CONNECTIONS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
www.scmsdc.org
February 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
Don’t miss MBOD 2014
Don’t miss MBOD 2014
There are B2B trade shows, business forums and networking events, and then there’s SCMSDC’s Minority Business Opportunity Day (MBOD). MBOD features all of the above in one convenient venue and takes place on March 5 and 6 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, with Toyota serving as title sponsor for the sixth consecutive year.
Corporate spotlight: Union Bank MBE smart tips News briefs
UPCOMING EVENTS
MBOD – the council’s signature networking affair -- is brimming with valuable opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs to meet corporate decision makers in person and gain knowledge and new skills from exciting workshops and seminars that will challenge the way businesses currently operate while increasing personal influence in business. Suppliers, purchasing, procurement and supplier diversity representatives from Who’s Who in Corporate America were 1,200 strong at last year’s event.
MBE Orientation March 27 - 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 newlycertified, those who are pending certification and others who have been certified but would like to get connected. Free event but seating is limited. Parking is not validated.
“MBOD 2014 will be exhilarating and exciting: a new venue in Universal City, professional matchmaking, corporate and supplier-recommended workshops, the ‘Hard Hat Pavilion’ and entrepreneurs and corporate members seeking each other out to do business all add up to a high energy event,” according to SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez. “Through the years, there have been countless relationships that began at MBOD and later led to business opportunities and contracts. To spend two days in this environment will be well worthwhile for all who attend.” Currently, the price to attend both days is $225 per person, or $160 for one day. To register, go to http://www.scmsdc.org/Events/MinorityBusiness-Opportunity-Day-(MBOD-/Registration for more details. Online registration closes at noon on March 3. Onsite registration will be available for the same price as advance registration. MBOD 2014 will feature the following:
Minority Business Opportunity Day March 5-6 Sheraton Universal Hotel MBOD exposes minority businesses to progressive workshops and seminars and provides valuable opportunities for networking with major corporations. For questions, contact events@scmsdc.org.
Wednesday, March 5 • Gravitas… The Path to Influence, Power, the C-Suite - Learn the secret to how to demonstrate power and gravitas. Panelists include: Commissioner Monica Rodriguez, Board of Public Works; Ying McGuire, vice president of International Business, TIG; Sheila Coates, creator of Be Your Own Brand (BYOB) and Beverly Kuykendall, president of Government Business, American Medical Depot (facilitator). • Ignite Your Business: Social Media Marketing Essentials - Learn how to use social media to your business advantage, presented by Ruiz Strategies’ Michele Ruiz, former Emmy award-winning news broadcaster
turned successful entrepreneur whose clients include world class companies.
Toastmaster Club Meeting March 13, 27 - 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 213-68969630.
• Toyota’s MBE Stars Shine Brightly - Interested in doing business with Toyota? Get the inside scoop from suppliers who succeeded! Listen as minority business enterprises (MBEs) share how they navigated the Toyota procurement process. • The Future of Corporate Supplier Diversity: Concept of Solutions Be a champion within your company. In this workshop presented by Johnson Controls Inc., a renowned leader in supplier diversity best practices, understand why traditional supplier diversity initiatives often fail and what professional supplier diversity personnel should know for their programs to succeed. Corporate members only, with Al Louis, global director of Supplier Diversity and Business Development, Johnson Controls, (facilitator). • Keeping It Real – An interactive session with business owners who face challenges in today’s marketplace and seek new ways to succeed in lieu of the perceived ‘tried and true way’ to success, facilitated by Memo Kahan, owner of PromoShop, an experienced promotional merchandising and marketing services company.
MBE2MBE Open House April 2 5 to 7 p.m. Location TBD
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. More details to follow.
Thursday, March 6 • An exhibit fair, where more than 400 corporate representatives will provide special insight on how to successfully enter their supply stream.
2014 THE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
2014 Supplier of the Year Awards Save the date - July 11 Hyatt Regency Long Beach
This event celebrates outstanding certified MBE partnerships with member corporations. MBEs are nominated by member corporations and compete in the local competition for the "Supplier of the Year" award in four major categories, determined by gross annual revenues. Local winners receive prestigious business scholarships, special recognition, and compete in the regional and national competition for the NMSDC "Supplier of the Year" award. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, visit www.scmsdc.org.
