The NMSDC - Community Wealth & The Way the World Works

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I just returned from the NMSDC tradeshow and conference in New Orleans.? I had a phenomenal show.? I reconnected with old friends and colleagues separated by a pandemic.? This is my first NMSDC conference since transitioning from a regional council CEO to becoming a certified MBE.? And as a certified MBE I had, let us say, different types of conversations with representatives from the corporate members in attendance than the conversations I had as a council leader.? Now it was about how to grow my?business, BJM Solutions and the NMSDC network, not just the latter.

I want to thank all the people who worked long hours and weekends to make this event the success that it was.??Corporate supplier diversity leaders, particularly the exhibitors and their teams were energized, informed, and helpful. Amazon had 100 employees to service the MBEs attending the event! Additionally, the MBEs I reconnected with or met for the first time were impressive and inspirational. Some of my fellow MBEs I have been friends with for over two decades. I also want to recognize the regional affiliate leaders who were my colleagues when I was leading the GNEMSDC. I know I am biased in this view, but it is the regional councils who are the boots on the ground in the NMSDC network. It is their dedication to supplier diversity, inclusion, and excellence that makes the difference for so many corporate members and certified MBEs. And what made this event so special was the participation of the past NMSDC presidents. I did not get a chance to sit down with each of them individually, but I had great conversations with Harriet Michel and Joset Wright-Lacy. The baton has been passed to Ying McGuire. I am excited about her stewardship and expressed goal of one trillion dollars of spend with certified MBEs. ?

On my way home, I thought about what makes NMSDC work. NMSDC is not simply a network, it is an organic, biological, living social movement.? As a social movement, it thrives on mission. It relies on a North Star to guide us through dark times towards that mission. That North Star is taking us towards equity. ?

We are striving for equity in corporate supply chains and equity in wealth creation. We want this not simply because of the inherent value of supply chain and wealth equity; we want this because these are vehicles to the creation of more equitable and sustainable minority communities. We want to spread this wealth so that America can fulfill its promise. Only through the spreading of wealth and equity will America ever achieve its goal as that special place in the world. We MBEs are striving to succeed in our chosen markets, but we are also blazing a path for future generations of Americans from all walks of life and all ethnicities. ?

MBEs, supplier diversity professionals, corporate leaders, organizational leaders, and corporate members, come and go; that is the natural way of life. The only thing that must remain in a healthy, sustainable, and growing network is the original spark that defines its raison d’etre. That does not mean that an organization cannot change strategies and tactics, but if the purpose for being changes to something unrecognizable, that organization will not survive. ???

The NMSDC has set a goal of helping to create $1 trillion in certified MBE sales from its current level less than half that amount. This is one of those big hairy scary goals.? It is commendable to have big specific goals.??I am confident we can and will achieve this goal. I also know what is required to achieve this goal. We must remember that achieving this goal is only a means to building stronger minority communities.?

We must individually and collectively continue to feed the network. This requires MBEs, corporate members, affiliate leaders, national office leaders, trustees, to?think first about what we can do to support the network, not what we can simply take from the network. I have been around long enough to observe the wisdom of this approach by witnessing the success of companies and individuals who open their hearts, minds, and wallets to promote the success of others in this network. Call me crazy, but my advice to new corporate members, MBEs, affiliate leaders, and?national office leaders is to always lead with giving to the network. Rest assured; it will come back in multiples.?