The minority business enterprise event of the year is happening this month on the shimmering shores of Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami — one of the nation’s most prominent locations for continued growth and expansion of MBEs.
Hosted by the Minority Business Development Agency Export Center, Florida’s 36th annual Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference & Awards Power Lunch takes place on Oct. 19 at the Inter Continental Hotel, 100 Chopin Plaza, Miami, FL 33131.
Theme of this year’s all-day conference is, “Minority Business Enterprises – On the Cutting Edge of America’s Economic Growth.” Admission for this all-day event is free for pre-registered guests.
Miami is often referred to as “The Magic City” because it is the core of a region that from its earliest days has seen non-stop growth. It also is regarded as the gateway city to Latin America in terms of trade and business, with well over 60 percent of its population foreign-born.
As a result, according to Marie Gill, president of M. Gill & Associates, and operator of the MBDA Export Center, “For minority-owned businesses, not only is this the place to be in the Southeast U.S., it is also one of the best locations for MBEs to obtain increased financing and contract opportunities and to create and retain jobs.”
A branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the primary goal at Florida’s MBDA Export Center is to foster the growth and global competitiveness of minority businesses.
“In order to achieve this important goal, it is critical that stakeholders from the private and public sectors collaborate on growth opportunities for MBEs — and frankly, we are proud of part we play in successfully achieving this goal for our community.”
One of the reasons for the great success of the Florida MBDA Center is the excellent relationship it has with the City of Miami.
“Since 2008, the city has been our Export Center’s Cost Share Strategic Partner,” Gill noted. “As such, our center is housed in a City of Miami building and they provide administrative support, marketing, and outreach services. They even provide referral of small businesses for technical assistance services.”
As the longest running business-matchmaker conference in the region, MEDWeek serves to position minority businesses together with corporations and government agencies.
“This year, we are not only excited to continue this tradition, but to re-energize the annual conference with a range of new speakers and program offerings,” Gill continued.
One exciting new addition to the program is the introduction of the speakers for the Breakfast Plenary Session. Grey Dodge, director of policy initiatives with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), and his colleague, DEO’s Deputy Chief of Staff Erin Gillespie, will explain their role in overseeing Florida’s Opportunity Zones program and coordinating the DEO’s disaster recovery programs with external stakeholders.
Opportunity Zones are designed to give a break to businesspeople who have capital gains that they want to invest into the community, giving investors a return through greater access to financing, while at the same giving them an opportunity to invest in the underserved areas of the community, to create jobs, and boost local prosperity.
“I am eager to learn more and to engage our community in this State of Florida program, because it is a new initiative that MBDA Centers across the country are pursuing, and we don’t want to be left behind on anything that means growth for minority businesses, and job creation,” Gill said.
“After all, we are in the information business so if it presents opportunities that we can share with our clients and contacts, we want to be at the table – perhaps even at the head of the table – with this new program for local investors.”
This presentation fits in well with the mission and objective of the matchmaker conference, which is to provide meaningful “take-aways” for businesspeople that can be useful in their growth and next steps moving forward, according to Gill.
“Even if a business is just starting out, our MEDWeek Host Committee has designed a program that is diverse enough, so that there is something there or someone there for everyone to benefit from,” she added.
The all-day conference launches with a range of educational concurrent sessions for small and minority-owned businesses (8:30-11:30 a.m.), covering such topics as: Access to Capital; Access to Contracts; Access to Markets, and
Branding Strategies.
Keynote Speaker Efrain Gonzales, Jr., associate director for business development, from the MBDA’s national headquarters in Washington, DC, will address delegates during the Power Lunch (noon-2 p.m.), which also will feature the highly anticipated annual MBE Awards Ceremony. The awards pay tribute to outstanding minority-owned firms and advocates.
The event then continues with booth-side B2B Business Matchmaking Meetings with U.S. and international buyers in an Expo setting (2-5 p.m.).
The Florida MBDA Export Center, operated by M. Gill & Associates Inc., provides technical assistance and growth services to generate increased financing, contract opportunities, and greater access to new and global markets for minority business enterprises (MBEs). The center is designed to help identify, screen, train, promote, and refer MBEs to exporting resources, and to directly source opportunities for their domestic and global growth.
For general conference information, visit www.medweekflorida.org, or reach out via email at marie@mgillonline.com or call 786-515-0670.
