Community Support

Sometimes, in today’s political climate, it is hard to remember that this is a country with a commitment to diversity; a country that recognizes this commitment as a fuel driving the engines of both our civil liberty and national economy. Building a free and vibrant community depends on inclusion and opportunity for all. The Kennedy…

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Dog Days

It is the hot, humid and last lazy dog days of summer, as our mother used to refer to them.  Then we were excited about new home room teachers, cool clothes and maybe even a new school building.  These days, its the return to a more normal business landscape.  Our customers will be back from…

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Perspectives

We often talk about the history of supplier diversity, how its roots are buried in the affirmative action/equal employment opportunities that came out of the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.  Some of our staff actually marched (and sat) in solidarity with Martin Luther King, Jr’s mission at various locations and campuses in the Midwest and…

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For the Veterans Among Us

Not just thank you for your service, although we certainly do! Fourteen states do more than say thank you. They have specifically included VOSBs (Veteran Owned Small Business) and SDVOSBs (Service Disabled Veteran Small Business) in their procurement opportunities and SDMWVLGBTBE (Small Disadvantaged or Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise)…

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You Should Get Certified!

If you’re a DMWVLGBTBE (Disadvantaged or Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise), particularly if you’re a small business, you’ve probably heard that advice. We’ve talked about having a strategy when it comes to selecting the certifications that are right for your business, but just jumping right into filling out a…

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What is Commercially Useful?

Why should we SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) care about Commercially Useful Functions (CUF)? Because our federal government or prime vendor clients can only take credit when the SDMWVLGBTBE actually performs, manages and/or supervises distinct elements of work that are necessary to fulfill the delivery of…

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Required Certification Documents – Governance

Why does a SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) get denied certification over Governance? Governance is certifier short hand that refers to the documents governing a diverse SDMWVLGBT business and its operations. Certifiers (the SBA, VA, state agencies or third party organizations) review these documents to make…

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Getting Certified ~ Six Simple Steps

Our company has always been a women-owned business enterprise (WBE), and getting WBE certified in 1989 was a piece of cake compared to today’s rigorous process. Through various organizations and events we have met many other small business owners who became minority- or women-owned certified at the recommendation of a large corporate supplier diversity contact.…

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Power of SDMWVLGBTBE Listings

The intent behind SDMWVLGBTBE (Small, Disadvantaged/Disabled, Minority, Women, Veteran, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Business Enterprise) participation goals is to help the SDMWVLGBTBE firm mature and grow our own capacity to directly support large companies and government agencies.  A New York State Comptroller’s report says the programs are “…  intended to provide direct economic benefit to…

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Confidence

Summer time is reading time, especially if you can find time to bask in the sunshine with a good book.  The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman was on our list this year.  We talked last time about the many mixed messages we overheard growing up and as we ventured out into entrepreneurship.…

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