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News Flash! May 2005
• Last Chance To Register For The BOF! Last Chance To Register For The BOF! The 20th Annual Business Opportunity Fair (BOF) is just a few weeks away. MBEs still have time to reserve a booth, and corporate members still have time to register. But you must hurry. All participants must have a badge to enter the exhibition area, and you'll appreciate getting your badge in the mail instead of the day of the event. Don't forget, there's a reception for all participants on Tuesday evening, June 14 from 5:30 - 7:30 at the Hyatt Regency Union Station. The fair begins with MBE set up at 7:30 am and breakfast at 8:30 am on Wednesday, June 15 at the St. Louis University Busch Student Center . Shuttle parking will be available for only $4 (no charge for Early Bird MBEs). For more information about the BOF or to register, visit the Council's website at www.slmbc.org or call 314-241-1143. New BOF Business-to-Business Opportunities This year the Business-to-Business portion of the BOF will be conducted in a totally new and unique way. MBEs: YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT! During the afternoon session from 1:30 - 2:30 , up to five member companies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Monsanto will have their own private room filled with opportunities. Each of these companies will invite four of their 1st tier vendors to briefly present 2nd tier opportunities to MBEs. It is open to all certified MBEs who are registered to attend or exhibit at the BOF. Watch for more details soon. By the way, did we say don't miss this event?! SLMBC PON Debut Makes A Splash! The first meeting of the Purchasing Officers Network (PON) under the auspices of the SLMBC was held May 10 at Monsanto Company. Over 25 members jumped in feet first to hear stimulating corporate and MBE presentations. The featured speaker was Valerie Joyner from Enterprise Rent-A-Car who presented the success of the "Enterprise Open Door Forum," where MBEs who matched specific opportunities available presented their capabilities. This success story was followed by presentations from three MBE companies selected by PON members who had successful partnerships with companies they highly recommended. They included Brown-Kortkamp Moving & Storage and Awards Specialties , both recommended by Monsanto, and Unlimited Water Processing recommended by Washington University . The next PON meeting will be Monday, July 18 at 7:30 am at Monsanto. All corporate members are encouraged to attend. Mark your calendar and watch for details. Workshop With Reggie Williams A Success As part of the SLMBC Education Series for corporate members and MBEs, Reggie Williams, CEO of Procurement Resources based in Atlanta , conducted workshops on May 17 at World Wide Technology in Maryland Heights . Entitled "Supplier Diversity as a Business Advantage," the morning session was directed to corporations while the afternoon session was devoted to MBEs, including tips for working the BOF. In between the sessions, there was a brown bag lunch which provided networking opportunities. Workshop participants came away with new information and ideas to help improve and maximize supplier diversity programs. The next corporate educational workshop, "Implementing a 2 nd Tier MBE Purchasing Program," is scheduled for September. More information will be available this summer. Golf Tournament To Benefit SLMBC Programs The 11th Annual SLMBC Golf Tournament is scheduled for September 22. Save the date postcards are being mailed, so be sure to etch this date on your calendar or highlight it in your Palm Pilot. This exciting event features great golf, great food and great networking opportunities. More importantly, it's a fundraising event to help the Council fulfill its mission by providing ongoing corporate workshops, educational programs to grow minority-owned businesses and other supplier diversity 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. Details will be coming in July. Let's make this event the best ever! The University of Missouri system has awarded contracts to the following MBEs: Centrex Electrical Supply, Legacy Building Group, Young's Distributing, Inc., Millennium Engineering & Sales, Pyramid Supply and Capital International Communications. Congratulations from the Council and keep up the good work! Please let us know if our corporate members and MBEs are doing new business together. If you're looking for counseling, training or technical assistance to address your specific business needs, then look at what the Counsel is offering certified MBEs. It's specialized business support with assistance from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Every small business can learn more about finance, marketing, production, organization, and engineering or could use help with technical issues or feasibility studies. 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. Welcome New Corporate Members and MBEs The Council welcomes these new corporate/government members: Aramark, City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Also, we congratulate these new St. Louis-area MBE certifications:
Plus, we are thrilled to welcome these new reciprocal certifications from businesses based outside of the St. Louis region:
For more information about ongoing programs, workshops and general meetings, see our calendar at www.slmbc.org . |