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The 2013 MBE/WBE/DBE Legislative Night in Annapolis

Start the new year by getting informed and involved

MISSION STATEMENT

The 2013 MBE-WBE-DBE Legislative Night in Annapolis is an opportunity for state agencies representatives, business organizations, private industry, entrepreneurs, business owners, community leaders, interest groups, and individuals across Maryland to come together with one voice to support or oppose legislation that impact their lives, their businesses and the economy.

It will provide an opportunity for individuals to meet State Senators and Delegates and be informed of legislation that has been introduced or will be introduced during the 2013 legislation session and to voice their concerns and interests about legislation that is or is not being proposed.

It is a time to lend our collective voices to recommend to elected officials legislation we would like to see enacted and to learn how the political process works.

Governor Martin O’Malley will discuss the state of minority and women-owned business development in Maryland.

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown will discuss his views on the MBE-WBE-DBE program in Maryland and his visions for the success of minority businesses and women-owned businesses in Maryland.

Sharon Pinder the Director of theMayor’s Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Development has been invited to discuss the state of minority businesses and women-owned businesses in Baltimore City and what can we expect from the months ahead.

Anthony Robinson from the Maryland Legal Defense Fund will discuss the development and implementation of Maryland’sMBE-WBE-DBE program.

Secretary Zenita Hurley will discuss the services that theGovernor’s Office of Minority Affairs provides to and for minority businesses and women owned business enterprises.

Secretary Edward Chow Secretary of Veteran Affairs will discuss the opportunities for veterans in Maryland

Delegate Aisha Braveboy, Chair of the Maryland Legislative BlackCaucus will discuss the priority issues of the caucus and how they will be addressed during the 2013 General Assembly.

Wayne Frazier, President of the Maryland Washington, Minority Contractors Association will discuss opportunities for Maryland MBE-WBE-DBE’s in construction and energy.

Odette Ramos, Chair of theBaltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will discuss the issues of concern to the Hispanicbusiness community

Denise Matricciani, Vice President of the Maryland Hospital Association, Government Policy and Advocacy will discuss business opportunities in the health care industry

Chad Barnhill from Caesar’sPalace will discuss employment opportunities and business opportunities in the casino industry for MBE-WBE-DBE.

Senator Catherine Pugh will discuss the wind energy concerns and opportunities

Senator Verna Jones-Rodwell will discuss business opportunities for MBE-WBE-DBE in the energy industry

In 2012, more than 350 individuals attended throughout the evening event.

We are anticipating that amount or more for the up coming event. Seating is limited; you are encouraged to get there early to be assured a seat.

Refreshments will be provided and sponsored by Verizon.

The following organizations are co-sponsors of the event:

  • The Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce
  • The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
  • The Korean Chamber of Commerce
  • Southern Maryland Consortium of African American Community Organizations
  • Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley of Cambridge, Maryland
  • The Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • The NAACP Baltimore City Branch
  • Coppin State University
  • The Maryland Washington Minority Contractors Association
  • The Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce
  • LITSOM Coalition of Maryland
  • Sisters4Sisters Network, Inc.



Event Title:
Enhancing Relationships Between Small Businesses And Financial Institutions
Host:
Congressman Elijah E. Cummings & The Maryland Bankers Association
Date:
January 23, 2012
 
Start Time:
8:00 AM
End Time:
12:00 PM
Location:
Morgan State University Murphy Fine Arts Center Recital Hall
Street Address:
2201 Argonne Drive
City:
Baltimore
State:
Maryland
Zip Code:
21218
More Details:
Free Admission
Free Parking in Lot Y
Please RSVP to Amy Stratton at [email protected]

 

Kamala Harris a key player in settlement over mortgage crisis
By Nathaniel Popper and Alejandro Lazo


California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has emerged as a key player in pursuing a nationwide settlement with major U.S. banks accused of wrongful foreclosures and is facing increased pressure from consumer groups seeking help for homeowners devastated by the mortgage crisis. Harris, who was in closed-door talks with banks Friday, has been negotiating with the five largest mortgage servicers for months as part of a coalition of attorneys general and federal agencies seeking to a hammer out a deal surrounding allegations that banks committed widespread foreclosure errors.  Los Angeles Times

'The Color Purple' finally released as an e-book
By Hillel Italie, AP National Writer


Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1983 and still a widely taught and talked about novel, is finally coming out as an e-book. But not through a traditional publisher. Open Road Integrated Media, the digital company co-founded two years ago by former HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, has reached an agreement with Walker to release the electronic version of "The Color Purple" and most of her other work.  Yahoo! News

