ATLANTA! End of the year 2024 finale concluded with attending the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) in Atlanta. I was exhausted but exhilarated. Every moment was worth it!
Reflecting on last week's inspiring event. Thank you to all speakers, organizers, and exhibitors for the insightful sessions and engaging booths.
In between conference sessions - I had the pleasure of meeting several SBAs. I was truly impressed by their drive, determination, and enthusiasm for building partnerships. We discussed some of the challenges they face daily when approaching a larger enterprise co. and shared insights in hopes of helping navigate some of the conversations. If we connected and you still have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. While I'm not an expert, I networked with many supplier diversity leaders and can facilitate introductions.
⭕ Conference highlights:
>The Exchange offered a fantastic space to meet with new and existing partnerships. (Too many to name) @Federal Reserve, Cushman & Wakefield, U.S. Bank, Medtronic, State Street, CVS Health, Aon, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, AT&T Liberty Mutual Insurance, MassMutual, Jack Henry, Allstate, Wells Fargo, Accenture, JPMorganChase, Fannie Mae, Bank of America, PepsiCo, and so many more! Thank you for taking the time to connect and learn more about your supplier diversity programs and how you partner with MBE's.
>Main Stage Session with Stacey Abrams, founder of the American Pride Rises Network, offered profound insights into the significance and value of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In a fire side chat moderated by Bill Barrow, Stacey shared insights on how to redefine leadership in a way that embraces diversity, drives social progress, and empowers marginalized communities. Her speech concluded with a powerful call to action, urging attendees to speak up, stand up, and stay connected. The audience responded with a well-deserved standing ovation.
>Matchmakers the afternoon continued with a match makers session and Cheryl Hofmeister of Organon and Damon Williams, both global pharma. Appreciate their time and opportunity to introduce our company and the solutions we offer.
>Panels included Fifth Third Bank “Activating the Supplier Diversity Ecosystem” and importance of Leadership, Value - Driving Events, Conference Elevation, and National Partnerships. Discussed strategies around value - driving events national conference activation, and partnership engagement and philanthropy with Carla Cobb, and two minority small business owners the Bank has helped.
>Awards, Recognition and Gala Sending a congratulations and well-deserved recognition to all of the newly inducted NMSDC Corporate Plus Members and a thank you to Georgette "Gigi" Dixon, PhD and Ron Tate from Wells Fargo for presenting.
The evening ended with a performance by Eric Benet.
Hope to see everyone in Miami Nov 2-5, 2025.