CELEBRATING
Heritage Month
&
Hispanic Heritage Month
A WELCOME FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO
2
CONTENTS BUSINESS FUNDING & RESOURCES MMSDC WINNER’S CIRCLE
STATE OF THE COUNCIL
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT
MBE SPOTLIGHT
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
SIGNATURE EVENTS
04 06 08 10 11 12 14
3
BUSINESS FUNDING & RESOURCES
SPONSORED BY
FUNDING RESOURCES FOR MBES GOOGLE AD GRANT The Google Ad Grant is Google’s fundraising and marketing tool granting $10,000 per month in free advertising credit to approved nonprofits and charities for them to spend on their Google ads campaign(s).
META INVOICE FAST TRACK: GET INVOICES PAID FOR IMMEDIATELY Facebook announced its Facebook Invoice Fast Track Program: a $100 million commitment to a program that supports small businesses owned by women and minorities by buying up their outstanding invoices.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE CARTIER REGIONAL AWARDS Women grants up to $100,000
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE BANK BREEZY Get funding up to $25,000. Same Day Approval! No collateral needed. No hard credit pull.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
ANNUITY FREEDOM.NET SMALL BUSINESS WOMEN’S GRANT We provide free, publicly accessible, financial information. We earn money if a visitor contacts us to sell annuity payments rights and completes such a transaction.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
AT&T DREAM IN BLACK Inspiring. Visionary. Culture Shaper. These are the qualities of a Black Future Maker. If this sounds like you, then AT&T wants to celebrate your journey.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
RENDE CAPITAL The RACE4Progress Fund provides very low interest, deferred payments, extended terms, and other features for Excluded Entrepreneurs in the Grand Rapids Area/Kent County whose businesses have suffered financially due to COVID-19.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE SELFEMPLOYED This nonprofit trade association provides educational resources and grants for small businesses and entrepreneurs. To apply for a grant of up to $4,000, you will need to become an active member of the association.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
GRANTS.GOV Grants.gov allows grant seekers to find, and apply for federal funding opportunities.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH AND SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAMS These two small business programs provide contracts and grants for early-stage small businesses that are looking to commercialize innovative biomedical technologies.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
COMCAST RISE Comcast RISE Investment funding is now available in Detroit and the application window is 6/1/22 – 6/14/22.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE HELLO ALICE GRANT OPPORTUNITY The Small Business Growth Fund provides the capital entrepreneurs need to make their next big move. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 grant, provided by Mastercard, to accelerate their growth and help make 2022 the year of their small business.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE FUNDING FOR HER Funding for small buisnesses with W-2 employees, can get up to 26,000 per employee.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
4
BIZZ2CREDIT Fast funding for buisness owners. Apply today, get loan within 24 hours.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
OPERATION HOPE SMALL-BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM The Operation Hope program is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs in lowwealth neighborhoods, which often include minority communities.
AMAZON BLACK BUSINESS ACCELERATOR Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator is dedicated to helping build sustainable diversity and provide growth opportunities for Black-owned businesses.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
THE AMBER GRANT FOUNDATION
CARESS DREAM FUND
The Amber Grant Foundation awards one $10,000 grant to a small business owner per month. In this case, however, grants are offered only to female entrepreneurs.
