sessions

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The unprecedented cornovirus-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives in Michigan and beyond.  Now more than ever, data driven decision making is critical to our region as we navigate the impact of the pandemic and ultimately develop strategies for recovery and revitalization.

This session is available at no cost to MMSDC constituent employees. Please register today!

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Whether you want to write a book, publish a research paper, dissertation or create training manuals for your company, Blooksy makes it easy. Using its voice-to-text and artificial intelligence writing assistant, you will save time and money by getting content out of your head onto paper in minutes versus months. Attend and see how other universities, writers, and corporate entities use this disrupting software to create content faster, easier, and more efficiently.

Anthony “AJ” Joiner, CEO and Founder of Blooksy

This session is available at no cost to MMSDC constituent employees and HR professionals. Please register today!

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Let’s rename, recast, and rebrand this problem, shall we? It’s not that people are resigning, they are! And it’s not that people are retiring, they are! It’s that we ALL are reevaluating our lives and our work. This means we are recalculating how much money we need, redesigning our work to fit into our lives, and reprioritizing what (and who) are most important. What a great idea! What took us so long?

Speakers: 

From the left:

Kelly Scheer,

Lisa Tolbert, Director of Engagement and Inclusion 

Jason McCullough, Certified EOS Implementer of LinkedIn

Nancy Maurer, Principal/Owner of Sonder Haven, LLC

Celeste Stewart, Mid-Market Sales Manager of LinkedIn 

This session is available at no cost to MMSDC constituent employees and HR professionals. Please register today!

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Even on our best days, stress can prevent us from being fully focused and doing our best work. It is evident that too much stress can lead to burnout, disengagement, more sick days, and strained relationships in the workplace. In the wake of COVID-19, it’s never been more critical for business and HR leaders to address the mental well-being of their teams head-on.

Speakers

From the left:

Dr. Sandra Schiff,

Michael Jeffries, Wellbeing Director of Health Management Systems of America

Lewis LaMont Smith, Attorney of Detroit Law Firms

This session is available at no cost to MMSDC constituent employees and HR professionals. Please register today!

Click here to register

A year after introducing the groundbreaking analysis that showed it will take more than 333 years to achieve parity for minority firms at the nation’s current pace of growth, are we making progress? Our council has always boldly answered the tough questions to drive real results. Hear from corporate members and MBEs that are taking strategic moves to drive sustainable results.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Andra Rush,Founder and CEO of The Rush Group

Neeraj Sha, Founder and CEO of Supplier.io

Travis Spencer, Head of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Ford Motor Company

In this powerful interview led by the dynamic Walker-Miller Energy Services, Carla Walker-Miller interviews Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter. In her own words, hear how Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter became a formidable entrepreneur who changed the game and became a Herstory maker as the country’s largest female-owned franchise organization and the only black woman minority owner of the 2021 NBA Champs, Milwaukee Bucks.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter, President and CEO of V&J Holdings Inc.

Carla Walker-Miller, Founder of  Walker-Miller Energy Services

Electrification – Is it too late or are there still opportunities to participate in this arena?  Equally importantly, what steps must we take to ensure MBEs are included in all future innovation?

Speakers:

From the left:

Benjamin Burns, Director of Electric Marketing of DTE Energy

Dante Crockett, Chief Engineer of Ford Motor Company

John Deboer III, Head of eMobility

Global growth is expected to moderate from 5.9 in 2021 to 4.4 percent in 2022, largely reflecting forecast markdowns in the two largest economies. A revised assumption removing the Build Back Better fiscal policy package from the baseline, earlier withdrawal of monetary accommodation, and continued supply shortages produced a downward 1.2 percentage-points revision for the United States. What does all of this mean for the marketplace?

Speaker:  Kristen Broady, Senior Economist, Economic Advisor, and Director of Economic Mobility Project

CDO Summit 2.0

The past two years have shown significant changes in the number of companies exploring DEI. Whether your company is in DEI start-up mode or a DEI legendary leader, you will find great benefit in this session designed and led by CDO icons. If you fully participate, you will leave this session with renewed vigor and edits to your company’s written plan of action for DEI success.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Byna Elliot, Head of Advancing Black Pathways

Gloria Johnson Goins, o  Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity for the Sales, Marketing and Global Services for AWS

Reginald Bean, Principal Consultant/Inspirational Leader/Effective Storyteller of Management Consulting Firm

In our fast-changing economy, businesses can’t continue to operate in the same space they have been for the past 5, 10, 20 years and expect to be successful. MBEs have long been known for being nimble and agile, but how do you it’s time to pivot your business, and what does it mean to effectively pivot? This panel session will feature top leaders who have reached new markets by diversifying their product offerings.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Betty Manetta, Founder, President and CEO of Argent Associates

Carla Walker-Miller, Founder and CEO of Walker‐Miller Energy Services

Jeff Styers, Owner and CEO, Assoc Strategies

Natalie King, CEO of Dunamis Clean Energy Partners LLC.

You’ve worked hard, overcome obstacles to successfully launch your business – now what?  Hear from family-owned firms that are successfully transitioning and taking their businesses to new heights to successfully establish long-lasting legacies. In addition a succession planning expert will weigh in on the importance of defining or refining a solid succession plan for your business.

