May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
Feb 2005
Jan 2005
Nov 2004
Oct 2004
Sept 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
October 2003
September 2003
News Flash! June 2005
| •
2005 BOF Was The Best Ever! • BOF Breakfast Speaker Helps MBE Get New Contract! • New BOF B-to-B Format Was A Hit • BOF Image Award Winners • Plan To Meet At The PON • Golf Tournament To Benefit SLMBC Programs • Apply Now For Supply Chain Management Certificate • NextGen Makes List Of Fastest Growing Companies • Specialized Support For MBEs • New MBE Certifications ______________________________________________________________ Master of Ceremonies, Debra Hollingsworth, VP External Affairs of SBC, opened the program, followed by a lighthearted and heartfelt welcome by Julius Hunter, VP of Community Relations at SLU. Honorary Chair, Hugh Grant, CEO of Monsanto, was most interesting and endearing as he spoke about his company’s commitment to supplier diversity and why it just makes good business sense. But the highlight of the morning was keynote speaker, Wes Hall. He jump-started the BOF with his riveting performance that had all eyes and ears focused on him as he weaved his way throughout the audience. His messages were relevant to all: Good ain’t good enough, go for great!…Don’t chase the money, let the money chase you!…And the #1 factor in who you choose to do business with is INTEGRITY! The energy level was high as the morning session gave way to the MBE Exhibition in the adjoining room. Everyone was smiling and buzzing as MBEs connected with corporate representatives. The afternoon lunch session was conducted by Master of Ceremonies Lorna Godwin-Hutchinson and included a warm welcome from Honorary MBE Chair Himanshu Bhatia, CEO of Rose International, and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. The keynote address was delivered by SBC’s Randall Stephenson who talked about his company’s commitment to supplier diversity and what it takes for MBEs to get their share of the billion dollars plus SBC spends with minority businesses each year. This was followed by the new and exciting business-to-business format where MBEs could learn about expectations and opportunities available at specific companies. At the end of the day, co-chairs Deb Lebryk from Monsanto and MBE Ivan James from United Technology and Systems, Inc. were applauded for their efforts in making this the best BOF ever! BOF
Breakfast Speaker Helps MBE Get New Contract! As Token left to make the call, his colleagues from Rose International, a provider of IT services to companies and governments around the world, encouraged him with the chant, “Go, be great!” The conference call was with a large consumer products company Rose International had sought to do business with during the past several years. Inspired by Hall’s message, Token decided to make an extra push to get the major contract. That was the motivation he needed to seal the deal, Token said. He returned to the BOF to tell his colleagues he landed the contract – on the phone! And after Hall finished his speech, Token couldn’t wait to tell him the great news! And that’s not all. A few days after the BOF, Token wrote to Hall, “Today we won MCI.” Look for more BOF success stories in the next issue. If you’d like to share your story, please contact Harry Moppins at hmoppins@slmbc.org or call 314-241-1143. New BOF B-to-B Format Was A Hit The new format for the Business-to-Business portion of the BOF was well received. Called “Corporate Opportunity,” participating companies included Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Monsanto, Peabody Energy, MSD, MasterCard International and Colliers Turley Martin Tucker as well as 1st tier vendors Guckenheimer, North American and Today’s Staffing. During a 1½-hour session, each company presented opportunities, criteria and expectations for MBE companies with whom they would like to work. There was also an opportunity for everyone to visit one-on-one. Based on feedback from MBEs and the corporate presenters, this format will be further developed and expanded for next year’s BOF. Congratulations to the following MBE exhibitors who had the best booth presentation including with participants:
Judy Meador, publisher of the St. Louis Small Business Monthly and chair of the Awards Committee, presented the Image Awards at the luncheon. Plan
To Meet At The PON Golf
Tournament To Benefit SLMBC Programs New this year will be a greater opportunity to meet and do business together since we are encouraging each foursome to include both corporate and MBE members. Your support is extremely important as well as your sponsorship to help us meet our goals. More details will be coming next month. Let’s make this event the best ever! Apply
Now For Supply Chain Management Certificate CSCMS currently provides a Supply Chain Management Certificate to major companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Boeing and Energizer, which creates specific expectations for the vendors they want to work with. This certificate program brings the same type of benefits afforded these large companies to small and medium size firms so that everyone is on the same page, allowing small firms to meet and exceed expectations. The primary objective of the program is to help you grow your business by increasing customer service responsiveness and profitability, using superior supply chain management practices. This will help prepare you to become strategic partners with corporations, with the opportunity to obtain long-term contracts. Watch for further communications from the Council announcing dates for the program. What: Basic Supply Chain Management Certificate Program
Where: The John Cook School of Business, Saint Louis University The program is conducted by university faculty and industry practitioners and includes lectures, exercises, case studies, guest speakers, and industry panels. The program cost is $2,000. However, scholarships are available for SLMBC MBEs, reducing the cost to $400 for enterprises with annual revenues of $2 million or less and $800 for those over $2million in revenue. The Council is now accepting applications for participation in this sought-after program. For more information or an application, call Harry Moppins at 314-241-1143, ext. 122. NextGen Makes List Of Fastest Growing Companies The St. Louis Business Journal recently recognized NextGen as St. Louis’ 2nd Fastest Growing Private Company. This is one of many accolades recently bestowed on this SLMBC MBE. Through the end of 2004 and the first half of 2005, NextGen has been recognized for outstanding performance by clients (2004 SBC Vendor of the Year), the St. Louis Minority Business Council (2004 Enterprise of the Year) and by Bizdiversity.com among others. Congratulations from all your friends at the Council. We’re here to help you keep growing! Specialized
Support For MBEs Kevin Wilson, Director of the Empowerment Zone Satellite Center of SBDC, will conduct counseling sessions on Wednesday afternoons by appointment at the Council’s office. For more information, call Harry Moppins at the Council, 314-241-1143 or call Kevin directly at 314-621-0816.
New MBE Certifications
For more information about ongoing programs, workshops and general meetings, see our calendar at www.slmbc.org . |