of corporations around the world to repeat
something that the 18th Century Scottish economist Adam Smith said long
ago - "the customer is king". If you are in a market where you are not
taking care of that king, you are doomed to failure. If you have a real
problem with the customer being king, in general, you are doomed to
failure. If you are being particularly abused by a day, the customer
gets what they want eventually. Are you attending to your customer? Are
you anticipating their needs? Are you thinking of ways to assist them
accomplish their goals and solve their problems? If you do these things,
you will have loyal customers who will sing your praises, but never
forget, it is your customer that makes your success possible.
2) Focus on your business
What
are you doing today that is making your business noticeably superior to
the competition? Is it development of technology that allows you to
lower cost? Is it training your staff to be more productive? Is it
exploring new ways of organizing your operations? Is it how you relate
to the media and the public? Are you perceived as a leader in your
industry? And if you are not perceived that way, what steps are you
taking to become a leader? You must to something every day to improve
how you manage your scarce resources and put your company in the best
position to win market share and profitability. This is no different
from what Walt Disney had to do to become not just a leader, but a
cultural icon. In
the book, the E-Myth by Michael Gerber, he talks about your role as the
leader of your company using the metaphor of the cookie company. Yes,
it is your job to make the cookies, but more importantly, it is your job
to chart the direction of your company and see that it runs efficiently
and effectively.
3) Focus on Yourself
Walt
Disney died of lung cancer at the tender age of 65. From all reports,
he enjoyed a full life, but it was a life cut short by ill health. Walt
Disney like many of his time was a chain smoker all of his adult life.
He did not live long enough to see the opening of Disney World. He did
not live long enough to see the acquisition of ABC or ESPN. He did not
live long enough to see the globalization of the enterprise that bears
his name, simply because he did not take care of his own health. I want
to paraphrase the bible by saying "what profit a man to gain the whole
world, but lose his health." What are you doing to take care of
yourself? Are you walking? Eating right? Sleeping right? Living right?
If you don't take care of these things, somebody else will benefit from
your hard labor, and they might never appreciate the sacrifices you made
to create that wealth.
In summary, I want to close with one of Walt Disney's dictums:
"Provide
a promise, not a product." Is this not what you do every day? You have
so much in common with so many successful entrepreneurs throughout
history. The limits are what you create for yourself. Dream big and do
great things. I believe you can.
In your service,
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Copyright © 2014
by Dr. Fred McKinney, President & CEO of The Greater New England
Minority Supplier Development Council. All rights reserved. No part of
this online publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission from Dr. Fred McKinney. The graphics, forms and structure
contained within this site are copyright of Dr Fred McKinney.
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Dr. Fred McKinney, President & CEO
Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council
203-288-9744
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