newsletter

OCTOBER 2006

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car & T.A.B. Company: A Perfect Match

• SLMBC Celebrates Record Attendance at 12th Annual Golf Classic

• Mark Your Calendar for Excellence Awards Gala

• Get Connected – Join the VIC Community Today!

• The Focused Growth Program: Putting Businesses on the Fast Track

• MBE Spotlight

• Corporate Member Spotlight

• New MBEs and Reciprocals

SLMBC Celebrates Record Attendance at 12th Annual Golf Classic
MORE

Enterprise Rent-A-Car & T.A.B. Company: A Perfect Match

Talk to Annetta Vickers and she’ll tell you that love is in the air.

This savvy and incredibly enthusiastic entrepreneur has watched a promising start-up business deal with Enterprise Rent-A-Car blossom into a bona fide partnership that just keeps getting stronger.

Annetta is founder and president of T.A.B. Company, a distributor of office, construction, and electrical supplies. In just eight years, T.A.B. – named after Annetta and her two children – has generated more than $5 million in annual sales and outgrown building space three times.

Sure, Annetta acknowledges that hard work, commitment, and sacrifice are at the heart of her company’s success, yet she’s quick to express heartfelt appreciation for the many business customers that have remained steadfast in their support. Her customer list includes school districts, construction companies, and government agencies, among others, and it’s a roster that makes her proud.

But, mention Enterprise, and Annetta’s enthusiasm rises to a whole new level. “I’m in love with Enterprise,” Annetta admits with a chuckle. “My family is in love with them. My church is in love with them. Because they bless us all.” Here’s what she means:

In 1999, Annetta met Enterprise’s Director of Corporate Purchasing and Supplier Diversity, Gene Roth, through her connection with a leading office supply distributor. After presenting her wares to Enterprise, Annetta and Gene brokered a contract centered on T.A.B.’s distribution of toner cartridges to multiple locations within the Enterprise network. Over time, toner cartridge deliveries expanded to include remanufactured toners. And, about a year ago, Annetta sealed a deal to provide Enterprise’s stationery products, including business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. All told, T.A.B.’s business with Enterprise has increased 70-fold in just seven years.

“Our relationship with T.A.B. started small, but we knew early on that this was a well-run organization with great leadership, so we wanted the partnership to grow,” Gene says. “The Enterprise-T.A.B. partnership is proof that forming long-term strategic alliances pays off.”

When asked to drill down on the “payoff,” Gene quickly identified numerous advantages of working with T.A.B. and other minority business enterprises:

Flexibility
Fast response time
Access to the president
Innovative and creative solutions
Competitive (and often lower) pricing
Opportunities for growth and expansion

“Some of our greatest partnerships come from MBEs,” Gene adds.

Gene and Annetta credit the St. Louis Minority Business Council (SLMBC) and several of its corporate members for getting their relationship off the ground.

“If I hadn’t been certified by the Council, I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in today,” Annetta asserts. “As a certified MBE, I had the opportunity to connect with the Council’s corporate members, which eventually led to my contract with Enterprise. I’ve also attended some of the nation’s top minority business training through the Dartmouth and Northwestern schools of business. These are programs I didn’t even know about until I got involved with the Council. I know that if I go to large companies and say that I’m an SLMBC-certified MBE, then I’ve at least established the opportunity to do business.”

Gene explains that the certified MBE status is important to most corporations that want to do business with diverse vendors and that want to ensure that MBEs have the opportunity to compete for contracts with large companies.

“Certification is an assurance that these companies are MBEs – at least 51 percent owned, operated, and controlled by minorities – with viable, competitive businesses,” Gene says. “The networking opportunities that SLMBC presents to its corporate members are incredible. We have very high service and quality expectations at Enterprise, so our goal is to find vendors that work well for us and to stick with them for the long-term. Through the Council, we have an effective way to find MBEs that can deliver above and beyond our expectations.”

Enterprise Rent-A-Car/T.A.B. Partnership At-A-Glance

Start date: 1999
Services: T.A.B. provides original toner cartridges, remanufactured toner cartridges, and stationery products (e.g., business cards, letterhead, envelopes) to Enterprise
Cost-saving solutions: T.A.B. introduced remanufactured toners to Enterprise to lower costs by 40-60 percent and better serve the environment
Added value: T.A.B. offers custom-order Web sites for some Enterprise locations to help lower the chance for order errors
T.A.B. Contact Information

5561 Enright Avenue

(314) 531-2130 (office phone)

(314) 367-0910 (fax)

Products include office supplies, stationery, and office supplies

www.tabsales.net

TOP

SLMBC Celebrates Record Attendance at 12th Annual Golf Classic

More than 160 golfers gathered at the Stonewolf Golf Course and Far Oaks Golf Club on Thursday, Sept. 28 for the 12th Annual SLMBC Golf Classic. The record-breaking crowd included corporate members and MBEs.

