CONNECTIONS
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
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IN THIS ISSUE Dedicated to advancing supplier diversity MBE Spotlight: KAL Architects New board member: Rick Hobbs How I made it Smart tips for MBEs News briefs
UPCOMING EVENTS
Leadership Excellence Awards October 1 - 6 to 9 p.m. 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 sponsorship and ticket details.
City Toastmasters Meeting September 25, Oct. 9 - 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.
September 2014
Dedicated to advancing supplier diversity
Bill Imada is only 2nd minority entrepreneur to receive LEA SCMSDC corporate members are typically the ones most dedicated to advancing supplier diversity, not minority business enterprises (MBEs). But Bill Imada, founder, chairman and chief collaboration officer of IW Group, a minority-owned advertising, marketing and communications agency focused on the growing multicultural markets, has made it his passion to support minority business growth.
Bill Imada
For his tireless work and contributions, SCMSDC will be honoring Imada at its 30th annual Leadership Excellence Awards dinner, which will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The council will also recognize several corporate members for their exemplary achievements in minority supplier development and creating business opportunities in the minority community. “Bill is only the second MBE to receive our Leadership Excellence Award,” according to SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez, noting Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and CEO, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and founder and chairman, Magic Johnson Foundation, received the award in 2008. The Leadership Excellence Awards is one of SCMSDC’s signature events, honoring individuals and corporations that have taken on leadership roles in supplier diversity.
“As a highly successful entrepreneur, Bill understands the journey of building and sustaining a business, but along the way, he has been supporting other MBEs become more successful,” she adds. “He has been an invaluable resource in helping us achieve our mission of creating stronger ties between corporate members and MBEs. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”
This year, IW Group also received SCMSDC’s Supplier of the Year Award (Class III, annual sales between $10 million and under $50 million). USC Bridge to Business Success, Los Angeles Oct. 4 + eight consecutive Saturdays This program provides training to build the capacity of small minority and women owned businesses and to enhance their contract opportunities. After training, participants will be contract-ready. For construction contractors, plumbers, electricians, landscape architects, and/or related fields. Minimum 2 years in business. Small to medium-sized businesses, with preference to low-to moderate income. $499 enrollment fee.
October 30 - 2 to 4 p.m. SCMSDC Headquarters Learn how to best leverage your MBE certification. Great for newly-certified, those who are pending certification, and those MBEs who have been certified but would like to get connected. Free event! Last Thursday of each month.
3rd Annual Women Business Owners Conference, Newport Beach Oct. 30 - 7:30 am - 5:30 pm Hear inspiring speakers and meet hundreds of successful women business owners. The conference will include networking opportunities, dynamic speakers, workshops, exhibit area. Presented by SCORE. For details click HERE.
Visit www.scmsdc.org for more events.
"I am grateful for the opportunities my company has been given by SCMSDC and by so many of its corporate and governmental members," says Imada, adding, “I am fortunate to be surrounded by people who believe in the value of diversity." "I once asked a corporate executive who hired me to tell me the best way I could repay him for believing in me,” Imada explains. “He said help 100 people and my debt to him would be repaid in full. I added a few zeroes and plan to help one million." For more than 20 years, Imada has represented some of the top companies in the U.S., including American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Farmers Insurance, Godiva Chocolatier, McDonald’s, Southern California Edison, Walmart Stores and others. He is active in the community and serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the Advertising Educational Foundation, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Center for Asian American Media and the LAGRANT Foundation. Imada also co-founded the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund and established the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship. He was invited to meet President Barack Obama with 12 other Asian/Pacific Islander American leaders and was also appointed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Imada holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in business management from Cal State Northridge. He is also a graduate of the Coro Foundation's leadership training program in public affairs and an Advanced Minority Business Executive Program graduate from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. The council will also be honoring 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 nominees include USC, American Honda Motor Co. and Los Angeles World Airports. The MBEIC annually nominates local and national corporate members for Corporation of the Year Awards. The National Minority Supplier Development Council’s national corporate nominees competing for the NMSDC Corporation of the Year Award are automatically placed in competition for the local, regional council award.
Event sponsors to date include (platinum) Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas; (gold) Toyota; (silver) WellPoint; (bronze) Northrop Grumman; (corporate tables) AT&T, Chevron, EastWest Bank and NBCUniversal. For information, sponsorship and ticket details to the black tie event, visit www.scmsdc.org.
