New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council 2012 Business Opportunity Expo June 13-14 in New York City

NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council's 2012 Business Opportunity Expo, considered New York City's top conference on corporations outsourcing to multicultural businesses, will be held from June 13-14 at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway in Manhattan.

The theme, Strategic Positioning for Your Future, examines opportunities for multicultural businesses and major corporations to explore methods of creating and maintaining successful business partnerships. The Expo is attended by some of the nation's leading corporate and government supplier diversity executives and the New York metropolitan area's top Asian-American, African American, Hispanic-American and Native-American business owners. There will be over 100 exhibitors encompassing Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and minority businesses.

"This year's Expo includes procurement workshops and special features like Evolve Awards promoting minority business and corporate partnerships; Mission Accomplished Awards for certified minority businesses that landed major corporate contracts; Corporate Connections match-maker meetings and the Video Business Card exhibit," said Lynda Ireland, president and CEO of The Council. "It's important for minority businesses to visibly promote their services to gain customers and corporate contracts."

The keynote speaker is Carla Harris, a managing director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, chairman of Morgan Stanley Foundation and author of Expect to Win. Workshops include a purchasing forum with leading corporate chief procurement officers (CPOs) moderated by Leonard Greenhalgh, professor of management at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business and author of Minority Business Success: Refocusing on the American Dream. Mike Narula, founder, president and CEO of Reliance Communications, is minority business co-chair and Michael Jones-Bey, director of Con Edison's Supplier Diversity Program, is corporate co-chair.

On June 13, the Expo will be from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. featuring workshops and the evening kick-off reception. On June 14, it will be from 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. featuring an awards luncheon and the popular trade fair with networking, give-aways and prizes.

The lead sponsors for the Expo are Con Edison, Reliance Communications, Pepsico, BNY Mellon, Prudential, Adecco, Johnson & Johnson, Macy's Inc., McGraw-Hill Companies, Colgate-Palmolive, Mindshare, Morgan Stanley and New York Life. For information, contact 212-502-5663 or www.nynjcouncilexpo.com.

The Council, an award-winning National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate, has approximately 200 corporate members and 1,300 certified minority businesses. Its jurisdiction spans from Albany, New York to Trenton, New Jersey.

SOURCE New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.