Greetings from Florida’s MEDWeek Coordinator

Dear Clients, Community Partners and Guests:

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency, our MBDA Export Center, and my awesome “Miami Dream Team” at M. Gill & Associates, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Florida’s 38th Annual Minority Enterprise Development Week (MEDWeek) Business Conference. Thank you for sharing our first Virtual MEDWeek with us.

The global coronavirus pandemic has created distress and interruptions in our lives. The current crisis has changed, and continues to change the business landscape as we know it. Therefore, we as small, minority and women businesses must reassess not only our short-term plans, but our longterm strategies as well. Indeed, this exercise is revealing new and important insights—because, as we know, resilience is invaluable in times of crisis--Hence, our first VIRTUAL MEDWeek—and registration is through the roof!

A few months ago, our MBDA Export Center - Florida, operated by M. Gill & Associates, Inc., launched the MBDA COVID-19 Recovery Initiative and Business Center, with CARES Act funding from the MBDA, to provide relief to small and minority enterprises in Florida. We have expanded our statewide reach, and are helping hundreds of small and minority businesses in the inner cities and communities of Florida to rebound from this horrible COVID-19 pandemic.

Our MBDA Export and CARES Act Centers continue to provide technical assistance and business coaching services to help in the recovery of our affected businesses, so they may generate increased financing, contracting, and greater access to domestic and global markets—and our clients are engaging fully in the exporting experience by exposing Florida’s products and services to the world. The U.S. Department of Commerce – MBDA can proudly celebrate more than a 3:1 return on its investment from the MBDA programs that M. Gill & Associates operates in Florida.

I am pleased that our MBDA-funded Technical Assistance Initiatives to date, have facilitated over $5 Billion in contracts and financing to minority-owned businesses, resulting in the creation and retention of 12,800 and 5,050 U.S. jobs, respectively. These repeated accomplishments have propelled the MBDA Export Center in Miami, Florida as the NUMBER ONE PERFORMING MBDA BUSINESS CENTER PROGRAM IN THE NATIONAL MBDA NETWORK. We have upheld the ideals of the MBDA for 20 of our 30-year existence—in fact, we have been the “branding authority” in support of the MBDA and its Florida programs. It is because of performances like ours, that the U.S. Department of Commerce continues to be strong--continues to recognize the value of its Centers--and continues to provide sorely needed resources to help our small/minority/women/and veteran businesses nationwide.

Finally, I take this opportunity to extend my appreciation and gratitude to our sponsors, partners and to the National MBDA for the opportunity to serve and for recognizing our contributions. This is our passion, and we will continue to focus, as we have for the past 30 years, on working to grow small/minority/women/veteran-owned businesses, by engaging with local, federal, and international government agencies, domestic and international corporations, and educational institutions, to increase their support S/MBEs in the local and global economies.

I look forward to your continued support and collaboration for many years to come. We stand ready always to hear from you and to provide the tools and resources you need to engage in entrepreneurial partnerships and business growth. My team and I appreciate your support. We would welcome your feedback on your first virtual MEDWeek experience with us.

Please take all pandemic precautions and be safe--always.

In the spirit of excellence,

Marie R. Gill President & CEO | M. Gill Associates, Inc. Operator/Executive Director, MBDA Export Center, Florida | MEDWeek Coordinator & Publicist