Corporations in attendance represent a wide range of industries, ranging from automotive, technology, entertainment, energy, retail and hospitality to food, banking, education and manufacturing. • A Construction Hard Hat Pavilion, at which general contractors and large corporations seek diverse businesses that provide constructionrelated services. Last year, 12 corporations and organizations with ongoing construction projects individually met with 150-plus potential subcontractors. • One-on-one matchmaking, where diverse suppliers can meet with corporate buyers for potential business opportunities in pre-arranged appointments. At last year’s event, 14 corporate representatives were introduced to about 100 suppliers in such areas as information technology, printing, marketing, law, janitorial services and transportation. Matchmaking registration opened Feb. 10 and will continue through Feb. 28. To participate, suppliers must be registered for MBOD and complete a matchmaking profile. Appointments are not guaranteed and are based on
the products and services as requested by corporate members. For details, go to http://www.scmsdc.org/Events/Minority-BusinessOpportunity-Day-(MBOD-/Matchmaking. In addition to Toyota as title sponsor, other sponsors and participants to date include: Southern California Edison; Northrop Grumman; Chevron; WellPoint; Wells Fargo; Kaiser Permanente; NBCUniversal; The Walt Disney Company; World Wide Technology, Inc.; Dell; Phillips 66; American Airlines; Los Angeles World Airports; MillerCoors; Turner Construction; Warner Bros.; Southwest Gas; Nestle; Southwest Airlines; American Honda Motor Co.; AT&T; Los Angeles Department of Power and Power; Southern California Gas Co.; Park Water Co.; San Jose Water Co.; California Water Association; Golden State Water Co.; San Gabriel Valley Water Co.; Fontana Water Co.; California American Water; Apple Valley Ranchos Water Co.; University of Phoenix; Duck Punk Productions; ASV; Campos Creative Works, Inc.; Cal Asian Chamber of Commerce; Latin Business Assn.; Guy Brown; VEDC; Professional Woman’s Magazine; Black EOE Journal; Hispanic Network Magazine; MBE Magazine; Minority Business News USA; SuperbTech, Inc.; Eco Absorb; Telecom Pacific; Seilevel; Hal Hays Construction, Inc.; Zones; RST Visions in Color; Mobile ID Solutions; Asian Business Association – Los Angeles; Kambrian Corporation; Collabera; UGL Services; Apex Computer Systems; and Business Resource Group. Visit http://www.scmsdc.org for the schedule and details for MBOD 2014.
Corporate spotlight:
Union Bank gains insights at Multicultural Roundtable Most major corporations with supplier diversity programs actively seek business opportunities with diverse suppliers. But not many take the time to solicit input from community leaders representing and serving diverse businesses to ask, “What can we do to better engage with minority business owners?” Union Bank recently hosted a Multicultural Roundtable at its Los Angeles headquarters, inviting heads of ethnic chambers, business organizations and other nonprofit organizations to share their insights and views with senior leaders from the bank. The purpose of the roundtable was to help the San Francisco-based bank better understand the needs of minority business enterprises (MBEs). The half-day gathering included representatives from SCMSDC, California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Latina Women Business Association, Filipino-American Chamber of Orange County, and Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, among others, who engaged in a healthy and honest dialogue with the bank’s
JOIN SCMSDC Visit www.scmsdc.org to find out about Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification, the MBE Health Insurance Program, major networking events, business development programs and more!
