CONNECTIONS
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
www.scmsdc.org
August 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
Celebrating 30 years of leadership excellence
Celebrating 30 years of leadership excellence
Representing a wide array of industries, they have taken the lead in advancing supplier diversity by creating, promoting and implementing initiatives that support the development and growth of minority business enterprises (MBEs). And, on October 1, their outstanding achievements will be recognized at SCMSDC’s 30th annual Leadership Excellence Awards, which will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Kaiser, Bank of America join Billion Dollar Roundtable Smart tips for MBEs News briefs
UPCOMING EVENTS
LAUSD Small Business Boot Camp Seminars September 10 - November 5 Wednesdays 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District, this 9-week program provides the necessary tools to improve your competitive capacity. At its conclusion, small business contractors will be ready to bid on LAUSD and other public contracts. Course topics include: bonding/certification, how to develop a safety plan, public contract law, access to capital, marketing and more. For information, contact Ken Billups, kenneth.billups@lausd.net. Register at: www.laschools.org/sbe
The council will be honoring several corporate members that have been nominated for Corporation of the Year Awards by SCMSDC's Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC). This year’s national award nominees include: Kaiser Permanente; MillerCoors; Nestlé North America; Northrop Grumman Corp.; Randstad; Southern California Gas Co.; The Walt Disney Company; Toyota; Union Bank; and US Bank. Local corporate members nominated include USC, American Honda Motor Co., and Los Angeles World Airports. As leaders of the approximately 1,600 MBEs certified by SCMSDC, the MBEIC annually nominates local and national corporate members for exemplary achievements in minority supplier development and creating business opportunities in the minority community. The National Minority Supplier Development Council’s (NMSDC) national corporate nominees competing for the NMSDC Corporation of the Year Award are automatically placed in competition for the local, regional council award.
Emcee Danny Romero addresses the sold-out crowd during the 2013 Leadership Excellence Awards.
Winners are selected based on a pre-established point system by six MBEs (three MBEIC members and three MBEs
at large) and five invited leaders of diverse advocacy organizations in Southern California. September 10 - 5 to 7 p.m. Hosted by FCI Management Consultants
The SCMSDC MBEIC invites you to enjoy an evening of premier business networking. Don't miss this opportunity to make new contacts, raise your profile and "work" your certification with other MBEs, members of the MBEIC and select corporate members. Cost is $30.
The council will also be presenting its prestigious Leadership Excellence Award to Bill Imada, founder, chairman and chief collaboration officer of IW Group, a minority-owned and operated advertising, marketing and communications agency focusing on the growing multicultural markets. The award is given to an individual whose leadership has made positive impacts and advanced the economic development of minority-owned businesses.
City Toastmasters Club Meeting September 11, 25 - 9 to 11 a.m. SCMSDC Headquarters
Participants will hone speaking and leadership skills in a friendly and non-threatening atmosphere. The SCMSDC chapter caters to business owners and their employees. Contact: Natalie Masiello, nmasiello@scmsdc.org or 213-689-6963.
Former Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (second from left) receives the 2013 Leadership Award from Assemblyman Steven Bradford, SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez and SCMSDC Board Chair Joe Alderete. MBE Orientation September 25 - 2 to 4 p.m. SCMSDC Headquarters
Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to best leverage your MBE certification and how the council can help. Great for newly-certified, those who are pending certification and others who have been certified but would like to get connected. Free event Parking is not validated.
Leadership Excellence Awards October 1 Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills This event will celebrate, recognize and honor an individual whose leadership makes a positive impact on the minority business community as well as corporations that have achieved supplier diversity excellence. Visit www.scmsdc.org for more events.
Previous Leadership Excellence Award recipients include former Assemblywoman Gwen Moore; Ron Litzinger, president of the Southern California Edison; Robert “Bob” Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and CEO, Magic Johnson Enterprises and founder and chairman, Magic Johnson Foundation. “The Leadership Excellence Awards is one of our most prestigious events as corporate members and MBEs come together to honor the best of the best in a formal, black-tie affair,” says SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez. “Our Leadership Excellence Award recipient, as well as all of our Corporation of the Year Award nominees, are highly deserving of the council’s recognition for their extraordinary work to not only advance supplier diversity, but bring economic benefits and job growth to local communities.” Please plan to join us for the Leadership Excellence Awards. This affair is an excellent opportunity to network with corporate members and MBEs.
