NMSDC CONFERENCE & EXCHANGE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN NEW ORLEANS

Attendees convened for NMSDC’s hybrid national conference designed to disrupt the status quo.

Emerging from a time of uncertainty and restricted in-person engagements, the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) held its 50th Anniversary Conference & Exchange in the vibrant and culturally diverse city of New Orleans this past fall.

With the conference theme, It’s Time to Disrupt Our Own Status Quo, a record number of minority business enterprise (MBE) owners and corporate members came together to move the needle on NMSDC’s mission of advancing economic equity for communities of color.

Ying McGuire, CEO and president of NMSDC, is proud of the accomplishments made by certified MBEs, and said, “Their continued perseverance and dedication to growing their businesses is key to achieving our ambitious goal of $1 trillion and beyond in annual revenue for NMSDC-certified MBEs and the ultimate end of the racial wealth gap once and for all.”

The conference opened with an enthusiastic welcome from McGuire on Saturday, Oct 29, 2022, followed by Expanding Beyond Our Borders, NMSDC’s International Day of pre-conference programming that focused on the trajectory of global exports and imports on the United States supply chain.

After several industry group meetings on Sunday, including OA22: Opportunity Accelerator LIVE and Real Talks: Men’s Health Bros and Brunch, attendees were treated to the Bon Temps welcome reception at The Fillmore.

Monday’s events included opening remarks from McGuire, who shared her vision on how the next 50 years will unfold. This was followed by past NMSDC presidents Louis Green, Harriet Michel, Adrienne Trimble, and Joset Wright-Lacy sharing stories about their disruption of the MBE ecosystem.

A standout moment of the day was the signing of a historic alliance agreement between NMSDC and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), aimed at strengthening MBEs. “Now that the MBDA is a permanent agency, there is a real opportunity to partner with the federal government to accelerate MBE growth,” said Lisa Whaley Morris, NMSDC vice president of strategic alliances and programs.

Morris recommends that minority businesses owners continue to build on the relationships and learnings from the conference. “On the relationship side, smaller MBEs need to continue to build on the relationships from the conference that can help them grow their business. On the corporate member side, it’s imperative that they think creatively about how they can incorporate more MBEs in their supply chains and throughout their lines of businesses.”

Following Monday’s excitement, MSNBC/NBC news journalist Richard Lui moderated a fireside chat with Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and current president of the National Urban League. They discussed the state of American race relations today, the role of minority entrepreneurs in society, and the impact of race on minority businesses. This was immediately followed by a New Orleans marching band and ribbon cutting ceremony led by basketball celebrity Earvin “Magic” Johnson that opened the Exchange. Other highlights included numerous power talks and engagement with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Transportation (DOT).

As part of the evening’s events, NMSDC hosted a 50th Anniversary Concert at Champions Square, where attendees partied to the sounds of Sheila E. and Bell Biv Devoe. The conference concluded on Wednesday with a 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony and Farewell Reception.

McGuire noted several extraordinary conference moments. “First, I think the intentionality of corporate partners to build meaningful relationships with our MBEs was on full display this year. So many of our MBEs walked away with new and exciting business opportunities,” she said. “Second, the wisdom that was shared from everyone in our community through the new impact labs and power talk sessions is going to lead to some real disruption in business supplier diversity. Lastly, this year’s conference was our most inclusive ever, highlighted by the 50th Anniversary Steering Committee members who are prominent business leaders representing every community of color we serve that came together behind a united vision to accelerate MBE growth and create generational wealth for these communities.”

McGuire considers the value of the NMSDC network second to none. “The tireless work of our passionate corporate members, dedicated team members from our national office and regional affiliate councils, and innovative minority business enterprises to strive toward greater economic equity is what makes NMSDC such an important and impactful organization.”