 

 

Cain nearly quit campaign before Florida straw poll, calls Obama a ‘liar’
By Chris Moody, The Ticket
Not everyone needs to go to Disney World to have fun in central Florida. After one of Herman Cain's strongest showings yet at a Republican presidential debate Thursday, and two days with conservative activists in the state, he won the "Presidency 5" straw poll in Orlando over the weekend, beating front-runner Texas Gov. Rick Perry by more than 20 points. While straw polls are not scientific and their results can be poor indicators of whether a candidate will win a party's nomination--the latest actual Florida poll put Cain near the bottom--they can help spark some momentum, especially for lower-tier candidates. For Cain, a 65-year-old businessman, mathematician, author and radio host from Atlanta, Georgia, his straw poll win could well be the high-water mark of his campaign. Yahoo! News

Commentary: New law a boon for women- and minority-owned firms

By William Michael Cunningham,

This may be the best time in recent memory to be a minority- or woman-owned contractor seeking to do business with the federal government.

A recent article in Capital Business [“Federal Reserve Bank seeks diversity in contractor pool,” May 16] discussed efforts by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond to increase contracting with women- and minority-owned firms. This effort is far broader and more significant than the article indicated, however.

Section 342 of the recently enacted Dodd-Frank Act requires nearly 30 agencies that oversee the financial system, including the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., to establish offices of minority and women inclusion to monitor diversity within their ranks and the pool of contractors who provide goods and services to the government.

The Federal Reserve system and some of the agencies essentially were exempt from contract diversity efforts previously. The provision was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who argued that minority- and women-owned firms were largely shut out of getting a piece of the billions of dollars the government spent to bail out financial institutions. Now, though, every woman- and minority-owned firm in the Washington region has a chance to benefit, with the provision offering them an avenue to reap millions of dollars in new annual revenue.
One of the most important provisions requires the agencies to examine diversity efforts at the 27,000 financial institutions the 30 agencies regulate. Knowing that they are being watched will spur the financial institutions to hire more minority employees and spend more money with minority contractors.
The success or failure of this effort rests on the level of scrutiny the agencies will apply to the financial institutions. Part of the issue is the type of methodology they will use to determine which institutions are being good corporate citizens and which are not. It all will come down to how they evaluate the data and what type of statistical techniques they use.
As we saw in the economic collapse, financial institutions were adept at promoting themselves as socially responsible in devising products to help minority communities -- products such as subprime mortgages that turned out to hurt them more than help them. The government has yet to determine what the penalties will be for financial institutions that fall short of diversity standards. I suspect it mostly will be shame. The bad list will get wide publicity. Financial institutions’ customer bases are more diverse than they were 20 or 30 years ago, and they don’t want to be seen as lacking a sufficient number of minority and women employees and contractors. Being on the bad list will cost them shareholder value and hurt their ability to recruit and retain employees. No one wants to work for a firm that doesn’t get it.
My opinion is that firms that fall short should be fined. I don’t think that will happen but a fine would impact their long-term behavior.
Section 342 simply aims to bring players with differing backgrounds into the government contracting marketplace. As businesses compete for contracts, they will provide better goods and services at lower cost. The effort will be good for women and minority contractors and the government. More competition, ultimately, will save the government undefined and taxpayers undefined money.
William Michael Cunningham is a social investing adviser with Creative Investment Research Inc. in Washington.

Study Finds That Blacks With Strong Racial Identity Are Happier

Black people who identify more strongly with their racial identity are generally happier, according to a study led by psychology researchers at Michigan State University. The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, appears in the current issue of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, a research journal published by the American Psychological Association. “This is the first empirical study we know of that shows a relationship between racial identity and happiness,” said Stevie C.Y. Yap, doctoral candidate in psychology at MSU and lead researcher on the project.  The Atlanta Post

Street faces probe in PHA case
By Mark Fazlollah and Jennifer Lin


Former Mayor John F. Street is under investigation for possibly violating federal regulations when he voted to award millions of dollars in Philadelphia Housing Authority contracts to a law firm that employed his son, a federal official confirmed Friday. Street was chairman of PHA's board when he cast the votes, and his son, Sharif, was then a lawyer for Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. The firm billed $778,000 for the younger Street's PHA work. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General - which oversees civil and criminal inquiries - gave a hint of the investigation in releasing an audit Thursday.  Philadelphia Inquirer

'Wire' actress shocked by Baltimore drug charges
By Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press


Actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, who played a murderous member of a Baltimore drug gang in the hit HBO series "The Wire," is shocked to be facing charges of conspiring to sell heroin, her attorney said Friday. "She's a little bit dismayed at being in position that she didn't place herself in," attorney Paul Gardner said. Pearson, 30, who was ordered held without bail Friday, denies the charges. Her attorney plans to file a writ of habeas corpus and motion for bail review Monday. Pearson is one of 64 people charged Thursday in "Operation Usual Suspects," a joint state-federal prosecution of an alleged east Baltimore drug gang.  Yahoo! News

Gutting Unions Hurts the Black Middle Class
By Lynette Holloway


"The Fabulous 14." That's what Rozalia Harris and other members of the Milwaukee teachers union call the renegade Democratic state senators who fled Wisconsin on Feb. 17 to stop a vote on a proposed spending plan that includes restrictions on collective bargaining by public workers. "We are grateful to the Fabulous 14 because their willingness to put their jobs on the line has helped raise awareness of the problem of the proposed collective bargaining restrictions," Harris, a third-grade teacher and vice president of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, the largest in Wisconsin, told The Root.  The Root

The Root Recommends:

'Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters'
By The Root Staff


In Heat Wave: The Life and Career of Ethel Waters, writer Donald Bogle examines the life of Ethel Waters, a legendary singer and actress who made a name for herself singing in Harlem nightclubs in the 1920s. The blues singer is most remembered for her rendition of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and her Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the film Pinky. If not for Waters, there wouldn't be a Diana Ross or Gladys Knight.   The Root

Celebs ask Obama to come out for same-sex marriage
By The Associated Press


An advocacy group says Anne Hathaway, Martin Sheen and Jane Lynch are among a group of actors, athletes and business leaders urging President Barack Obama to support marriage rights for same-sex couples. The New York-based group Freedom to Marry said Monday that R&B singer Mya, NFL linebacker Scott Fujita and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey also signed an open letter calling on the president to back gay marriage.  Yahoo! News

 

Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown Joins Hundreds to Celebrate Leading Minority Businesses and Supplier Diversity in Maryland

DC83151.jpg
MARYLAND/DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MINORITY SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AWARD
President Clark and Special Secretary Luwanda Jenkins of the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs
present Lt. Governor Anthony Brown with Minority Inclusion Award. 
UPPER MARLBORO, Md., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For 29 years, consecutively, the Maryland/District of Columbia Minority Supplier Development Council (MD/DC MSDC) has convened in grand fashion at its Annual Leadership Awards Gala to celebrate trendsetters and trailblazers in supplier diversity. On Friday, October 8, 2010, nearly 300 corporate, entrepreneurial and political dignitaries assembled to recognize those leaders who have demonstrated the highest professional standards, visionary leadership and superior performance against the odds.  

The first award of the evening was presented to the Honorable Anthony G. Brown, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland, who was recognized for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the inclusion of small, minority and women owned enterprises in state, private and base realignment business opportunities in the state.  During his comments, Lt. Governor Brown highlighted the great strides that the O'Malley-Brown administration has made in advancing the quality of education in Maryland, and he acknowledged the fact that their administration had achieved 25% minority inclusion in state contracting.  

Marriott International, Inc. was recognized as the 2010 Corporation of the Year for its dynamic supplier diversity program which procures the services of over 4,000 diverse suppliers and boasts over $100 million in diverse spend.  

Other Leadership Award winners included:

  • Advocate of the Year - Michelle Bell, 1st Choice Government Solutions
  • Minority Supplier Leader of the Year, James Sturgis, Ahold US (Giant Food, LLC)
  • Suppliers of the Year
  • Sales up to $1MM - Bell Family Foods, Inc.
  • Sales $1-$10MM - SB & Company, LLC
  • Sales $10-$10MM - EMD Sales, Inc.
  • Sales over $50MM - The Bartech Group
  • President's Award - Erica Billie, Capital One
  • Chairman's Award - Darlene Fuller, Sodexo
  • Reginald Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award - Anthony Robinson, Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund

Governor O'Malley at Social Security Administration TOD Announcement.

October 19 - Governor O’Malley joins Baltimore Mayor 
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and
Congressman Elijah Cummings
in announcing new offices of the
Social Security Administration
will be located at the
Reisterstown Metro Station
transit-oriented-development site.
September 10 - Governor O'Malley
and West Baltimore Community
leaders prepare to begin demolition
of the "Highway to Nowhere."		 Governor O'Malley and West Baltimore Community Leaders

Heyward Davenport Inducted into the

Minority Business Hall of Fame

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is proud to announce that Heyward Davenport, its Northeast Regional Director, was inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc (MBHF&M).  The Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum Inc. recognized four pioneers of minority business development on April 30th, at an awards dinner at the Frito-Lay Headquarters in Plano, Texas.