MBE Spotlight: KAL Architects
Fulfilling a dream and advocating on behalf of others By age 6, Rita Kalwani already had a love for math and art. When her dad said she’d make a great architect someday, Kalwani embraced the idea. “I took that on as my quest in life,” she says. Ten years later, even before studying architecture in her native India, she set another goal – to create her own architectural practice. She achieved both objectives. After immigrating to the U.S., Kalwani, who wanted to provide personalized architectural services and build a business from the ground up, created KAL Architects in 1991. Today, it is a full service architectural, engineering, interior design, planning and construction management firm based in Irvine, Calif.
Rita Kalwani
KAL Architects has 20 employees, comprised of architects, engineers and technical and administrative staff, and counts the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; cities, including Irvine, Los Angeles, Costa Mesa and San Clemente; and utilities, such as Southern California Edison, among its clients. “Our vision is to create functional and aesthetically pleasing environments that respect the people who use them, and, at the same time, conform to the sustainable and highest design standards,” says Kalwani, noting the firm prides itself on having many repeat customers. Overcoming challenges
Like other entrepreneurs, Kalwani quickly realized that starting a business takes time and patience. “The first few months were really hard,” she says. “People were very encouraging, but when it came down to it, they already had established relationships with other architectural firms.” Kalwani, who is also an interior designer, got a break when Nestlé, a former employer, hired KAL Architects as a consultant. During this time, the firm became certified as a small, disadvantaged business through the Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program, which led to state and federal contracts. As a new business owner, she found it difficult to collect payments from small and private entities. “Often times, they never paid or delayed making payments despite full completion of the work assignment. In contrast, large corporate and public agencies consistently and promptly paid the contracted fee at the end of each project. As a result, even to this day, we actively pursue large corporate and public projects,” she says. Kalwani also learned the importance of ongoing business development to ensure a steady flow of work. After a few “start-stop” work cycles, she hired an employee whose primary assignment was to identify and respond to contract opportunities. This responsibility is now handled by KAL Architects’ marketing team. Sharing small business/MBE insights Through her SBA certification, she became part of an informal group of 15 architectural firms that shared their experiences and insights. Kalwani soon saw the value of mentoring and supporting each other and how this contributed to her firm’s success. KAL Architects, certified by SCMSDC since 2007, also benefited from mentoring and contract opportunities through the council, according to Kalwani. Wanting to be an advocate for other business owners, she joined SCMSDC’s Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC) this year. The committee has highly accomplished minority business enterprises (MBEs) who volunteer their time to provide the council and SCMSDC board members with feedback on issues affecting MBEs. “By becoming a part of the MBEIC, I wanted to discuss the issues small businesses are facing in the hope that there will be action taken to remove some of these obstacles,” she says. ”I look forward to supporting the MBEIC in the upcoming months.” Strategy for success Kalwani says her strategy for success has focused on three main areas: marketing (focusing on business development, diversifying services, planning for tomorrow), people (creating team alliances, listening to customers, having qualified staff, mentors and advocates)
and financial (being fiscally conservative, developing relationship with a bank). She says it’s also important to attend conferences and workshops, train staff and conduct periodic analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Her advice to other MBEs is to “be patient, believe in yourself, be creative and reinvent yourself and your company.”
New board member: Rick Hobbs As director of Supply Management and Supplier Diversity at Southern California Gas Co., Richard “Rick” Hobbs has a big job, managing the utility’s entire supply chain, which includes the procurement of goods and services, warehousing and logistics and supplier diversity. It’s obvious that Hobbs, SCMSDC’s newest board member, is very good Rick Hobbs at what he does, particularly overseeing procurement with minority, women and service disabled veteran owned businesses. SoCalGas achieved an unparalleled 45.4 percent spend with diverse suppliers in 2013. “My job and my personal life are all about diversity and inclusion. In my work, I learn more about diversity and inclusion in one week than many do in a year,” says Hobbs, who is also responsible for the development and execution of capacity building and technical assistance programs designed to encourage small business growth. Hobbs says he looks forward to serving on SCMSDC’s board as it is the “premier agency to help develop and publicize minority firms. The council’s programs and events help build the capacity to transition -- to great heights -- our minority companies, the lives of their employees and the communities from which they originate.” He adds, “As a 31-year employee of SoCalGas, I proudly embody our cornerstone value of embracing and engaging the diversity of our customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve. Through SCMSDC, I hope to share what I have learned through my experience and personal diversity to further the cause.” During his career at the utility, he has worked in customer assistance, marketing, public affairs, strategic planning, customer service, energy efficiency program portfolio management and distribution operations.
