Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council
Annual Meeting and Minority Business Enterprise Scholarship Gala
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council (CMSDC) will host their 2011 Annual Meeting and Minority Business Enterprise Scholarship Gala, on Thursday January 20th, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hilton Charlotte Center City is the site for the Annual Meeting Luncheon and the Harvey B. Gantt Center will host this year's scholarship gala. Both events are slated to attract corporate executives and procurement professionals from the world's largest purchasing organizations along with hundreds of minority business owners. The event was created with the intent to recognize achievements and continue to build on supplier diversity initiatives for the Carolinas.
Duke Energy North Carolina President, Brett Carter, will be the keynote speaker at this year's luncheon along with other corporations to include: Henkel, Time Warner Cable, Lockheed Martin and Lincoln Harris. The Scholarship Gala will award a scholarship to the prestigious Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. A silent auction will be held in conjunction with the Gala, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on luxury items from a host of suppliers within the region.
Minority suppliers are the fastest-growing segment of today's business landscape. According to the Census Bureau, the rate of growth for minority-owned businesses range from more than 25% for Asians and 31% for Hispanics to 45% for Blacks, compared to 10% for all of U.S. businesses. This year America's biggest corporations are expected to spend more than $100 billion to buy goods and services from minority-owned businesses.
The Carolinas MSDC is a non-profit corporation chartered to enhance business opportunities for minority-owned companies by providing support, through developing mutually beneficial networking opportunities with the corporate members and promoting minority business development. Last year's sponsorship dollars helped the organization see a 12% increase in certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBEs), a reported $400 million plus growth in annual sales for MBEs and over $1.4 billion corporate spend with the Carolinas.
SOURCE Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council
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