“We are proud that Mr. Davenport has been recognized with this important honor. The award symbolizes his lifetime commitment to the growth and competitiveness of minority businesses.  MBDA congratulates him for his hard work and dedication and is proud that he represents MBDA,” said Edith McCloud, MBDA Associate Director.

The Museum’s fifth annual induction ceremony honored Davenport’s long history of advocacy for minority business.  Davenport began his career as a student organizer and civil rights leader in the 1960’s.  Later, he became Commissioner of the Model Cities Administration in the New York City Office of the Mayor, leading the city’s efforts to build model neighborhoods in the predominantly minority-populated neighborhoods of Central Harlem, South Bronx and the Bedford Stuyvesant-Brownsville sections of Brooklyn.  In addition, Davenport helped establish the nation’s first minority operated Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Corporation (MESBIC) in Brooklyn.  Davenport currently serves as the chairman of the New York City Minority and Women’s Business Advisory Board.

In his current role as Northeast Regional Director of the Minority Business Development Agency, which he has held since 1995, Davenport oversees all MBDA business services for 14 northeast states. He conceived and led efforts within the MBDA to adopt a strategic growth initiative to develop the size, scale and capacity of minority businesses. This was the first major policy shift in program focus in over 35 years of the agency’s operation. As a result of his efforts and history in minority business, Davenport received the Leadership Award from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2008.

The Minority Business Hall of Fame & Museum (MBHF&M) honors and shows appreciation for those who blazed the trail for today’s entrepreneurs. MBHF&M is a non-profit organization, established in Dallas, Texas.  

MBDA, www.mbda.gov, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, celebrates 40 years of promoting business growth for minority businesses.  In doing so, minority-owned firms are better equipped to create jobs, impact local economies and compete successfully in domestic and global marketplaces.  With a nationwide network of more than 40 business centers and strategic partners, MBDA assists minority entrepreneurs and business owners with consulting services, contract and financing opportunities, bonding and certification services, building business-to-business alliances and executive training.

About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
Promoting Competitive Business Growth for 40 Years – 1969-2009


####

 

Lt. Governor Anthony announcing BRAC improvements at Aberdeen Proving Grounds

October 13 - Lt. Governor
Anthony Brown announces
additional funding for
BRAC-related
road improvements
near Ft. Meade.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake Announces New Mayor’s Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development Team 

Posted: May 06, 2010

Office to be led by newly-appointed Deputy Mayor, Ms. Kaliope Parthemos.

Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the new make-up of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development. The office will be led by newly-appointed Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos, who played an instrumental role in completing the City’s agreement yesterday with Baltimore Racing Development.

“Deputy Mayor Parthemos will be working closely with businesses and neighborhoods to make Baltimore’s economy and communities stronger,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said.

Ms. Parthemos has served as Assistant Deputy Mayor for Economic and Neighborhood Development since February. She has advised the Mayor on all matters related to development projects, proposed zoning changes, special financing proposals, arts, marketing and tourism, and planning and real estate development outcomes. Previously, in the office of then City Council President Rawlings-Blake, Ms. Parthemos was Deputy Chief of Staff, overseeing Community Outreach, Constituent Services, Business and Economic Development, and the Board of Estimates.

Ms. Parthemos is a Baltimore native, and has worked in public service for many years. She served as a foster care caseworker with Baltimore City Department of Social Services, and as a Public Defender in Baltimore City for five years. She holds a B.A. from UMBC and a J.D. (Juris Doctor) from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Deputy Mayor Parthemos’ office will oversee several City agencies related to neighborhoods and economic development including: Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), Housing and Community Development, Department of Planning, Recreation and Parks, Transportation, and Baltimore Office of Promotions and the Arts. She will be assisted by a team of professionals in the office including:

Mr. Colin Tarbert, Deputy Director for the Office of Economic and Neighborhood Development. Mr. Tarbert has been a Senior Economic Development Officer and Inner Harbor Coordinator for the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) since 2006. His responsibilities included managing the disposition of City property for private development, conducting the necessary financial analysis for public assistance, and guiding projects through the City’s regulatory processes. He was a Mayoral Fellow in 2004. Prior to joining BDC, Tarbert worked in the private sector as Director of Development for Himmelrich Associates Inc., a Baltimore-based real estate company focused on repositioning and adapting industrial properties for commercial use. Mr. Tarbert graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), summa cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Architecture, where he subsequently earned his Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) degree.

