SBA and MBDA Recognize Minority Entrepreneurs and Leaders, Past and Present during 25th Anniversary of National MED Week Conference

September 10, 2007; 07:32 AM
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency will celebrate the achievements of minority entrepreneurs and business leaders during the 25th Anniversary of the National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference Sept. 13-14 in Washington, D.C.

Steve Forbes, President of Forbes Magazine is the Honorary Chair of the event and Robert Unanue, President of Goya Foods, Inc. is the Honorary Co-Chair.  In keeping with the theme, “Celebrating the Legacy of Innovation and Competitiveness,” the SBA and MBDA will honor minority businesses, public leaders who have been outstanding advocates for minority entrepreneurship and past award recipients for their contributions to the nation’s economy.

The event will also be a forum for business advice and guidance from government officials, Fortune 500 companies and educational institutions on how to become competitive in the federal and commercial marketplace using programs such as SBA’s Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program. Small businesses will be advised on how to grow their businesses, become a billion dollar business and strengthen their businesses in the commercial and global marketplace.

The conference will also feature an Emerging Business Leaders Summit for young entrepreneurs and business plan competition.

The MED Week conference schedule is listed below:

Thursday, September 13
• 4:30-6:00 pm - White House Reception to honor 25th Anniversary award winners in the Indian Treaty room (Invitation Only).
• 6:00-8:00 pm - MED Week Welcome Reception in Washington Rooms 3 & 4 of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

Friday, September 14
• 7:30-8:45 am - Billion Dollar Roundtable Breakfast in Salons 2 & 3 of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel to recognize entrepreneurs in this elite group and to provide guidance for minority business owners and aspiring business owners (ticketed event).  SBA Deputy Administrator Jovita Carranza will give remarks.
• 9:00-12:00 pm - Opening Session:  Strategic Innovation—The power of Execution, Keynote:  Vijay Govindarajan, Co-Author, Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators from Idea to Execution.  There will be a Panel Discussion following the keynote address with panelists from IBM, FedEx, University of Minnesota and S&K Technology, Inc.  Anne Habiby, former Senior Adviser to Initiative for a Competitive Inner City will be the moderator.
• 12:30-1:45 pm - State of Commerce luncheon with an award ceremony announcing SBA’s National Minority Small Business Person of the Year, 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year and the Administrator’s Leadership Award.  SBA Administrator Steve Preston will be the keynote speaker.  Press availability to follow.
• 2:00-5:00 pm - Business to Business Linkage to provide networking opportunities for minority entrepreneurs to market their goods and services to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.
• 2:00-3:15 pm - Plenary Session: Practical Insights to Mastering Innovation Keynote:  Chris Trimble, Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
3:30-4:45 pm - Panel discussion following the keynote address with panelists from Combustion Associates, Logistic Solutions, Inc., Ryla Teleservices and Shadowband Systems, Inc.  Anne Habiby, former Senior Adviser to Initiative for a Competitive Inner City will be the moderator.
• 3:30-5:00 pm - SBA SBIR Workshop:  Technology-The Untapped Frontier.
• 7:00-10:00 pm - MED Week 25th Anniversary Awards Gala

WHO: Steve Preston, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration Jovita Carranza, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration Ronald Langston, National Director of MBDA under the Department of Commerce Dr. Paul Hsu, Associate Administrator of Government Contracting and Business Development, U.S. Small Business Administration

WHEN: September 13-14, 2007

WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, N.W., Washington, DC, 1-202-328-2000