122 www.blackeoejournal.com Black EOE Journal
CONFERENCE WRAP-UPS
T
he National Minority Supplier Develop- ment Council (NMSDC) held its 50th Anniversary Conference & Exchange in beau- tiful and historic New Orleans with record breaking attendance. The theme this year was Its Time to Disrupt Our Own Status Quo, an idea that was clearly on display throughout the conference. After a day of pre-conference International Day programming, the convention officially began on Sunday, Oct. 30 with several indus- try group and committee meetings including the National Minority Business Enterprise Input Committees (NMBEICs) OA 22: Opportunity Accelerator LIVE (nmbeic.org/ program), an opportunity for MBEs to come together and share strategies for accelerating MBE growth. After a busy day of meetings, attendees were able to unwind with a Bon Temps Welcome Reception at the historic Fillmore New Orleans featuring local music and cuisine representing all the communities served by NMSDC. Attendees came together bright and early on Monday to hear from important NMSDC fig- ures from the past and present during Mondays Main Stage Keynotes. NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire set the tone for the conference with a rousing opening speech that reflected on the history of NMSDC, while lay- ing out the path forward for the next 50 years. Perhaps the most notable moment of the
NMSDC Challenges the Status Quo
50th Anniversary Conference
day was the historic signing of an alliance agreement between NMSDC and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) aimed at strengthening MBEs. MBDA Under Secretary Don Cravins Jr. shared remarks about the importance of the agreement before signing on behalf of the MBDA. Later in the day, attendees also heard from representatives of the Small Business Administration (SBA) including Administrator Isabella Guzman about how the agency was disrupting the status quo to support MBEs. Day two of the conference included an insightful main stage conversation between MSNBC/NBC news anchor and journal- ist, Richard Lui and National Urban League CEO and President Marc Morial where they discussed the state of race in America and the impact the current climate has on minor- ity businesses. Morial also announced the launch of Build Up Local (builduplocal.org), a partnership between NMSDC, the National
NAPOLEON COMPLEX PROJECT
U.S. SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire backstage with the conferences marketing and events company, ABCD & Company.
NAPOLEON COMPLEX PROJECT
A New Orleans-based stilt walker and performer chats with conference attendees at the Amazon booth on the floor of The Exchange.
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