The Caress Dreams Fund will bring 60 founders through crowdfunding accelerator programs culminating in a $5,000 grant for each business, opportunities to pitch, plus the coaching and creative services they need to execute successful fundraising campaigns.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY – RESTORE THE VILLAGE FUND For Black- and minority-owned businesses in Detroit and Wayne County. There are grants, free coaching services, start-up help, and other advice to help (1) a company get started, or assist current businesses.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
PROSPER US DETROIT This organization offers entrepreneurs resources to find lenders, crowdfunding sources, and businesses that assist with funding to help you get the capital you need to create and maintain a successful business.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE MICHIGAN SMALL BUSINESS RESTART PROGRAM The program will provide $100 million in economic assistance to Michigan’s small businesses, and nonprofits, and, in turn, help support workers and their families, facing economic uncertainty during the outbreak.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
DETROIT DEVELOPMENT FUND Detroit Development Fund received approval for a $1 million loan from MSF to make micro and small loans ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 to small businesses in Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER With the Citizens Small Business Community Champion Award, you could be one of 30 winners of $10,000 for your business.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
OLGA LOIZON MEMORIAL FOUNDATION The Olga Loizon Memorial Foundation is now accepting applications for grants up to $10,000, in honor of the brand’s late founder and female food pioneer.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE STATE TRADE EXPANSION PROGRAM (STEP) The STEP grant program has helped thousands of small businesses obtain grants, and find customers in the international marketplace since 2011.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
BIPOC BUSINESS GRANT Our grant is based on the tremendous impact of COVID-19 on entrepreneurs who are Black, indigenous, or people of color. We want to dedicate some of our knowledge and time to help.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE FUNDIT Fast simple funding for your buisness. Apply today
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
BLACK AMBITION COMPETITION Black And Latino Early-Stage Businesses Invited To Apply For Second Cohort Of Black Ambition Competition; Win Cash And Investment Prizes Up To $1M.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
USA GRANT Each year, billions of dollars are awarded to people and organizations.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
SHE BOSS UP Funding women owned buisnesses impacted by COVID-19. Opening Fall 2022
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
5
It is no secret that the past two (and growing) years have been unprecedented and have presented challenges affecting the ways in which business is conducted. Despite these challenges, several businesses have made great achievements. The Wins Circle recognizes these inspirational milestones as we all strive to achieve our own "win". AmplifyD Graduate Sibros Partners with Google Cloud to Deliver Intelligent Cloud Solutions for Connected Vehicle Management Sibros provides global automakers with just-in-time software updates, real-time analytics, and connected diagnostics to reinvent the connected vehicle experience. Connected vehicle platform company Sibros announced today it has partnered with Google Cloud to bring flexible and intelligent connected vehicle-to-cloud solutions to automakers worldwide.
LEARN MORE Certified MBE CommodiTeas Tea LLC, a tea café and business-to-business retail shop, wins $70,000 grant through Motor City Match! The latest round of Motor City Match cash award winners is the first to receive a major bump in funding thanks to the allocation of federal aid to the small business support program. Twenty current and aspiring business owners on Tuesday received a share of $1 million in round 20 of the program — marking a doubling of the grant pool and increase of funding from $500,000 every quarter to $1 million. The awards got a bump from $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by Detroit City Council.
LEARN MORE
6
The Ci
e Wins ircle
Certified MBEs Akil Ivin, Digital Detroit Media & Adrienne Bennett, Benkari LLC Honored by Historical Society for Their Hustle A group of 36 entrepreneurs who will be featured in a series of Detroit Historical Museum exhibits highlighting Detroiters who grind daily includes skilled tradespeople, retailers, restaurateurs, DJs, and caregivers. This group includes Akil lvin, Digital Detroit Media, who started his ad agency at 18 years old, now a multimillion-dollar business nine years later and Adrienne Bennett, Benkari LLC, Michigan’s first female licensed master plumber and plumbing contractor. She held several high-profile positions before starting her own company. “The Hustle: Celebrating Detroit’s Unsung Entrepreneurs” is the historical society’s newest effort to uncover and put a spotlight on the stories of Detroiters who make everyday life in the city special, according to a news release. Nominations were sought in a variety of categories designed to cover a cross-section of life in the city. The winners were chosen from nearly 800 nominees from all over Detroit. An independent committee selected the 36 winners, who will be featured in five Detroit Historical Museum exhibits over the course of 2022 and 2023.
LEARN MORE
7
‘STATE’
OF THE COUNCIL
EVENT SPONSORS:
If you were unable to attend the 42nd annual MMPC you really missed an excellent opportunity to expand your business network, grow your skills, increase your scope, and collaborate with some of the most influential business gurus in the nation. A.C.C.E.S.S. the Bridge to Parity was the theme of this year’s conference and our corporate members came with the intent of helping to close that parity gap. By the way, ACCESS is the acronym for Accelerating Capital Contracts, and Equity to Drive Supplier Sustainability and from what we have heard, it was a total success! Impending deals could be seen from all angles fulfilling the purpose of the conference.
8
The conferenced kicked off with Industry Day, an opportunity for corporate leaders and MBEs to network with their peers, both groups working on closing the parity gap. Corporate leaders formulated best practices, discussing trends and examining ways to improve minority spend on the corporate side. MBE supplier participated in industry-specific forums dedicated to finding ways of increasing relationships with corporate members for opportunities and improving services. Day 2 involved sessions designed to increase knowledge skill sets facilitated by corporate members and MBEs, subject matter experts taking strategic moves to drive sustainable results. The Business Opportunity Exchange which occurred on the third day of the conference was filled with excitement as MBEs and Corporate members connected on the trade show floor… many a deal could be seen transpiring while relationships were made, and deals were sealed. This year participants were able to take part in the Matchmaker 365 portal - live with real opportunities.
