CONFERENCE WRAP-UP
NMSDC Conference Emphasizes Critical Links Between Corporations And Minority Businesses
More than 7,000 Minority Business Owners and Purchasing Executives Attended
T
he National Minority Supplier Devel- opment Council (NMSDC) hosted its annual Conference and Business Opportu- nity Fair at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, October 30 through November 2. Considered the na- tion’s benchmark forum on minority sup- plier development, the four-day event at- tracted
more than 7,000 attendees,
including Asian, Black, Hispanic and Na- tive American business owners, as well as Fortune 500 chief executive officers, cor- porate minority supplier development pro- fessionals, purchasing executives and deci- sion-makers,
and representatives from
international NMSDC counterpart organi- zations.
“Atlanta has evolved into a dynamic business hub for some of the nation’s top corporations, and is home to a thriving mi- nority business community representing a strong mix of industries,” said NMSDC President Joset B. Wright. “We are excited to bring our signature event to Atlanta. It provides a unique opportunity for NMSDC to help foster profitable business relation- ships between our corporate members and innovative minority suppliers from Geor- gia and across the country.”
The theme for this year’s conference was “Minority Businesses and Corporate America: Raising the Bar through Sustain- able Strategies.” The event schedule began on Monday, October 31, with a one-day Business Opportunity Fair—the largest na- tional procurement event of its kind. The tradeshow featured more than 700 corpo- rate and minority business exhibit booths. A Leadership Development Series with concurrent sessions for minority business owners, buying organizations/supplier di- versity professionals and NMSDC regional council presidents was held on Tuesday, November 1st. Twenty-two content-rich workshops and plenary sessions were held Wednesday November 2nd, led by chief executive officers from the nation’s leading corporations, corporate supply chain pro- fessionals, subject matter experts on mi- nority supplier development, and govern- ment officials. The conference culminated Wednesday
evening with an Awards Banquet to honor the Corporation of the Year, Suppliers of the Year, Minority Supplier Development Leader of the Year, and NMSDC Regional Council of the Year. The Georgia Minority Supplier Devel-
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10 HISPANIC NETWORK MAGAZINE Celebrating 19 Years of Diversity
opment Council, one of NMSDC’s 37 re- gional councils, co-hosted the conference. As an added educational benefit of at-
tending the conference, supplier diversity and supply management professionals had the opportunity to take the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) exam for its new professional designation—Certified Professional in Supplier DiversityTM (CPSDTM)—in Atlanta on Thursday, No- vember 3rd. NMSDC worked collabora- tively with ISM to develop the curriculum for the designation and arranged for mem- bers of either organization to take the exam.
About NMSDC Providing a direct link between corpo-
rate America and Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American-owned businesses is the primary objective of the National Mi- nority Supplier Development Council, one of the country’s leading corporate member- ship organizations. It was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority busi- nesses of all sizes. The NMSDC Network includes a na-
tional office in New York and 37 regional councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including America’s top publicly- owned, privately-owned and foreign- owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. The Regional Councils certify and match more than 16,000 Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their products and services.
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