Attendees enjoying the reception at the 2013 Leadership Excellence Awards
Kaiser, Bank of America join Billion Dollar Roundtable Congratulations are in order for two corporate members -- Kaiser Permanente and Bank of America – for becoming the two newest members of the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR). Kaiser Permanente and Bank of America are the first in their industries to receive this distinction, and join 18 other U.S.-based corporations that spend $1 billion or more annually for a broad range of goods and services with certified diverse companies whose majority owners are minorities and women. The BDR, created in 2001, inducts new members biannually. “Bank of America and Kaiser Permanente are two of the nation’s most important and influential corporations. Like our 18 other corporate members, Bank of America and Kaiser Permanente are demonstrating their commitment each and every day to the principles of corporate supply-chain diversity and inclusion,” said Sharon Patterson, BDR president and CEO. Other BDR members include AT&T Corp.; Avis Budget Group; The Boeing Company; Chrysler LLC; Dell Inc.; Ford Motor Corp.; General Motors Corp.; Honda; IBM Corp.; Johnson & Johnson; Johnson Controls, Inc.; The Kroger Co.; Lockheed Martin Corp.; Microsoft; Procter & Gamble Co.; Toyota Motor North America, Inc.; Verizon Communications, Inc.; and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Smart tips for MBEs
Building capacity for future growth
Capacity building: The process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in the fast-changing world. Capacity building is critical for any business, but it's particularly challenging for small and minority-owned businesses. Oftentimes, they are qualified to take on more customers, yet they lack the capacity, or the skills, knowledge, processes, and/or financial backing, to compete for larger contracts. Without expanding capacity, minority business enterprises (MBEs) can't grow and prosper as corporations are not likely to give them bigger contracts. In many
cases, corporations have contracts to award MBEs, but they can’t find suppliers with the capacity to handle the jobs. Thus, MBEs are unable to take their businesses to a higher level. Here are a few simple ways MBEs can build capacity: Skills improvement: As your business grows, you may find that you are lacking the necessary skills to run all aspects of your business, such as finance and accounting. Take the time to learn and build those skills. You can also seek the advice of others, such as business consultants, to fill in any gaps. Better systems: There’s always room for improvement in any operations. Are there systems in place or is everything informal? Oftentimes, small businesses do things a certain way because that’s the way it’s been done in the past. Evaluate your systems and look for ways to increase efficiencies and productivity and lower costs. Also, document procedures so you won’t miss a beat if an employee leaves. Create partnerships: If you’re not able to meet the requirements of a contract because you lack skills or experience, consider partnering with another MBE that has the strengths in areas where you’re weak. You’ll gain experience in a new area and will be able to market it for another project. Seek advice and tips: It’s always a good idea to get advice from others. Attend SCMSDC events and ask other MBEs to share information on how they won larger contracts. They may be able to share resources and provide connections to pursue, or even want to partner with you on a contract. By taking the time to learn, improve, create partnerships and seek advice, you’ll soon have the capacity you need for future growth.
News briefs
MBE 2 MBE Open House
What better way to spend a relaxing evening than networking with fellow minority business enterprises (MBEs) in beautiful downtown Los Angeles?
If you attended the August MBE 2 MBE Open House, hosted by Sanders, Roberts & Jewett LLP, an independent legal firm specializing in multiple areas of business litigation, you were treated to a panoramic view of the city,
great food and an animated, exhilarating group of MBEs. The event attracted more than 50 people, most of whom were in the professional services industry, especially law. Corporate attendees included Ricoh USA and the City of Los Angeles. SCMSDC encourages MBEs to view one another as potential customers and clients, and as companies that may complement one another to go after larger contracts. The open houses bring them together for an evening of premier business networking and potential teaming, partnering and strategic alliances. The next MBE 2 MBE Open House will be held Sept. 10 and will be hosted by FCI Management Consultants, located in Long Beach. Cost is $30. Register at http://mbe2mbesept.eventbrite.com. Kudos to MBE Magazine
Congratulations to Barbara Oliver and MBE Magazine for their phenomenal reporting of newsworthy issues regarding the minority and women business community, procurement, supplier diversity and other topics that impact this community. Founded in 1984, the magazine, dedicated to the success of minority and women business owners, celebrates its 30-year anniversary serving as a crucial information source to the supplier diversity community, chronicling news significant to diverse suppliers. Originally a corporate member of SCMSDC under Ginger Conrad, the magazine was purchased in 2012 by Oliver, publisher and president of the minority and woman-owned Enterprise Publishing Inc. Join the MBE Magazine team this November for its 30th anniversary celebration at the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s conference in Orlando, Florida. Company culture not limited to large firms
If you think the culture of a company is only important to large corporations, think again. Company culture is also key to the success of small businesses, particularly as they grow, according to new research. A recent Business News Daily article reports that nearly 60 percent of entrepreneurs believe that company culture grows in significance as the number of employees at the business increases. Culture becomes even more important to businesses, “particularly after the 10th employee joins the team," the researchers wrote in a study by Turnstone, an office design firm. The study was based on surveys of 515 small and managers of companies that had fewer than 100 employees.
Eighty-nine percent of small business owners surveyed said that culture is an important contributor to a company's success, yet less than one-third said they were satisfied with their current culture. Business owners also reported that company culture affects them positively by boosting productivity and creatively, attracting and retain employees and customers and helping the business become more profitable. The study revealed that business owners need to improve their company culture by doing a better job of motivating employees and boosting team spirit and collaboration and offering more office perks, such as free meals, wellness programs and flexible work arrangements. Entrepreneurs also acknowledged that company cultures could be improved by improving the office environment, helping employees take control of their growth and development and offering learning and development opportunities.
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VISIT OUR WEBSITE Visit www.scmsdc.org to learn more about minority business enterprise (MBE) certification, the MBE Health Insurance program, major networking events, business development programs and more!