Speakers:

From the left:

Dennis Archer Jr., CEO of Ignition Media Group,

Frank Venegas Jr., Chairman and CEO of The Ideal Group, Inc.

George Barnes, Founder/Owner of Heritage Vision Plans & Heritage Optical

Linzie Venegas, Vice President of Ideal Group, Inc.

Michael Sheppard, IronwoodDrive Financial Group of Founder

Leonard Barnes, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Heritage Vision Plans

Speakers: 

From the left:

Bashar Cholagh, Head of Supplier Diversity Development,

Jacinto Blanco, Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity,

Jennifer Good, Sr. Manager for Supplier Relations, Compliance and Diversity of American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM),

Sherry Diccion, Senior Manager, Global Supplier Diversity,

Tammi Hart, Director of Purchasing, Supplier Diversity and Corporate Services, Tenneco Inc,

Teresa Lefevre, Vice President of Supplier Diversity Manager,

Tracy Deuman, Head of Supplier Diversity

Anand Kumar, Director of Supplier Diversity, AAA The Auto Club Group

Matt Greene, Senior Manager of Supplier Diversity, Toyota Motor North America, Inc.

Barbara Morgan, Manager of Supplier Diversity, Lear Corporation

Lynn Wilson, Manager of Supplier Diversity, Consumers Energy

Scaling is a challenge for any business, but women-owned MBEs face more barriers than anyone when it comes to business expansion. Listen to MWBEs tell their stories and insights in a panel session on topics like business planning, overcoming cash constraints, growing sales revenue, investing in technology, and hiring a top-notch team.

This session will be valuable to all business-owners looking to scale, but will include special focus on the distinct challenges faced by W/MBEs, including the double bias of race and gender; lack of access to traditional business networks, mentors, and funding; and how to differentiate yourself as a woman-owned business in male-dominated industries.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Courtney Morales Hoffman, CEO of Robal Tech, LLC & MCM Staffing,

Haith L. Johnson, CEO of Le’Host, LLC,

Monika Mantilla, President and CEO of ALTURA CAPITAL,

Rajini Podar, CEO and Co-Founder of Artech L.L.C.,

Shonte Jovan Taylor, Neuroscientist, Entrepreneur and Success Strategist of Coffee

In this forum, we will demystify capital for MBEs AND CORPORATE MEMBERS. Subject Matter Experts will speak in clear terms in a safe space to help corporate members as well as MBEs. Experts will discuss how to negotiate with the private equity or venture capitalist investors and focus on the investment agreement, aka the “term sheet.” In a capital negotiation, the outcome of the term sheet should leave the MBE with the economic power and full control of the company.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Derron Sanders, Founder and CEO of Sanders Management Group, Ltd,

Shannon Smith, Vice President, Credit Officer of Clear Vision Impact Fund,

Jimmy TenBrink, Chief Operating Officer of Gun Lake Investments

Monika Mantilla, President and CEO of ALTURA CAPITAL

ONEMMSDC Presents Matchmaker 365 closing the parity gap by providing opportunities through corporate connections to MBEs, MBEs to micro businesses and linking MBEs to global opportunities

An honest and candid discussion between MBE business owners of the challenges they have had to overcome in conducting business. This forum takes a sensitive topic by using experiences, anecdotal stories, and humor on how dealt with these cultural misunderstandings to bring about change as we address the 333-parity challenge.

Speakers

From the left:

Christopher Che, President and CEO of Che International Group, LLC

Grace Lee, President and CEO of Ashford Connex, LLC.

Kishen Kavikondala, N/A, SK International

Lorena Patterson, President and CEO of [email protected] Corp

Tarolyn Buckles, President and CEO of Onyx Enterprise

Wayne Montour, N/A, Green Arrow Staffing

A year after introducing the groundbreaking analysis that showed it will take more than 333 years to achieve parity for minority firms at the nation’s current pace of growth, are we making progress? Our council has always boldly answered the tough questions to drive real results. Hear from corporate members and MBEs that are taking strategic moves to drive sustainable results.

Speakers: 

From the left:

Andra Rush,Founder and CEO of The Rush Group

Neeraj Sha, Founder and CEO of Supplier.io

Travis Spencer, Head of Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Ford Motor Company

Global growth is expected to moderate from 5.9 in 2021 to 4.4 percent in 2022, largely reflecting forecast markdowns in the two largest economies. A revised assumption removing the Build Back Better fiscal policy package from the baseline, earlier withdrawal of monetary accommodation, and continued supply shortages produced a downward 1.2 percentage-points revision for the United States. What does all of this mean for the marketplace?

Speaker:  Kristen Broady, Senior Economist, Economic Advisor, and Director of Economic Mobility Project

In this forum, we will demystify capital for MBEs AND CORPORATE MEMBERS. Subject Matter Experts will speak in clear terms in a safe space to help corporate members as well as MBEs. Experts will discuss how to negotiate with the private equity or venture capitalist investors and focus on the investment agreement, aka the “term sheet.” In a capital negotiation, the outcome of the term sheet should leave the MBE with the economic power and full control of the company.

Speakers (From the left):

Derron Sanders, Founder and CEO of Sanders Management Group, Ltd,

Shannon Smith, Vice President, Credit Officer of Clear Vision Impact Fund,

Vijay Mehta, Co-founder of Arkview Capital

Monika Mantilla, President and CEO of ALTURA CAPITAL