9
CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT
SPONSORED BY
JACINTO (JAC) BLANCO
Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity, Global Procurement, Yanfeng International Jac Blanco has a combined 18 years of experience with Supplier Diversity, and currently serves as the Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity for Global Purchasing at Yanfeng Global Automotive Interiors. In this role, he works to develop diverse businesses/enterprises and maintain a robust supplier diversity program by leveraging support from Yanfeng’s internal constituencies. In 2022, Blanco was elected as Corporate Vice Chair to the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the leading gateway to Michigan’s Hispanic businesses and consumers.
ESTRELLA (STAR) CRAWFORD
Senior Vice President; Local Market Executive Star Crawford is the Detroit Local Market Executive supporting the Michigan President, cross line of business Leadership Teams, and the BAC Foundation. She is responsible for directing local market strategy, fiscal strategy, employee engagement, business integration and oversees investments that help to drive and respond to community and economic development and critical needs in Michigan. Star enthusiastically supports Bank of America’s purpose and its employees. She is a dedicated servant engaging in leadership for the Bank’s Michigan Employee Resource Groups as advisor for the Hispanic/Latino Organization for Leadership & Advancement (HOLA) and Black Professionals Group (BPG). Additionally, Star is engaged in the Metro Detroit community as a mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Wayne State University Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies. Star also faithfully serves on the Board of Directors for SER Metro-Detroit, a public service organization focusing on adult education and youth programming. Star is fluent in Spanish, enjoys traveling and Latin dancing in her free time.
ALEJANDRA LORENZO
Supplier Diversity Program Manager In her role as Supplier Diversity Program Manager, Alejandra develops relationships with Diverse Automotive Suppliers and promotes networking relationships between suppliers and commodity buying teams to support the Stellantis Purchasing Organization. She is responsible for leading the Indirect Services and Aftermarket (Mopar) Commodity Teams diversity strategies. Alejandra manages the Supplier Diversity Candidate Assessment Process and the DSD planning activities for the Windsor Battery Plant Construction Inclusive Supplier Event on behalf of NextStar Energy (JV between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution). Alejandra supports and leads all activities with the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council and is part of the Automotive Industry Group Special Events Committee.
10
MBE SPOTLIGHT As we commemorate Black Business Month, please also join us in recognizing just a few of the MBEs who are paving the way to lower the parity gap.
DEAN MORALES President
TERENCE DE LA GARZA SAMMON CEO
Heritage and Company is owned and operated under the direction of President/ Visionary Dean Morales. Dean has over 20 years of expertise in landscape construction and grounds management. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan. He has dedicated his professional career to establishing a business that is one of few union landscape contractors in Michigan.
Mico’s primary focus is on the automotive sector, which it serves as a Tier I and Tier II supplier of small to medium stampings and stamped welded assemblies such as hood hinges, secondary hood latches, striker assemblies, suspension assemblies, seating assemblies and seat latches. Mico is a Tier I supplier to General Motors, BMW, Mitsubishi, BSC and Lear, among others. On the office furniture side, it’s a supplier to Steelcase.
In his early beginnings as a college freshman, Dean operated a summer landscape company that soon grew into what we now know as Heritage and Company. Dean has created a top-performing landscape construction and grounds maintenance company through hard work, dedication, integrity, and a solid focus on relationships amongst team members, clients, and partners.
About 95 percent of Mico’s employees are Hispanic. Sammon said minority certification basically gives the company more opportunities to look at different contracts. He attributes Mico’s success to its people — from the custodian to the president and everyone in between.
JEFF STYERS
TARYN SULKES
CEO & Co-Founder Arrow Strategies is a Certified Veteran and Native American-owned business. Jeff Styers founded Arrow Strategies decades ago and today the company is one of the top staffing firms in the nation. Growing it from a one-person start-up and bringing on a team of Achievers to continue its rise, is a testament to Jeff’s commitment to boldly dreaming and then working harder than everyone else to make it reality. A former United States Marine, today Jeff is a visionary who spends his time on Arrow’s leadership strategies, performance execution, community relationships, and company wide innovation. He sees Arrow’s growth continuing thanks to a fantastic team who care about the success of Achiever clients and the happiness of Achiever candidates. And to the power of believing.