Thanks to Bill Adams of Corporate Express for two groups of volunteers who worked both golf courses, Eddie Pritchard of World Wide Technology, Craig Kelly of Corporate Facility Solutions, Karen Ward, and all corporate and MBE volunteers.

TOP

Mark Your Calendar for Excellence Awards Gala

Mark your calendars for this year’s Excellence Awards Gala on Thursday, Nov. 30 at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. You won’t want to miss this festive, black-tie affair where we will honor the outstanding achievements of our region’s MBEs and corporate members.

Nominee notification letters were mailed out Oct. 23. On-line registration will be available on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

The night will kick off with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., music will be provided by The Jazz Edge, followed by the dinner and awards program at 7 p.m. We’ll close out the night with a champagne toast and dance that will start at 8:30 p.m.

TOP

Get Connected – Join the VIC Community Today!

On October 11, 2006, the SLMBC held its General Membership meeting. More than 50 MBEs and corporate members heard SLMBC President James Webb provided a strategic overview of how the Council was developing programs to support MBEs and corporate supplier diversity programs that were in varying stages of development. He discussed a continuum of services for MBEs and corporate members that included the Focused Growth Program (FGP) and the Virtual Information Community (VIC).

The General Membership meeting marked the launch of the VIC, a business education and contracting web portal that’s like having a mini-SLMBC at your fingertips around-the-clock.

VIC’s creation began with a discussion about effective ways to respond to the Technology Partnership for Small Business Task Force’s findings that the US economy could see an additional $200 billion in annual revenue if the technology gap for minority- and women-owned businesses is closed. After assessing local technology needs, SLMBC secured financial support from Ameren CDC to create the VIC. MBE partners Lightspeed Technologies, Frontier Group and Inkosi Design Group managed the technical and design aspects of the project. MBEs Hicks-Carter-Hicks and LD Ingrum Photography, and corporate members Express Scripts, Macy’s, Monsanto, MSD, SSM Health Care, and Washington University were instrumental in testing and shaping the VIC prior to its rollout.

Today, VIC has online education and contracting tools that MBEs can access that will help them grow their businesses. Corporations can enter the VIC and post their contracting opportunities, search for qualified MBEs and notify MBEs of opportunities. Soon VIC will have discussion groups so that procurement officers can share best practices and entrepreneurs can get advice on growth strategies from their peers. Also coming soon is a tool that will allow SLMBC members to identify and sign-up for in-person education opportunities at a reduced cost.

VIC is dedicated to being a true community, and this is just the beginning. With built in flexibility and a committed program manager, VIC can respond to your changing needs. If you are interested in “meeting” VIC and learning about the opportunities it can unlock for your business, you can contact Anjanette Brooks at SLMBC, (314) 241-1143 or email at abrooks@slmbc.org .

The VIC is available exclusively to SLMBC-certified MBEs and corporate members.

TOP

The Focused Growth Program: Putting Businesses on the Fast Track

Many of you have heard about the Focused Growth Program (FGP), SLMBC’s recently launched initiative to help successful businesses with proven track records become even stronger. With the right mix of expert advice, targeted training, and access to financial and technological resources, these businesses can gain greater market share, grow their staffs, and generate higher earnings.

The FGP’s comprehensive application process, business assessments, and MBE reviews by the Mentorship Committee help participants better understand their business goals, opportunities, and challenges.

Five companies currently participate in the FGP and have benefited from:

Personal introductions to key corporate decision makers
Advice on mergers and acquisitions
Input on branding and overall management techniques
Customized educational programs

SLMBC wants three to five more FGP participants by the end of the year. Slots are limited, so if you are interested in submitting an FGP application, please do so as soon as possible. For more information on the FGP, call Dana Hill of SLMBC at (314) 241-1143 or e-mail him at dhill@slmbc.org.

TOP

MBE Spotlight

Congratulations to Mrs. Katherine Anderson, President of Andy’s Seasonings, on being selected the 2006 Salute to Excellence in Business, Entrepreneur of the Year by the St. Louis American Foundation, St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. Mrs. Anderson will be recognized at the Salute to Excellence in Business Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 9, 2006.

Tony Thompson, President of Kwame Building Group, was appointed to the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education by Gov. Matt Blunt.

World Wide Technology Inc. was awarded an information technology procurement contract by Missouri state government.

TOP

Corporate Member Spotlight

InformationWeek Magazine recognized the following corporate member companies for their technological innovation:

A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.

Ameren Corporation

Brown Shoe Company

Graybar Electric Company

Maritz Inc.

Laclede Gas Company’s General Counsel, Mark Darrell, was named 2006 Corporate Executive of the Year by the St. Louis American Foundation, St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

TOP