Supplier Diversity National Conference Begins Tomorrow in Atlanta

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Briefs. Discussion »

7,000 Expected

Native Brief: ATLANTA - The National Minority Supplier Development Council Friday announced the featured speakers who will headline its 2011 Conference and Business Opportunity Fair in Atlanta, Georgia.

The four-day event will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center beginning Sunday, October 30. Nearly 7,000 procurement executives, supplier diversity professionals and Asian, Black, Hispanic and American Indian business owners will be in attendance. The theme of the Conference is "Minority Businesses and Corporate America: Raising the Bar through Sustainable Strategies."

"The diverse lineup of conference speakers represent a broad spectrum of industries, knowledge and experience in corporate procurement, minority business ownership and supplier diversity," said National Minority Supplier Development Council President Joset B. Wright. "They will provide insight on the intrinsic value of minority supplier development to corporate America and share proven strategies MBEs must develop to succeed in the global corporate supply chain."

The conference program opens on Monday, October 31, with a Power Breakfast featuring Marie C. Johns, deputy administrator for the US Small Business Administration. Ms. Johns was appointed to her position by President Barack Obama. In that role, she contributes to management of the agency and development of SBA policy. Previously, she served as president of Verizon Washington, where she helped develop products and services for the company's small business customers. She retired in 2004 after 21 years in the telecommunications industry.

The one-day Business Opportunity Fair follows the Power Breakfast. After a short ribbon-cutting ceremony, the doors open to an exhibit hall featuring more than 780 exhibit booths - the ideal venue for a day of deal making with Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses. The conference program resumes with David Segura, chief executive officer of VisionIT, as the featured luncheon speaker. Mr. Segura established the firm in 1997 and has led its growth to become one of the most-recognized Hispanic-owned companies in the US. The Detroit-based company provides information technology consulting, managed services, staffing and vendor management services to Fortune 500 corporations and major public sector clients in the US at the federal, state and local levels.

On Tuesday, Eric S. Trevan, president of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED), is the speaker at the Power Breakfast. In his role as president, he is responsible for leading business, commerce and economic development in Indian Country; operating four federal programs; and managing eight offices across the country. He is also responsible for the Reservation Economic Summit, the nation's largest American Indian economic development conference.

Sidney Johnson, vice president of global supply chain management at Delphi Automotive, will moderate a plenary session titled "Real World Supply Chain Management." Session speakers include Rick A. Frazier, vice president of supply chain at The Coca-Cola Company; Nick Gunn, vice president of global procurement at Hewlett-Packard; Timothy Harden, president of supply chain and fleet operations at AT&T Services; and Linda MacLean, vice president of global procurement and real estate at United Parcel Service. They will discuss how buying organizations work closely with their suppliers as they evolve into efficient supply webs of intricately-linked companies.

Chiqui Cartagena is the featured speaker at the Tuesday Luncheon. Ms. Cartagena is the vice president of corporate marketing at Univision Communications, the leading media company serving the American Hispanic market. She leads the development and implementation of corporate marketing strategies, directs the positioning of Univision's portfolio of brands and creates proprietary consumer research tools for the company. She has more than 25 years experience in Hispanic media and marketing, and is the author of "Latino Boom! Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business in the US Hispanic Market."

Wednesday starts with a Power Breakfast featuring Dr. Calvin Mackie, president and chief executive officer of The Channel ZerO Group, an educational and motivational consulting firm he founded in 1992. Terry J. Lundgren, chairman of the NMSDC Board of Directors and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Macy's, Inc. will moderate a plenary session titled "The View from the Top: The Future of Minority Business Development." The featured speakers are James E. Rogers, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Duke Energy Corporation, and Shigeki Terashi, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America. They will discuss global business trends and how minority businesses add value for corporate America.

Nina Vaca-Humrichouse, chairperson of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Technical Resources, is the featured speaker at Wednesday's Luncheon. Pinnacle provides IT-enabled solutions in vendor management, as well as IT staff augmentation services, professional staffing and payroll services. She founded the company 15 years ago and has led its growth into a $200 million enterprise and the third-fastest growing firm in a $20 billion industry.

The conference also includes 20 workshops covering such topics as Aligning Minority Supplier Development with the Corporate Strategic Planning Process; Emerging Trends and Issues Affecting Supply Chains; MBEs and the Global Supply Chain; How Minority Supplier Development Relates to Sustainability; and Identifying Next Practices for MBE Development. Panelists represent more than 45 corporations such as AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Chevron, Chrysler, Cintas, Cisco, Citigroup, Clorox, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, ConocoPhillips, Cummins, Dell, Delta, Eaton, Exxon Mobil, Ford, General Motors, Georgia Power, Hewlett-Packard, Honda, IBM, International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, Kellogg, Kroger, Macy's, Northrop Grumman, Pacific Gas & Electric, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Raytheon, Shell, Southern California Edison, Starbucks, SUPERVALU, Toyota, UPS, US Postal Service, Verizon, Walgreen, Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo.

posted October 29, 2011 6:20 am edt