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CommunityRegion’s minority, veteran firms make connections
Entrepreneurs gather to learn, honor standouts
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GARY SMITH
Robert Wallace, president and CEO of Birthgroup Industries, was the keynote speaker at the Southern Maryland Regional Purchasing and Small Business Procurement Expo at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata campus May 29.
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That’s what the Southern Maryland Regional Purchasing and Small Business Procurement Expo on May 29 at the College of Southern Maryland’s La Plata campus, was all about.
The expo was meant to provide an opportunity for small veteran-, woman- and minority-owned businesses to meet and speak with contracting officers of local, state and federal government agencies, educational institutions and private sector firms regarding their current and future contracting opportunities.
‘‘I thought it was absolutely phenomenal. It was a great event for Southern Maryland. Everyone said they got so much out of it. We got a lot covered in that day. It was well worth the time for people to attend,” said Dawn Tucker, president of the Calvert County Minority Business Alliance. ‘‘I got a lot of business contacts from the people that were there.”
The trade fair-style event, which also hosted seminars and a keynote speaker, Robert Wallace, president and CEO of Birthgroup Industries, was put on by the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland’s Minority Business Opportunities Taskforce, which consists of the Calvert County Minority Business Alliance, the Charles County Minority Business Advisory Council, and the St. Mary’s County Minority Business Alliance.
The task force also accepted nominations and picked winners for the 2008 Minority Business Awards, which included companies from all over Southern Maryland, and honored them at the expo.
‘‘I’m very grateful to all my employees. I have been blessed with very good employees,” said Cynthia Thorne-Carter, owner of Smart Ride Inc. in Prince Frederick, which won the Calvert County Business of the Year Award. ‘‘We were nominated by one of our customers. The fact that she even thought enough of us to do that is an honor. It’s kind of like payoff for my drivers, for my employees. She wouldn’t have written the nomination if they didn’t do their job.”
Some other expo sponsors and attendees included the College of Southern Maryland, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Embassy Business Complex and the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Charles County governments, Facchina Construction, Maryland Transportation Administration, Maryland State Lottery, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Maryland Small Business Administration, Maryland Bank & Trust, Erimax Inc. and Unistar Nuclear Energy.
‘‘The most important thing about the expo was to have the support of other minority businesses and to see all of us together in one room,” said Shauna Williams, owner of Big Boys Trash Service, who won the Emerging Business Award. ‘‘That shows me that times have changed and all characters, races and genders can own and operate a successful business. When we received the award, I sat back and said, ‘Wow ... I’m 30 years old, a female and I have a successful company.’ It never registered until then. I also realized that Big Boys has a lot of fans and supporters.”
‘‘For me personally there were two very rewarding things that happened. There was a showing of a regional effort and what our counties can do, and both the vendors and the sponsors who are wanting to make true relationships with women and minority owned businesses. This was an opportunity for them to really come together,” said Ellen Flowers-Fields, director of economic development for the SMTTC which spearheaded the event. She said the group hopes to hold the event again.
Local companies hosted educational seminars at the expo as well about developing strategic partnerships, contracting and procurement, business financing and getting started.
Keynote speaker and acclaimed author Wallace spoke about the importance of keeping up with globalization and taking advantage of being small, in addition to emphasizing strategic partnerships, Tucker said.
‘‘He talked about international markets and how it comes back down to the state and local levels, and why it’s important for small businesses to develop strategic alliances,” she said.
‘‘I think that for my company, the speakers they had were excellent. The information that I gathered was very appropriate for [the growth stage of] our business life cycle. [Wallace] was very motivational. As a business owner you sort of need that pick me up to get to the next level. You need someone to tell you what you need to do,” Thorne-Carter said.
‘‘Many of the economic factors are making us look at diversification. We’re at a point where we need to be open-minded. Partnerships and contracting are all things that could help a business like mine.”
‘‘We were very pleased when we heard that Ellen planned this event because we’ve been working internally with our procurement offices to establish better communication to make sure small and minority businesses are getting the opportunity to participate in county contracting. We were very pleased with the turnout and talked with some folks,” said Marcia Keeth, acting director for the Charles County Economic Development Department, which also pledged to pay the expo’s $20 entrance fee for up to 50 businesses.
‘‘We want to connect with those businesses. We didn’t want them to have to pay that fee to attend. Part of what we do is to support business growth. It’s so hard for people starting out and operating on a shoestring,” Keeth added.
Flowers-Fields said economic development’s contribution was a boost.
‘‘There was nothing stopping any Charles County small business from walking through that door,” she said.
