MINUTES
September 22, 2008
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Chairman’s Welcome & Introductions
Malik Ali, President of the Florida Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. presided and welcomed everyone to the meeting. Attendance was taken to ensure there was a quorum. Attendees included Malik Ali (FMSDC), Torey Alston (Office of Supplier Diversity), Carla Pierre (Office of Supplier Diversity), Cheryl Gonzalez (Florida Gulf Coast University), Jodi Bailey (Department of Health), LaVern Kelly (KNA Services, Inc.), Ben Harris (City of Tallahassee), Keevin Williams (Florida Black Business Investment Board), LaRae Floyd (Broward Health), and Denise Wright (Office of Supplier Diversity) recorded the minutes.
Approval of Minutes & Acceptance of Agenda
A motion was made to approve the minutes from the January 28, 2008 conference callmeeting and accept the agenda. The motion made by Lavern Kelly and seconded by Keevin Williams. The motion passed.
OSD Executive Director’s Update
FY 07-08 Success Stories: The Executive Director discussed the document that was sent to council members in July of this year about success stories from OSD. One success story was the development of OSD’s 2010 Plan. The planhighlights various areas of opportunity including technology, economic development, accountability and matchmaking. OSD has been using the 2010 Plan as a guideline for various services and has increased communications with several stakeholder groups, including the Advisory Council, the Legislative Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Women Caucus, and various support groups such asthe Small Business Development Center Network. OSD is in discussions with Jerry Cartwright and the Florida Small Business Development Center Networkabout a Strategic Partnership Agreement. OSD is now in the process of having discussions with the City of Tallahassee and the City of Jacksonvilleabout reciprocal certification agreements. Secretary South worked with Mr. Alston to initiate discussions with the City of Jacksonville. Also, OSD is in the process of reaching out to other cities, counties, school board and hospital districts to get their consideration for state reciprocal agreements. The goal is to have at least one solidified partner on board prior to the 2008 MatchMaker Conference.
Creation of MBE Resource Guide: OSD got feedback from the Regional Matchmaker Workshops this year about the benefits of being certified. OSD reached out to various state agencies and diversity officials. The OSD staff worked very hard to put together a very comprehensive guide for businesses who are certified with OSD. The draft is complete with a letter from Governor Crist and Secretary South that will be included in the Resource Guide.
Mentor Protégé and Loan Mobilization Program: OSD has launched three agreements and got a fourth one last week with Turner Construction Company and HZ Construction. The Loan Mobilization Program has been revamped. There was one Loan Mobilization Agreement with the Book Hardt Group, a MBE firm that is working with the Department of Corrections. Although not confirmed, we think this will be our first official agreement through the Loan Mobilization Program.
Service-Disabled Veteran Enterprises: Mr. Alston provided a pdf document to the council members of a screen shot from MyFloridaMarketPlace on last week. He gave an update on the Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise certification component. OSD’s certification team has worked with the Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs getting rules together on how the certification process will work. The certification process is uniform. A business that has the designation as Service-Disabled Veteran Enterprisewould also have to provide documentation proving they are a Service-Disabled Veteran and also proving at least a 10% service-connected disability. MyFloridaMarketPlace, the Department of Financial Services and various entities are working together to ensure we meet the November 11, 2008 deadline.
Extending Certification Period one year to two years: OSD has been advocating extending the certification period from one year to two years. Mr. Alston attended a conference in Kansas City and met with supplier diversity directors from other states. Their certification period ranges from three to five years. OSD is advocating for a two year certification in the upcoming legislative session. The documentation has been submitted to the Governor’s Office and the Department of Management Services. We hope to have an update at the MatchMaker Conference.
Comprehensive Survey of Business Owners: OSD is working on a draft survey for certified business owners. The draft survey will be sent to council members for their review and feedback. We hope to get the survey out within the next month or two to our business owners statewide so they can evaluate how we are doing and to get their feedback on our services.
2008 MatchMaker Conference and Trade Show: OSD is still in the process of solidifying speakers for the conference. We are working to ensure we have three days of potential news worthy events. We are also working on a major strategic partnership agreement with the Small Business Administration. Also, we are working on marketing and outreach for Service-Disabled Veteran Enterprises. With early registration, we have seen a sizable number of veteran-owned business owners register for the conference.
Next Scheduled Council Meeting
The next Advisory Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 2:00 p.m., at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando. Mr. Alston will follow-up with the room number and specific details of the meeting.
Open Discussion
W – Veteran designation and Y – non-certified through OSD.
A FAMBEO meeting is scheduled at the MatchMaker Conference and Malik Ali requested Ben Harris to survey the members of FAMBEO to specify what they have in their programs. Mr. Ali will follow-up with an email to Mr. Harris.
LaRae Floyd stated she has the matrix from the South Florida area on Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach certification program and will forward the information to the council members.
Mr. Ali stated one of the recommendations in the report to the Governor was to have more sessions for buyers.
As a follow-up, the following link is to the minority utilization plans provided by each agency and university:
The Council meeting was adjourned at 3:10pm.
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