The State of Minority Business: The Business and Economic Impact

NEW YORK, May 16, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The nation's most prolific matchmaker for minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) and major corporations, is celebrating seven of its premier leaders in advancing supplier diversity tonight. The 2019 National Minority Supplier Development Council® (NMSDC®) Leadership Awards Gala begins at 6:30 p.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown. The gala's theme is, "The State of Minority Business: The Business and Economic Impact." National Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency, Henry Childs, II, the keynote speaker, will address this topic. And NMSDC President and CEO Adrienne Trimble will announce the launch of an NMSDC Impact Study throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

NMSDC is committed to growing and developing Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native- American-owned businesses. With a nationwide network of more than 12,000 certified MBEs and 1,450 corporate members (large public and privately-owned companies, healthcare systems, colleges, universities, and government agencies), NMSDC diversifies America's corporate supply chain with procurement ready, talented, and exceptional businesses.

"Because of NMSDC's work, minority business is no longer synonymous with small business," says Trimble. "Our awards tonight recognize hard work, earnest efforts, and tangible results. In 2018, the mutually beneficial relationships that we facilitated between certified MBEs and our corporate members resulted in $400 billion of economic output and 2.2 million jobs."

The NMSDC Leadership Awards are being presented to individuals and companies that are pivotal to NMSDC achieving its mission. Actor and comedian Mo Amer, a pioneer in Arab-American stand-up comedy and longtime friend and protégé of legendary Dave Chapelle, is the emcee for the evening.

• President's Economic Impact Award: Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Rainbow PUSH Coalition
• CEO of the Year: John Donovan, CEO, AT&T Communications
• CPO of the Year: Tony Tomczak, VP, Corporate Services and Chief Procurement Officer, DTE Energy
• Supplier Diversity Professional of the Year: Lance Hyde, Diversity Manager, EQT Corporation
• MBE of the Year: Sidd Ahmed, Founder and President, VDart®, Inc
• Lifetime Achievement: Sidney Johnson, Vice Chair of NMSDC and Retired SVP, Supply Chain Management, Aptiv PLC
• Vanguard Award: Jacqueline Marie Matos-Cintrón, President & CEO, Puerto Rico Minority Supplier Development Council

"These honorees represent the best NMSDC success stories to date," says Trimble. "However, we know we can reach an even higher level of excellence as we strive to make the national diversity supply chain more robust. Our NMSDC Impact Study will more accurately quantify and qualify our concerted MBE and corporate efforts throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, demonstrating the power we have within America's economic engine."

About NMSDC
The NMSDC advances business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) and connects them to corporate members. One of the country's leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for MBEs of all sizes. The NMSDC network includes a National Office in New York and 23 regional affiliate councils nationwide. The network also includes five international partner organizations located in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, and South Africa. For more information, visit http://www.NMSDC.org.

NOTE: Visit http://www.eimpactconsulting.com/nmsdc for high-resolution images of the honorees and accompanying backgrounder for honoree bios, photos, and company descriptions. Photos will be loaded during the evening's activities.
Award recipients will be available for interviews.

SOURCE National Minority Supplier Development Council