January 2006
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SLMBC Ready to Build on 2005 Success
Last year marked one of the St. Louis Minority Business Council’s (SLMBC) most successful years to date.
Thanks to the ongoing support of our staff, corporate members, and MBEs, SLMBC saw significant expansion in 2005, including the receipt of a $250,000 grant from the Ameren Community Development Corporation (CDC) to develop and launch new educational programs, including the Focused Growth Program.
The Focused Growth Program will establish mentor-protégé relationships for SLMBC high-potential MBEs in an effort to help these businesses successfully compete for prime contract and subcontract awards. The companies will also have access to a special pool of loan funds they can leverage through SLMBC’s existing loan programs.
More details about the Focused Growth Program and other exciting new developments will be announced in the weeks and months ahead.
Our continued support of MBEs and corporate members also paid big dividends in 2005. MBE revenue will be reported in the February newsletter.
To assure SLMBC is staffed to meet the needs of our member corporations and MBEs, two new SLMBC staff members will be hired in 2006.
As you can see, we had a highly successful year in 2005 and are off to a great start in 2006. Be sure to read Connections (SLMBC’s monthly online newsletter) for more information on important news and updates throughout the year.
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SLMBC Honors Leaders in Supplier Diversity
The St. Louis region’s leading corporate executives, procurement officers, and minority business owners gathered in early December for an evening of celebration and reflection as part of the 2005 St. Louis Minority Business Council Excellence Awards Program.
Guest speaker John Clendenin, owner of IC Logistics and a certified MBE, gave attendees much to think about as he challenged listeners to take a stand in the ongoing effort to expand business opportunities for the region’s growing population of minority business owners.
On the heels of Clendenin’s remarks came the public recognition of those individuals and companies that made significant contributions to the advancement of supplier diversity throughout 2005.
The following MBE companies received the 2005 SLMBC Excellence Awards:
- American Pallet-Midwest for outstanding performance in manufacturing
- Capital International Communications, Inc. for outstanding performance in distribution
- Legacy Building Group for outstanding performance in construction
- TSI Engineering for outstanding performance in professional/other services
The following SLMBC member corporations were recognized:
- Monsanto – Corporation of the Year
- Washington University – Government/Institution of the Year
- Jeff Sharpe of Monsanto – MBE Buyer/Coordinator of the Year
The Chairman’s Award for outstanding service supporting the Council’s mission was presented to:
- Deb Lebryk of Monsanto
- Maria Ayres of Corporate Express
- Ivan James of Ivan James & Associates/UTS, Inc.
Congratulations to all of our 2005 winners. We look forward to even greater success in 2006.
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Holiday Network Reception and Annual Meeting Recap
SLMBC closed out 2005 with our annual Holiday Network Reception and Annual Meeting held at the Charles F. Knight Education Center on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.
There were a number of corporate members and MBEs on hand to hear the official announcement of the AmerenCDC grant to SLMBC for the development and launch of the Focused Growth Program.
The evening also included introductions of the new Chairman of the Board for the SLMBC, new Board members and new MBEIC members. They are:
Tony Trupiano, SSM Health Care – Chairman of the Board
Joe Hegger, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker – Board Member
Maria Ayres, Corporate Express – Board Member
Audrey Jones, The UPS Store – MBEIC Member
Dr. Don Cook, Capital International Communications – MBEIC Member
Tariq Ahmed, Incredible Web Company – MBEIC Member
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SLMBC Holds First Purchasing Officers Network Meeting of 2006
More than 30 corporate Purchasing Managers attended the first Purchasing Officers Network (PON) meeting of 2006 on Monday, Jan. 9, at Express Scripts in Maryland Heights.
During the session, PON members continued their discussion on the business case for supplier diversity. At the September 2005 PON meeting, members began a dialogue on the reasons why supplier diversity is important to business. The Council used feedback from the meeting to develop a comprehensive white paper (Supplier Diversity: A Business Imperative) that was released in December 2005.
The business case was discussed in detail at the meeting, with a specific focus on the following areas:
- Market Share
- Customer Expectations
- Workforce Development
- Corporate Image
- Risk Management
- Investor Relations
- Innovation
- Supply Chain
Annetta Vickers of T.A.B. Company, sponsored by Valerie Joyner, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Sam Owusu-Agyeman of General Distribution, sponsored by Bob Weinstein of Washington University in St. Louis, presented information on their companies’ offerings. MBEs interested in presenting at future PON meetings should speak with a corporate partner.
PON meetings are voluntary sessions that offer corporate members and corporate-sponsored MBEs the opportunity to share ideas, engage in dialogue, and build valuable relationships with one another.
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The SLMBC Welcomes New Certified MBEs
December:
| Jason K. Wilson |
Applied Pressure Washing, LLC |
| Richard V. Gentry |
R&T Janitorial and Maintenance Services |
| Barbara Ringo |
Top Flight Cleaning and Maintenance, LLC |
January:
| E. Douglas McFarlin |
GOT Wireless, LLC |
| Mary Johnson |
Mary One and Roz Enterprise, LLC |
| Michael E. Ward |
Project Management Solutions |
| Jeffrey White |
Town & Country Masonry and Tuckpointing |
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MBE Accomplishments
The St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers recently honored the SPK Joint Venture, a partnership of Sverdrup, Parsons and Kwame Building Group (KWAME), and the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Program Management office for their work managing the $1 billion Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Expansion.
The St. Louis RCGA and the St. Louis office of Deloitte & Touche honored 50 companies with The Greater St. Louis Top 50 Award. The following SLMBC-certified companies were recognized:
Kwame Building Group, Inc.
The Newberry Group, Inc.
Rose International
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Corporate News
Our first new corporate member of 2006 is Ameristar Casino.
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The 2006 Calendar is Ready
You can visit the SLBMC Web site at www.slmbc.org to check out a complete 2006 calendar of SLMBC events.
Be sure to mark your calendars for an important event that is coming up in the next few weeks:
Gale Sayers – February 27
From the football field to the Board room, NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers knows what it takes to win.
Following a stellar football career with the Chicago Bears, Sayers launched a successful computer supplies business. Using the same winning principles learned on the field, Sayers grew his business into a world-class provider of technology products and services.
Sayers will share his successes, challenges, and lessons learned as an MBE during our joint session with the Institute for Supply Chain Management. Please visit www.slmbc.org and click on the News and Events button for registration information and ticket prices.
We hope you can join us for this special dinner meeting on Feb. 27.
Content Submission
To submit content for future editions of the newsletter, please contact Valerie Shelton via e-mail vshelton@slmbc.org or 314-241-1143.
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St. Louis Minority
Business Council
308 North 21st Street
Suite 700
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
phone: 314-241-1143
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