Hobbs, who received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Redlands, is a founding member of the Long Beach Heritage Foundation and a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He lives in the Hollywood Hills with his partner of over 20 years.
How I Made It
Who has been your greatest influence?
‘I’ve been fortunate to have many important mentors in my life, but when I think of my life and career in Los Angeles, the first person who comes to mind is Lee Solters, the legendary PR maven. Lee, who kept working until his death at age 89, was Aaron Walton unfailingly generous with his time and put me in touch with countless people who helped my career without expecting anything in return. While I could share a million terrific, hilarious stories involving Lee's brilliance on behalf of his clients (including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, and Michael Jackson), he was also a man who left me with incredibly astute observations about business that have allowed me to adapt, grow and evolve through the turbulence that came with the territory.
Lee never felt he was ‘owed’ anything because of his past achievements and remained current while his contemporaries spent too much time wanting to things to be the way they were. His most important lesson: be willing to change everything, except who you are as a person. Authenticity matters. If you stay true to who you really are, people will celebrate your ability to push your career in a new direction and find ways to work with you.’ Aaron Walton, co-founder of Walton Isaacson, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Miami. Walton Isaacson won SCMSDC’s Supplier of the Year Award (Class IV, gross annual sales $50 million or greater) four of the last five years.
Smart tips for MBEs
Becoming a more effective leader ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ – John Quincy Adams
With SCMSDC’s Leadership Excellence Awards right around the corner, the topic of leadership is certainly timely. If you’re a minority business entrepreneur, the ability to be a strong leader goes hand in hand with being successful. Here’s why – your leadership will inspire and motivate your employees to do their best work and as a result, they’ll remain more loyal, productive and committed to the company over the long-term, which can lead to greater success. While many leaders are born that way, there are others who learn through experiences and adopt certain qualities and behaviors to become better leaders. Here’s a rundown of some of the things you can do to lead more effectively: •Be positive. No one likes negativity, so no matter how challenging the work is, be optimistic and focus on solutions, not problems. By the same token, focus on the positive in your employees, offer constructive feedback and help them feel good about their work. This will go a long way towards building loyalty and respect. •Be decisive. As an entrepreneur, you often have to make tough decisions. Make sure you have all the information you need, then make an informed decision and stick with it. Have confidence you made the right decision and don’t dwell on the past. •Treat others the way you want to be treated. This means being honest, fair, supportive and direct, when warranted. Your actions will inspire employees to think outside the box, take risks and help fulfill your company’s mission and vision. •Encourage two-way communications. Knowledge is power, and the more informed employees are, the more empowered they feel. Communicate often and solicit employee feedback so everyone feels their voices are heard. •Strive for excellence. This means never accepting the status quo, encouraging creative thinking to solve problems and identifying new processes and work flows. Set an example of continuous improvement. Keeping these tips in mind will help you become a stronger leader and more successful in business.
News Briefs
‘Mardi-Gras’ open house attracts large crowd Start with minority business enterprises (MBEs) connecting with each other and building relationships, combine it with an opportunity to meet diversity and procurement representatives from major corporations, add a Mardi-Gras theme, and you have a highly productive, fun-filled night and the most successful MBE 2 MBE Open House to date!
The event was held Sept. 10 and hosted by the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC) and Long Beach-based, MBE FCI Management Consultants, a full-service energy/utility consulting company. The “power networking” event attracted more than 150 MBEs and representatives from Disney, Verizon, MUFG Union Bank, Fluor Corp., Walmart and the City of Los Angeles and included opportunities to learn about the latest on green technology that could make your company stand out by making it more sustainable.
During the event, Corporate members provided insight into corporate procurement processes and strategies for winning contracts. In addition, FCI provided refreshments, music and raffle prizes throughout the evening, including two tickets to the Leadership Excellence Awards October 1st.
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