Community Banking, Business Banking, Corporate Social Responsibility, Supplier Diversity and Public Affairs groups. “Union Bank’s supplier diversity program has become an industry standard, and we are always interested in adding more MBEs to our supplier and customer base,” said Frank Robinson, senior vice president and Public Affairs manager for Union Bank. “The roundtable was an opportunity to hear from people who understand the needs of these business owners, and in general, they want banks across the country to strive to do a better job of engaging with diverse suppliers.” “Union Bank is a longstanding corporate member of SCMSDC because they believe as we do that helping MBEs to become sustainable and grow also helps to stimulate the economy and create jobs,” adds SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez. At the roundtable, participants spent the morning reviewing results from Union Bank’s survey of MBEs in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Survey respondents expressed the importance of the bank’s increased visibility and connection in the community and a desire to have banking professionals work as partners with business owners (i.e., more personalized service). Later, roundtable participants offered innovative ideas for the bank to better engage with MBEs, including the need for a more coordinated approach within Union Bank’s internal teams to enhance MBE success. As an example, if an MBE applies for a $50,000 line of credit at Union Bank and is declined, measures should be in place so the internal team can work together to ensure the business owner receives technical assistance to gain a future credit line or offer a referral for another potential funding mechanism. “We had great suggestions and dialogue and that’s why we wanted these folks here,” adds Robinson, noting the bank is reviewing the group’s suggestions and will continue to seek input and guidance. “We look forward to developing and enhancing our partnerships with these organizations to move our supplier diversity strategy forward,” Robinson said. To learn more about Union Bank’s supplier diversity program, go to https://www.unionbank.com/global/about/corporate-socialresponsibility/supplier-diversity/index.jsp
MBE smart tips
Managing your time more effectively Running a successful business takes a lot of time, but there’s usually not enough hours in a day to do everything you need to accomplish – oversee day-to-day operations, troubleshoot problems, pursue new business leads, and so on. Since you’re likely to be strapped for time most days, the key is managing your time effectively. In honor of National Time Management Month, here are few tips for better time management: • Set priorities. Make a list of the tasks that need to be completed to maximize profitability and/or meet deadlines and put them in priority order. Focus on the important tasks first, then move on down
the list. Having these on a list will help you keep track of everything you need to accomplish. • Delegate. This means acknowledging you’re not the only one who’s capable of handling a task. Take some of the workload off your shoulders and assign tasks to reliable and dependable employees. It usually takes less time to oversee someone’s work than performing it yourself. • Hire outsiders. Following up on the previous bullet, if you don’t have the capabilities in-house, hire consultants or former employees. These people have expertise in areas that you may not have, such as accounting, web development, sales and marketing. Outsourcing can save you time and money. • Use technology. With laptops, smartphones, texting, instant messaging, skype, etc., you can be anywhere and conduct business. Take advantage of technology so you can respond to emails anytime, anywhere. You don’t need to feel tied to the office and in-person meetings all the time. • Schedule regular times for certain tasks. If you must have regular meetings, set these for a certain time and day every week so people can use this period to raise issues. Of course, there may be other unexpected issues that may need to be dealt with in between meetings, but at least you can schedule this time in your calendar. You can also plan a certain time every day to make phone calls and return emails. These tips sound basic and they really are, but by keeping them in mind, you might find yourself being more productive, and therefore, more successful in your personal life and in business.
News briefs
Council celebrates Black History Month in ad supplement
In a special Los Angeles Times advertising supplement celebrating Black History Month, SCMSDC recalled the role that “African Americans as well as other ethnic minorities play in the economic development of Los Angeles and its surrounding regions through what is widely known in the corporate world as supplier diversity initiatives.” The Feb. 12 supplement included reference to the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and SCMSDC’s Founder Hollis Smith, a major player in the creation of the National Minority Supplier Development Council and a visionary “who laid the foundation in ensuring inclusion of minorities and other diverse businesses in corporate supply chains.” It also provided an overview of SCMSDC’s history, programs and services, including minority business certification, and the council’s role in linking minority business enterprises (MBEs) and Fortune 500 countries for the past 40 years. The supplement included photos from last year’s Supplier Diversity Roundtable, featuring corporate professionals, industry experts and MBEs, and award nominees from the Supplier of the Year Awards luncheon.
In addition, the supplement included a full-page ad for Minority Business Opportunity Day – the largest and most successful business trade show of its kind in the region -- which takes place March 5 and 6 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City. MBE 2 MBE Open House The first MBE 2 MBE Open House of the year was held Feb. 19 in Los Angeles at PromoShop, a promotional marketing services company that provides creative brand merchandise and custom premiums to both small and large clients. Promoshop has been a certified MBE since 2001 and has maximized the use of his certification by obtaining contracts with several member corporations. Furthermore, Promoshop’s owner , Memo Kahan, is also a member of the Minority Business Enterprise Committee (MBEIC). The event attracted more than 65 minority business enterprises (MBEs), members of the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC) and others. Promoshop also catered a Latin Fusion feast and beverages which were thoroughly enjoyed by all. Karen Blackwell from Nestlé was also hand to network with attendees and share information about the company’s supplier diversity initiatives. There are four additional scheduled open houses this year hosted by MBEs and corporate members at their facilities. The goal of these events is to create a forum for MBEs to network with other MBEs as well as a few select corporate members in a relaxed, after-hours atmosphere. The next open house is set for Apr. 2. Details to come in the next Connections.
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