President & CEO Based and headquartered in Detroit, MI, Eagle Specialties is a commercial construction materials supplier/subcontractor. Dedicated to providing superlative service and support, they are solution providers when it comes to specialty items for contractors. Taryn Sulkes is a Native American woman business owner, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. She is past board member and former Recording Secretary of the National Association of Women in Construction Detroit Chapter. She volunteers with the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council and has volunteered with The Build Initiative’s Project: Accelerate! in 2017 & 2018.
ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR MBES
MBE TOOLKIT
Did you know that MBEs can receive business loans through the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Business Consortium Fund? The program offers term loans and lines of credit from $100,000 to $750,000, as well as microloans from $10,000 to $100,000. Learn more here. If you are looking for grants, Grants.gov has over 1,100 available grants for small businesses. Search for available grants here. Before you decide to pursue capital, be sure to understand your business’ specific financial needs, including the optimal dollar amount for you to address the identified gaps in your business. Read more from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here.
11
PRESIDE
12
ENT’S CORNER Thank you to each of you that attended our 2022 MMSDC ACE (Ambassadors Championing Excellence) Awards. Though we are grateful for technology and the fact that our celebrations continued virtually during the pandemic, we were beyond excited to see you at ACE in person for the first time since 2019. One of the most moving aspects of the evening was honoring the trailblazers in this year’s class of the Michigan Minority Business Hall of Fame. John A. James, Jimmy Settles, Suzanne Shank, and Frank Venegas are iconic leaders and it was our privilege to showcase their stories. Congratulations to all of this year’s individual, corporate and supplier winners as well. Please visit our website to learn more about them. Additionally, our 41st Annual Michigan Minority Procurement Conference (MMPC) in August under the theme A.C.C.E.S.S: The Bridge to Parity - Accelerating Capital, Contracts, and Equity to Drive Supplier Sustainability was another success. We are already planning MMPC 2023 and will continue to build upon this great legacy program. Finally, as we closed out Hispanic Heritage Month, we are all reminded how vital inclusion is for all people. According to U.S. SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, there are nearly five million Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States contributing more than $800 billion to the American economy annually. Their needs mirror those of most MBEs– how to start, grow, expand and recover businesses. The end result is a reduction in the 333 years it will take for our MBE firms to achieve to parity at the nation’s current pace of growth. Our ambitious goal is to cut that to 15 years, and we have the resources available to assist you in doing so. Although the costs of our vital legal defense of certification to protect all qualified MBEs requires a reduction in 2023 programming, your council is here to serve you. For instance, if you’re interested in exploring readiness for international expansion, check out our small team on staff that is based in Texas and Mexico. They are global trade and partnership experts, and they are ready to help. From marketing your business overseas to identify global partners, our team’s expertise is unrivaled. Likewise, we can close the parity gap by increasing our efforts around innovation. Our partnership with Plug and Play Detroit by AmplifyD is led by a great team on the ground in Detroit and what started as three corporate partners has now blossomed to more than 13 corporate partners supporting MBEs in bringing innovative technology to market. With these programs and our dedicated and resourceful staff, our future is indeed bright.
13
Congratulations to the 2022 ACE Awards Winners! CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: AUTOMOTIVE OEM
CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: CONSTRUCTION
CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: FINANCIAL & INSURANCE SERVICE
CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: MANUFACTURING
CORPORATION OF THE YEAR: PETROCHEMICAL & ENERGY/UTILITIES
SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR CLASS I
SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR CLASS II
SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR CLASS III
SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR CLASS IV
EVENT SPONSORS
ADVOCATES OF THE YEAR
Jaspreet Singh DTE Energy
EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Jaspreet Singh DTE Energy
14
BUYER OF THE YEAR
Travis Spencer
Ford Motor Company
MBE LUMINARY OF THE YEAR
Jim Roberts
Jim Roberts Enterprises, LLC
Lisa Pointer
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD
Travis Spencer
Mark Stewart
Ford Motor Company
Stellantis
Congratulations to the 2022 Minority Business Hall of Fame Inductees!
15
smile.amazon.com The holidays may be over, but the season for giving is year-round with Amazon Smile. Click here for more information on how to donate a portion of your Amazon purchases to charity. To ensure that MMSDC receives your donations, please select “Michigan Minority Purchasing Council MMSDC” as your charity of choice. This program costs you nothing, but directly benefits the growth and success of MBEs.