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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Louis Green: Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award

It's a good thing that the Detroit Free Press prints "good" news once in a while! This was an excellent front page story about Louis Green winning the "Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award" and his commitment to increasing diverse business across the state.



"The thing I like most is we get to make a connection with talented business owners and help them make their dream a reality," said Louis Green.



Congrats to Mr. Louis Green, President/CEO of Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.

Amplify’d from www.freep.com




Louis Green, president and CEO of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, stands in a skywalk to the Fisher Building in Detroit. Colleagues praise his ability to stay focused and flexible.

Louis Green, president and CEO of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, stands in a skywalk to the Fisher Building in Detroit. Colleagues praise his ability to stay focused and flexible. / PATRICIA BECK/Detroit Free Press

Louis Green was one in a group of 12 children who lived in a south-central Los Angeles neighborhood during the rise of gang violence.

"Out of them, there are seven who are dead, two sentenced to life in jail, one serving 86 years, and I don't know where one is," Green said.

But Green, president and CEO of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, said the tough circumstances of his childhood allowed him to excel.

"It drives me all the time," he said.

That drive has helped him change lives by getting corporations throughout the state and minority business leaders to work together.

It's also one of the reasons Green was selected to receive the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award.

Off to Ohio


Green, 50, escaped the streets of Los Angeles when he accepted a full scholarship to Oberlin College in Ohio. There, he received bachelor's degrees in political science and communications.

Green later attended the University of Michigan, where he received a master's degree in public policy.

From there, Green worked in the state economic development office under then-Gov. Jim Blanchard and was hired as an economic adviser for then-Gov. John Engler.

Green has been a chief deputy director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, served as a national director of supplier diversity at NBC TV and was on New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's minority business team.

Six years ago, Green joined the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. In the past four years, it has twice won the Council of the Year award.

The privately funded nonprofit is one of 37 Minority Supplier Development affiliates in the country. The organization offers programs and services for its corporate members and minority-owned business owners, as well as networking opportunities.

Each year, the 1,500-member organization facilitates more than $16 billion in purchases from minority businesses.

"The thing I like most is we get to make a connection with talented business owners and help them make their dream a reality," Green said.

Focused and flexible


Mable Jones, public affairs director for AAA Michigan, said she nominated Green for the award because of his ability to stay focused and flexible, come up with strategic plans and advocate for the membership.

"Mr. Green works with our program, and I got to observe his behavior and I was very impressed," said Jones, who also nominated him last year.

Jones said Green offers encouragement and often works quietly behind the scenes. "He knows how to work cooperatively," she said.

Green acknowledged he believes in working behind the scenes to make things happen. He said he thinks the connections in his organization happen because he and his staff try to reach out to the members and corporations.

Helen Ford, director of supplier diversity with AAA Michigan, said Green's ability and dedication to connecting members and corporations from the eastern and western parts of the state makes him essential to building economic growth.

Last year, the council was part of a group that put on a job fair for 5,000 people. And although that's not what the organization typically does, Green said the event helped build more connections.

"I never believe in staying in my lane," Green said.

Read more at www.freep.com

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Supplier diversity Programs assist in finding & getting diversified suppliers



Corporate diversity programs can be a good technique to obtain contracts from the Fortune 500 companies. The majority of corporate giants contain a diversity division and they exist to help your small business.

Corporate diversity departments assist in finding and getting diversified suppliers outside of the corporation. They are going to help your small business in getting work from the company. Realize that these companies don't operate the same as the government's minority programs. They most likely will not have contracts just for a minority certified business. Although, a few times they may have government specifications in their contracts to use minority businesses. However, these opportunities are regularly managed in the different divisions within the same corporation. So, they may request a list of minority vendors from the diversity department or they may look for the right vendors on their own.

Supplier diversity programs will not have the ability to take you to the Chairman of the Board in a person's initial visit. Yet, upon developing a partnership they might be able to get you an appointment with a department VP or some other decision maker. These diversity departments are fantastic at providing an introduction to somebody that has purchasing power. This can be significantly better than looking for the appropriate individual from the outside of the company. These programs are an excellent source of insider tips too.

An important component to getting corporate contracts is the follow-up. Following the first appointment mail a note or a card saying you appreciated the time and consideration. After that, begin seeking for reasons to stay in contact. As with all marketing endeavors, your goal is to be kept in their thoughts. They will be busy with other vendors but your goal will to be their favorite. The next step is then to begin relationships with other departments in the company.



Learn more about corporate diversity programs. A person can find information about a niche business too, like Native American business. Visit the links to find out more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darryl_Noble

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Google explains marketing tools to Mich. businesses

Google explains marketing tools to Mich. businesses


Detroit_news

By Jaclyn Trop/ The Detroit News August 4, 2011

Detroit — Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke here Thursday with Michigan businesses to explain how they can use Google's marketing tools to level the playing field and make money from their entrepreneurial visions.
The Internet is vital to growing business in an age of increasingly specialized, global markets, Schmidt told the group, which included representatives from Belle Tire Inc., Okemos-based software company TechSmith Corp., Ann Arbor-based global transportation firm Con-way Inc. and Ideal Group Inc., which hosted the event at its Detroit headquarters.
While it's never been easier to create new businesses, he said, it's also never been harder to beat competitors.
"Your economic solution is solved by the fact that the Internet exists," said Schmidt, who served as Google's CEO for 10 years before stepping down this spring. "It's easy to criticize the Internet because it's not perfect, but you want to think about what life would be like without it."
Google's paid advertising program Google AdWords has helped local businesses get ahead in an increasingly competitive market "where a penny one way or the other puts you out of the game," said Louis Green, president of Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.

Free Internet tools are the "great equalizer," Green said. "A small firm looks just like a large firm."
Google's targeted advertising tools helped generate $1.3 billion in economic activity for more than 43,000 Michigan businesses and nonprofits last year, a 40 percent surge from 2009, Google said.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based media conglomerate is trying to make further inroads against traditional advertising by noting its search tools can help businesses reach new customers and thrive online for a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing.
jtrop@detnews.com
(313) 222-2575

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110804/BIZ/108040481/Google-explains-marketing-tools-to-Mich.-businesses#ixzz1U7X4Y6kr



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