NEW YORK, May 21 NY-NMSDC-pres-retire
NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Harriet R. Michel, president of the
National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), today announced that
she will retire after 20 years of service effective January 31, 2009. Ms.
Michel was named president of NMSDC in September 1988.
"I'm very proud of what the NMSDC has accomplished in my 20 years with the
organization," said Ms. Michel. "We have created programs to assist our
corporate members in improving their minority supplier development processes,
offered valuable training for supplier development professionals and provided
thousands of minority business owners with the opportunity to compete for
corporate contracts. While it saddens me to leave NMSDC, I have the comfort of
knowing that the organization is as strong as it's ever been, and will
certainly remain an invaluable asset to corporate America and minority
business owners."
During her tenure, NMSDC's corporate membership nearly quadrupled, and
corporate member purchases from minority-owned businesses increased from $10.5
billion to more than $100 billion. The organization's staff increased from 8
to 22, and its annual budget grew from $2 million plus to $16 million, which
has strengthened the affiliate network, too.
Since Ms. Michel became president, nine chairmen from major corporations
served as chairman of the NMSDC board, including David E. Miller (JCPenney
Stores and Catalog, 1986-88); Joseph E. Antonini (Kmart Corporation,
1988-1991); Robert C. Stempel (General Motors Corporation, 1991-93); Arthur C.
Martinez (Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1994-1997); George A. David (United
Technologies Corporation, 1998-2000); Daniel P. Burnham (Raytheon Company,
2001-03); John M. Barth (Johnson Controls, Inc., 2004-05); and Steven S.
Reinemund (PepsiCo, Inc., 2006-07). Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and
chief executive officer of Macy's, Inc., is the current chairman.
Under Ms. Michel's leadership, the NMSDC experienced tremendous financial
growth and implemented all of the core national programs available to its
corporate members and MBEs today.
The NMSDC's Minority Business Information Center was created in 1994. It
is the only national centralized source of information about minority business
development and trends. The Center's resources include access to online
databases; a vast collection of magazines, newspapers and journals with
articles pertinent to minority business development; statistical data from the
U.S. Bureau of the Census; books containing corporate facts and figures;
information on legislation affecting minority business development; links to
relevant sites for the government, media, and other organizations;
publications, order forms, audio and video cassettes; NMSDC Council referrals
for certification; and the organization's e-Newsletter and archives.
The NMSDC established the Corporate Plus(R) program in 1995 as a national
membership category for MBEs to recognize their national capabilities, bring
them to the attention of more national corporate members, and expand their
participation in the NMSDC network. The program currently has 87 members.
The following year, NMSDC partnered with the J.L. Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern University to offer the Advanced Management
Education Program (AMEP). The program is designed to provide certified,
established, expansion-oriented MBEs with the tools and skills needed to
achieve and sustain accelerated growth. AMEP combines NMSDC's knowledge of
minority supplier development with Kellogg's ability to develop and deliver
leading-edge executive education during the four-day program. It helps high
potential MBEs achieve the next level of business success. To date, more than
400 MBEs have completed the program.
As business became more global, the NMSDC responded by replicating its
business model outside the U.S. In 2001, the organization established its
International Program to take the NMSDC mission abroad by establishing NMSDC
counterpart organizations. Another activity has been business opportunity
missions sponsored by NMSDC corporate members with a strong business presence
in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Africa and the United Kingdom. U.S.
minority business owners participate in the missions to learn about global
business opportunities and meet foreign-based business owners who could be
potential business partners.
In 2005, the NMSDC created the Centers of Excellence program, regional
business modules designed to enhance successful business relationships between
corporations and MBEs by strengthening corporate minority supplier development
processes. This is done through knowledge-sharing and excellence in
implementing NMSDC best practices. Beginning in 2006, the program launched
modules in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey and San Antonio.
Each module consists of eight to 10 locally-based corporations working with
16-20 MBEs.
The organization introduced an online training course for corporate
minority supplier development professionals, as well as national and regional
seminars to address challenges and trends in supplier development and supply
chain transformation.
Under Ms. Michel's guidance, the organization expanded the size of its
annual conference from 700 attendees in 1998 to more than 7,000. A one-day
business opportunity fair was added to the conference, which is considered the
nation's benchmark forum for minority supplier development.
In 1990, the NMSDC created the annual Minority Business Leadership Awards
Dinner-Dance to recognize MBEs and corporations for their long-standing
achievements in minority supplier development. Today, more than 1,700 guests
attend the event.
Ms. Michel will remain in her position through the end of January 2009. An
NMSDC search committee will work with a national executive search firm that
specializes in non-profit leadership recruitment to fill the position.
About NMSDC
Providing a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned
businesses is the primary objective of the National Minority Supplier
Development Council, one of the country's leading business membership
organizations. It was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and
business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.
The NMSDC Network includes a national office in New York and 39 Regional
Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the
network, including America's top publicly-owned, privately-owned and
foreign-owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying
institutions. The Regional Councils certify and match more than 15,000
minority-owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their
goods and services.
For more information about NMSDC, call (212) 944-2430 or visit the Web
site at www.nmsdc.org.
SOURCE National Minority Supplier Development Council
