The HMSDC Helps Minority

MBEs should register for HMSDC’s EXPO to gain insight into how they can REIMAGINE their business landscape, RECONNECT to the needs of customers and take advantage of immediate contract opportunities, and RISE STRONGER as a business partner with a clear vision of how to position your company for success.

—Ingrid M. Robinson, HMSDC President

The HMSDC Helps Minority Businesses Reimagine. Reimagine. Reconnect. Reconnect. Rise Stronger. Rise Stronger.

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) is a nonprofit organization committed to driving the economic growth of minorityowned businesses. The HMSDC is a vital link between major corporations and minority business enterprises (MBEs). During this pandemic, our minority business community is facing unforeseen struggles. And continuing to answer the call during these times is the HMSDC. An extension of their efforts is the upcoming HMSDC Virtual EXPO held on November 18th and 19th. This event is Texas’ largest minority business trade-fair, supporting the advancement of our minority business community.

Adapting to COVID-19, this event will be hosted virtually, with a theme reflecting on the state of minority business owners and the advice HMSDC has been offering since earlier this year to: Reimagine. Reconnect.

Rise Stronger.

The EXPO will bring a forum, sessions, award events, and speakers who include Houston Rocket and certified MBE entrepreneur Russell Westbrook

III and award-winning TV host, journalist, and author Roland Martin.

HMSDC’s goal is to provide a virtual experience that delivers on their four pillars: Certify, Develop, Connect, and Advocate. They have designed components of this year’s EXPO to address each of the four pillars for attendees to: · Reimagine your business. · Reconnect with customers. · Rise Stronger by investing in your business today to position you for tomorrow.

The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) is a great way to grow your business. I know from personal experience that the support and mentorship HMSDC offers is priceless. I strongly encourage your organization to be a part of the upcoming HMSDC Expo and consider becoming a member.

BOARD MEMBER

Keith "MR. D-MARS" Davis, Sr.

President & CEO Vaskey Media Group (MBE)

Reimagine. Reimagine. Reconnect. Reconnect. Rise Stronger. Rise Stronger.

The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council (HMSDC) is a great way to grow your business. I know from personal experience that the support and mentorship HMSDC offers is priceless. I strongly encourage your organization to be a part of the upcoming HMSDC Expo and consider

Q&A: Q&A: Subcontractors USA talked with Ingrid M. Robinson, the President of HMSDC, on the upcoming EXPO.

Talk about the honorees, speakers, and partners who are corporations and governmental entities in Texas. We supporting the HMSDC to make this virtual EXPO a great reached out to our corporate partners and larger success for attendees and the minority business community. MBEs and asked for donations to invest in our COVID-19

HMSDC is proud of its partnerships with Houston’s Recertification Assistance Program (RAP). We were most prestigious businesses. HMSDC has had a 20+ year pleasantly surprised at how quickly they responded to relationship with the Houston Business Journal, which the need. We are proud to report that we have been began with our Emerging 10 (E-10) Awards and has grown to able to provide every MBE who has requested assistance include our BizTalk session that provides key insights into with the funds needed to maintain their certification the latest business issues impacting Houston industries for the next year. We have corporate members like and businesses. Waste Management who have stepped up to sponsor

Each year, our Rigel Awards are HMSDC’s most prestigious the certification of 40 black female entrepreneurs who awards that recognizes those corporations that are setting participated in their Share the Mic and the Money Now new standards and establishing best practices for corporate program. supplier diversity programs. It also features those MBEs who are providing best in class service to their corporate In addition to this EXPO, how else has the HMSDC been customers. The Rigel Awards brings exhibitors together with serving/supporting our minority business community in general attendees to receive genuine recognition for their the midst of this pandemic? continued support and contribution to the development of We have also received a sponsorship from Russell minority businesses. This is our opportunity to recognize Westbrook Enterprises that has allowed us to sponsor our champions in minority business development! those 40 black female businesses participating in the Waste Management program through our Pathways As the HMSDC is tracking the contributions of MBEs that to Excellence (P2E) program. P2E is a business selfare helping combat the coronavirus, what have you assessment that helps diverse suppliers understand found? the standards and business requirements used by

We have found that MBEs are innovators. They respond major corporations and governmental entities in the to market demands quickly and have formed strategic supplier selection process. P2E provides the technical partnerships to allow them to scale and build capacity, assistance training to close identified gaps within providing the industry with the six pillars (HSSE, Cyber the PPE it needs to protect its workers and their families from “HMSDC has been using this Security, Quality, Corporate Policies, Technical, and COVID-19. Some of our MBEs have provided thousands of pieces of time to do some advanced Financials) reflecting business standards and corporate PPE equipment to our medical centers, energy companies, planning, re-evaluating requirements. This increases MBEs ability to compete for refineries, and universities. Frankly, our MBEs have also our 1-3-year strategy and higher added value contracts. Also, we have been hosting stepped up to support HMSDC, programs to ensure we our CEO Conversations other business development program designed to organizations, and MBEs alike. focus on delivering value allow MBEs to discuss Firms like Tom Ren’s (Global XLR) donated to nonprofit to our corporate members leadership directly with CEOs and senior executives organizations like HMSDC, SBA, the City of Houston, and others and MBEs by connecting of Houston’s largest public and private institutions. with hundreds of PPE masks for use by staff and to distribute to them through business CEO Conversations is a transformational learning MBEs struggling as a result of the global pandemic who could opportunities, addressing the journey designed to enable large MBE companies to learn not buy cost competitive PPE in social demand for change from top industry leaders small quantities. In some cases, and enable them to innovate they even offered discounted created by inequities facing within their business and pricing to prime suppliers of our major corporations so that minority business owners.” ultimately within their industry. Participants the construction industry could engage in robust dialogue access the demand it needed —Ingrid M. Robinson, with peers during the CEO without pulling from the resource HMSDC President Mindshare sessions, allowing stock pile needed by our medical them to share ideas and industry. It is stories like these seek feedback to develop that happen over and over again new solutions to business that make us proud of the MBEs we have in the HMSDC. challenges – all while leveraging learnings from the program. The key sponsor of this program is Accenture. Talk about your progress on HMSDC’s COVID-19 Relief Featured CEOs since March include: Sylvester Turner, Assistance Program. Mayor of the City of Houston; Bob Harvey, President and

Shortly after COVID-19 shut down our city back in early CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership; Armando Perez, March, the HMSDC did a survey of its MBEs to better Executive Vice President of H-E-B; and Brian Coffman, understand their needs and their struggle to survive as President and CEO of Motiva Enterprises. small businesses. We understood how critical it would be for those struggling firms to be able to maintain their certification in order to do business with major

The HMSDC understands the difficulties that this pandemic has brought to businesses, as they have been faced with adapting to these challenging times as well. But through leveraging online learning and communication tools, seeking new sources of revenue to help small businesses through the pandemic, and hosting events like this EXPO, they are remaining sensitive to the needs of their members without diluting the value of their services. For more information and to register for the HMSDC’s Virtual EXPO held on November 18th and 19th, please visit expo. hmsdc.org or call (713) 271-7805.