Ms. Renee Samuels, Special Assistant. Ms. Samuels supervises the city’s Sister Cities program while working directly with the many international visitors that come to Baltimore to learn about the city’s innovative programs. Ms. Samuels also serves as co-chair of the Baltimore Economic Recovery Team (BERT) and assists with the Baltimore City Mayoral Fellowship. Prior to joining the Mayor’s office, Ms. Samuels was Director of the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel at the Baltimore Jewish Council, Press Secretary for Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, speechwriter for former Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening, and anchor-reporter for Prestige Vision in Westminster, Maryland. Ms. Samuels has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park.

Mr. Kumasi Vines, Special Assistant. Mr. Vines is a native of West Baltimore. In 2005, he co-founded The Leadership Institute, a Saturday-morning business and leadership development program for Baltimore-area high school students, which is housed on the campus of his alma mater, Gilman School. He worked for Credit Suisse Securities, LLC as an Assistant Vice President dealing with the financial management of the bank’s European real estate assets. He holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and M.B.A. from Columbia University, where he was a Robert F. Toigo Foundation Fellow.

 

 
Monday, May 10, 2010, 5:21pm EDT

Maryland minority business inclusion goals in sight

Maryland is on pace to meet its minority inclusion goals for the first time, but whether the state hits the mark depends on the next few months.

The state has awarded 25 percent of its contracting dollars to minority- or women-owned firms from the start of the current fiscal year, July 1, 2009 through February, according to Special Secretary for Minority Affairs Luwanda W. Jenkins. But that leaves four months of state spending to be factored in.

“We have a few more months to go,” Jenkins said in an interview. “Based on where we are right now, we’re optimistic we can stay on track to close the year at 25 percent.”

It would be the first time the state has met its minority inclusion goals since the bar was set in 2001. It hit 20 percent in fiscal years 2007 and 2008.

Jenkins attributed the growth to increased awareness of the minority business program in state agencies, because they are required to report their minority contracting each month.

The governor’s office of minority affairs also completed a study that found 19,000 jobs in the state rely on contracting done through the minority inclusion program, Jenkins said.

Official numbers will be released in August.

 

State achieves minority business goal

One-quarter of state contracts go to minority-owned businesses

May 07, 2010|By Julie Bykowicz, The Baltimore Sun

For the first time, Maryland is on track to meet its annual goal of awarding one-quarter of state contract dollars to minority- or female-owned businesses, Gov. Martin O'Malley said Friday.

O'Malley, who made the announcement at a state-sponsored minority business event in Towson, said the news was particularly meaningful because of the state's budget woes.

"We look at our diversity as a strength," the Democratic governor told the gathering of about 200 business leaders. "We look at it as a competitive advantage."

Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise program, which dates to 1978, is the oldest in the country. The state also has the most aggressive goal in the nation, according to Luwanda W. Jenkins, special secretary of the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs.

The state reached 25 percent in February and is on track to finish the fiscal year at that level, O'Malley said. The fiscal year ends in June.

The governor, who has focused on jobs during his re-election campaign, said his administration has presided over an 80 percent increase in the value of contracts awarded to black-owned businesses and a 123 percent increase in the value of contracts to Hispanic-owned businesses.

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican and O'Malley's chief rival this fall, has vowed to make business growth a priority. A group of minority-owned business leaders attended his campaign launch last month in Rockville.

When elected in 2002, Ehrlich assigned Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to head a study of the state's minority business program and recommend changes. In the final year of his administration, 2006, Ehrlich said the state had awarded 21 percent of its contracts to minority-owned businesses.

But Ehrlich's handling of the Minority Business Enterprise program came under scrutiny when reports showed that the state fast-tracked the certification of a firm headed by a Republican strategist with close ties to the administration.

Ehrlich campaign spokesman Andy Barth said, "No credible report ever found any evidence of fast-tracking."

O'Malley said there are two ways for companies and the government to view minority participation. One would be, "It's a drag. It's a pain. We have got to do this politically." The other way, he said, it to see it as an asset and a way to "show the whole world that we actually are diverse."

"We never thought of minority participation as a 'drag,' " Barth said. "We never thought of it as something we 'had to do.' We did what was right."

Minority business participation has been less than 25 percent in some areas. For example, minority businesses were awarded 14 percent of the more than $600 million in state federal stimulus dollars, most of which went to transportation projects.

Minority business owners in Maryland also have complained of missing out on money to be made from the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which is set to bring about 60,000 new jobs to the state.

 

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