SBA & MBDA Recognize Minority Entrepreneurs and Promote Small Business Growth Strategies During MED Week 2011

News provided by

U.S. Small Business Administration

Sep 21, 2011, 11:18 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Emerging Industries & Markets: A Blueprint for Success" will be the focus of the 29th annual National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference, Sept. 27-30, 2011, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110909/DC65875LOGO )

MED Week celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding minority entrepreneurs and leaders and provides a platform for small and minority-owned businesses to learn about business growth strategies, receive premier training and networking opportunities.  

The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency will bring minority business owners from around the country, government officials and corporate representatives, including corporate executives from Honda, General Motors, Chrysler, Northrop-Grumman, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to participate in industry-specific workshops on increasing supplier diversity.  The conference also will include sessions on high-speed rail construction projects, public utilities and green business.  

SBA will present workshops on improving access to its lending and government contracting programs, and increasing business growth by using social media.  SBA will also participate in a roundtable entitled "Doing Business with the Government."  There will be a business expo and tradeshow, business-to-business matchmaking sessions and a Small Business Town Hall to discuss the Small Business Jobs Act.  

Speakers at MED Week 2011 will include Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills, SBA Deputy Administrator Marie Johns and MBDA National Director David Hinson.

In addition to helping minority and small businesses expand their operations and establish a presence in the global marketplace, MED Week will help small businesses learn how to weather the current economic climate in the U.S.  The MED Week conference will also distinguish the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year.  Other award highlights include the SBA Administrator's Leadership award and the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year award.

For additional information on MED Week activities, visit online at www.medweek.gov.

WHO:

Karen G. Mills, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

Marie Johns, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration

David Hinson, National Director of MBDA under the Department of Commerce

Rebecca Blank, Acting Secretary of the Department of Commerce

Joseph Jordan, Associate Administrator of Government Contracting and Business Development, U.S. Small Business Administration


WHEN:

Sept. 27-30, 2011


WHERE:

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

2660 Woodley Road, NW


Washington, DC  20008


The MED Week Events Schedule is listed below:


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

6:00-8:00 p.m.

MED Week Welcome Reception


WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

8:30-9:00 a.m.

Welcome Remarks, Investment in American Business through Emerging Markets, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

9:00-9:30 a.m.

Opening Session: Keynote Speech: Speaker: Shaun Donovan, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

9:30-10:00 a.m.

Opening Session (Continued) Winning the Future, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

10:30-12:00 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I:  Access to Capital: International Financing Opportunities, Delaware Suite

Track II: Access to Contracts: Doing Business with the federal government, Maryland Suite

Track III: Access to Markets: Doing Business in Latin America, Virginia Suite

1:00-1:30 p.m.

Keynote Speech: Speaker: Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

1:30-3:00 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I: Access to Capital: SBA Small Business Lending, Delaware Suite

Track II: Access to Contracts: Global Supply Chain:  Minority Business Success, Maryland Suite

Track III: Access to Markets: Doing Business in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, Virginia Suite

3:00-5:00 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I: Access to Capital: "Strategies to Leverage, Grow and Sell Your Business through Mergers & Acquisitions in a Global Competitive Market," Delaware Suite

Track II: Growing Your Business through Social Media, Maryland Suite

Track III: Access to Contracts: SBA—Updates in small business contracting, Virginia Suite

Track IV:  Access to Markets: Doing Business in Europe, Marriott Ballroom Salon 1



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

8:00-8:30 a.m.

Opening Remarks, International Business and Policy, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

8:30-10:00 a.m.

Plenary Session:  White House Minority Business Roundtable, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

Speakers: Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President,

Panelists:

Marie Johns, SBA Deputy Administrator

Ari Matusiak, Executive Director of the White House Business Council

James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education

Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of State

10:30-12:00 p.m.

Concurrent Worskshops:

Track I: Access to Contracts: Federal Mentor Protege Programs, Delaware Suite

Track II: Manufacturing Industry: Automotive and Commercial Trucks, Maryland Suite

Track III: Construction Industry: High Speed Rail Panel, Virginia Suite

Track IV: Your Strategy for Growth, Marriott Ballroom Salon 1

12:00-1:30 p.m.

U.S. Small Business Administration Presents – Administrator's Luncheon,

Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3


Speakers: Marie Johns, SBA Deputy Administrator

Joseph G. Jordan, SBA Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development

2:00-3:30 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I: Small Business Town Hall: Growth Opportunities for the Underserved Markets, Delaware Suite

Track II: Manufacturing Industry: Aerospace and Defense, Maryland Suite

Track III: Construction Industry: High Speed Rail Panel, Virginia Suite

Track IV: Accessing Opportunities in the Green Economy, Marriott Ballroom Salon 1

4:00-5:30 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I: Best Practices for Minority Contractors in the Construction Industry, Delaware Suite

Track II: Business-2-Business Linkage Event (offsite)


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

8:30-9:00 a.m.

MED Week Opening Remarks, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

9:00-10:30 a.m.

CEO Fireside Chat, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

10:45-11:00 a.m.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Exhibit Hall A

11:00-5:00 p.m.

2011 National MED Week's Business Expo & Pavilion

Business-to-Business Matchmaker, Washington Room 2

Power Learning Sessions, Washington Room 4

One-on-One Sessions, Washington Room 6

One-on-One Sessions, Washington Room 3

1:30-3:30 p.m.

Concurrent Workshops:

Track I:  Market Opportunities in the Energy Sector, Delaware Suite

Track II: Construction Industry, Maryland Suite

Track III: Alternative Solutions to Financing Your Growing Business, Virginia Suite

7:00-10:00 p.m.

29th Annual MED Week Awards Gala, Marriott Ballroom Salons 2 & 3

Editor's Note: All events listed above are open to the press.  For more information on MED Week workshops and sessions, or to register for the conference, visit www.medweek.gov.  To schedule interviews with SBA representatives, please contact Tiffani Clements at (202) 401-0035.  For more information about MED Week, visit SBA's Web site at http://www.sba.gov/content/med-week.



Contact:  Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035


Internet Address: http://www.medweek.gov

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration