The MBDA Minute: NOVEMBER EDITION 🗞️

Minority Business Development Agency sent this bulletin at 11/22/2024 12:30 PM EST

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NOVEMBER 2024

Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month

Join us as we celebrate the diverse and rich culture, history, and traditions of our American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.

MBDA honors military veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces for their contributions, dedication, and sacrifice that protect our freedom and way of life.

This Thanksgiving the MBDA family is grateful for our operators, partners, and friends who join us in support of America’s MBEs.

Deputy Undersecretary Eric Morrissette Speaking at MED Week

Defining New Norms & Closing
the Economic Opportunity Gap:
MED Week 2024

This year, President Biden proclaimed October 20th through 26th as Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. During this time the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) celebrates the innovation and resilience of minority business enterprises (MBEs). We also use this national observance to highlight the essential role MBEs play in strengthening our economy.

Minority business enterprises employ over 9 million people and generate more than $1.9 trillion in revenue annually, a testament to their growing impact. As President Joe Biden stated in his proclamation, "During Minority Enterprise Development Week, may we celebrate all the minority-owned businesses making our economy stronger, our Nation more competitive, and our communities more hopeful. And may we recommend supporting their success and longevity."

During MED Week 2024, MBDA partnered with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), to host their annual Conference & Exchange in Atlanta. This year’s theme "Defining New Norms” builds on our combined efforts to redefine business norms and pave the way for a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous economy.

Attracting over 6,000 attendees, this conference is the largest of its kind in the United States. The event was packed with valuable opportunities, including panel sessions, accelerator programs, impact labs focused on government contracting, and a vibrant trade show where businesses showcased their products and services to prospective clients and customers.

Ultimately, MED week and NMSDC’s annual Conference & Exchange serve as a forum to empower minority entrepreneurs, fostering opportunities to achieve the American Dream, build generational wealth, and create jobs. In case you missed the announcement, MED Week 2025 will be held in Miami, and we hope to see you there.

Here are a few highlights from MED Week 2024. Check out the dynamic keynote speakers, inspiring panel discussions, and business networking moments that made this event a huge success.

Photo Credits: Gabriel Cushing

Closing The Opportunity Gap
in Rural America

Listen as the Las Vegas MBDA Business Center's Gloria Ortiz talks supporting small businesses in America's rural communities, and the benefits of doing so.

MBDA helps American Indian-owned
Business Secure a $2.0 Billion Contract 

Founded in 1957 by Roy T. Beard, Jr., AmerInd Contracting, LLC (AmerInd) is a third-generation American Indian family-owned and operated business. They are a design-build contractor that can do horizontal and vertical construction along with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing projects. AmerInd contacted the Maryland Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center seeking help with navigating the United States (U.S.) Federal marketplace. With their assistance, AmerInd was awarded a $2.0 billion, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. Department of General Services Administration (GSA) to build and install electric vehicle charging stations in 23 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The GSA is playing an important and active role in greening Federal buildings and electrifying the Federal Fleet to meet the Biden Administration’s goal of 100 percent zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2035. Through the IDIQ contract, AmerInd will help to build and deploy the zero-emission vehicle re-fueling infrastructure needed for this new Federal Fleet. 

“AmerInd is a good company with a good reputation,” said Gianna Hylton, Director, Maryland MBDA Business Center. “They just needed to understand the Federal marketplace, so we worked to enroll them in a free training facilitated by Govology, one of our business service partners.”  A government contracting training and education platform, Govology assisted AmerInd in navigating the government landscape through one-on-one advisory sessions and a 10-week Federal Procurement Readiness Cohort covering various topics in government contracting geared to assist businesses to successfully compete for and win government contracts.  

AmerInd also maximized other opportunities and resources offered by the Maryland MBDA Business Center and Federal Procurement initiatives. “We connected AmerInd with decision makers at various government agencies,” said Gary Moore, Senior Business Consultant, Maryland MBDA Business Center. “We even secured an invitation for AmerInd to attend MBDA’s White House Contracting Summit in 2023, because connections made at these events can catapult a company to success.” 

As a client of the Maryland MBDA Business Center, AmerInd was able to develop the tools, resources, and business intelligence to pursue and receive more lucrative contracts that also expanded their business capabilities.  The company has increased its annual revenue by millions of dollars and anticipates creating many new jobs over the course of the contract. “Through our engagement with the MBDA, we have been able to expand our network and gain access to better marketing opportunities,” said Jordan Beard, President, AmerInd. “My company’s history and reputation along with the MBDA’s business resources and dedicated staff have been instrumental to our recent seven-fold revenue growth.”  To learn more, visit the Minority Business Development Agency website at MBDA.gov. 

Expanding Access to Capital
in Indian Country

MBDA celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a webinar on investing in tribal digital economies to help fuel U.S. innovation featuring Mahrinah Shije, Managing General Partner of Endemic Venture Capital. Councilman and Tribal Leader Dillon Shije from the Pueblo of Zia in New Mexico also provided remarks.

Joann J. Hill:

From Rural Roots to Executive Service

Growing up in the small rural town of South Congaree, South Carolina shaped Joann Hill’s character in ways that have influenced her personally and professionally. She started her career with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) as a Business Development Specialist for the Atlanta Regional Office and today Joann is the Director of the Office of Customer Experience for MBDA, and a member of the Senior Executive Service.

Joann comes from a lineage of civic, community, and entrepreneurial families. Her great grandparents started the local family church, Platt Springs Baptist Church, which will soon celebrate its 125^th anniversary in 2025. Her family members include custom home builders, carpenters, brick masons, beauticians, franchisees, and the owner and chief operating officer of one of the longest running taxicab companies in the community.

The communal culture of South Congaree allowed Joann to spend quality time with family and friends, sharing meals, attending church on Sundays, and participating in neighborhood gatherings. She learned about family values, loyalty, mutual respect, and the importance of community and civic engagement from an early age. “The women in my family were

elegant, yet resourceful and enterprising. I was raised with an understanding that nothing comes without true grit, so I learned how to be resilient, focused, and to adjust and adapt to change throughout my career and life. As a child, I was assigned chores that instilled a strong work ethic and collaborative spirit in me,” said Joann.

Joann earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Benedict College and a master’s in business administration from Emory University. She is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the oldest African American sorority in America.

In addition to her exemplary leadership as a senior executive, she is known for her engaging personality and her commitment to mentoring the next generation. In her current role and with more than two decades of service at MBDA, Joann continues to utilize the skills first honed during her childhood in collaborating with others to build coalitions within the federal government ecosystem and the private sector. Her work results in advancing the vital mission of MBDA in promoting full participation in the growth of our nation’s economy.

Eric Morrissette, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development

Growing Minority Business Enterprises

Atlanta, Georgia

Deputy Under Secretary Eric Morrissette toured P2K's, the 2024 National MED Week Construction Firm of the Year, Non-Licensed Vehicle Road (NLVR) Replacement construction site in Atlanta, GA. CEO and Co-Founder Guiomar Obregon led the tour, alongside airport officials and the Georgia MBDA Business Center who named P2K the “go-to company” for high-strength concrete repairs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

MBDA and AMAC sign MOU During MED Week 2024

MBDA and the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding during MED Week 2024 to expand contracting opportunities at airports across the country.

Demo of Innovation Hub Platform

The Southeast MBDA Business Growth Hub focuses on using technology to connect MBDA Business Centers with strategic business service organizations across eight states.