New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council Salutes Veteran Multicultural Businesses from 1970s-1990s

New York, NY, July 19, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council (The Council) continued to celebrate its 40th anniversary with saluting veteran minority business owners, who have been certified by The Council from 15 to 35 years, during the 2013 Business Opportunity Expo Sponsor’s Luncheon on June 20 at New York Marriott Marquis.

“The Council is honored to recognize these outstanding African American, Asian American and Hispanic American entrepreneurs, who established successful enterprises decades ago and continue to run their companies,” said Lynda Ireland, president and CEO, The Council. “Many of these businesses were initiated prior to corporate social responsibility and supplier diversity programs; still these savvy entrepreneurs knew how to grow their companies through certification and partnerships.”

For over 30 years, Ed Diaz, president & CEO of National Commercial Services, Inc., has made sure both National Commercial Services and his previous company Nationwide Collection Systems were certified by The Council. “The Council’s certification is not important—it’s imperative for New York and New Jersey minority business owners. Certification with your local council lends to the credibility of your company for corporations looking for qualified MBEs,” explained Diaz, who heads a corporate debt collection service company. “Over the last 25 years, I have seen significant progress by our New York and New Jersey corporate community in its efforts to afford equal opportunities to minority businesses.”

The 2013 Business Opportunity Expo Sponsor’s Luncheon recognized veteran Council-certified minority business owners with services ranging from multi-media IT to chemical distribution. Council-certified for 35 years, Ernest Gonzalez, president and CEO of Captree Puretech Solution, distributes chemicals for healthcare, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food products janitorial and maintenance products. John T. Lau, president of the 23 year-old company Appliedinfo Partners, Inc., whose services include technology and multi-media development, interactive training, digital marketing and supplier diversity tracking technology, and a previous firm, has been certified for 28 years. For 25 years, entrepreneur Avis Yates Rivers has headed Council certified businesses and for five years she’s been the CEO of Technology Concepts Group International, LLC, which is an IT asset management, technical services and equipment leasing firm. Benjamin Jones, president, Lightning Supply, Inc., which is a distributor of environmentally preferable polymer coated electrical conduit, has been certified for 17 years. The Council also acknowledged the impact of Serafin U. Mariel, president of the Business Consortium Fund, who also served on The Council’s board in the 1970’s and then served for over 30 years as a board member and treasurer of the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

At the luncheon, The Council's Appreciation Award was presented to Claire Scanlon, vice president, global procurement and supplier development program manager at BNY Mellon. “Claire has a strong dedication to supplier diversity,” said Ireland. “She is a tireless advocate for minority businesses development and is a tireless supporter of The Council’s programs and initiatives.”

The Business Opportunity Expo, held June 19-20, had highlights including over 100 exhibitors, match-maker sessions, social media marketing workshops and multicultural trending presentations. The luncheon keynote speaker was multicultural demographics expert Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations at The Nielsen Company. The MC was Nathalia Ortiz, TV news anchor at NBC Universal’s Telemundo-Nueva York. Fernando Hernandez, director of Supplier Diversity at Microsoft was corporate co-chair and Emmett Walker, president and CEO of Walker International Transportation and The Council’s MBEIC chair was MBE co-chair. The Expo featured Pauline Gebon, vice president of supplier diversity at Adecco USA and Council chairperson, The lead sponsors for the Expo were Microsoft, Walker International Transportation, Con Edison, Pepsico, BNY Mellon and JP Morgan Chase & Company.

The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, an award-winning affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, certifies African American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American and Native-American-owned businesses to be eligible to compete for major corporate contracts. The Council has over 200 corporate members, encompassing Fortune 500 corporations, educational institutions and government agencies including New York State, New York City, and the State of New Jersey. The Council’s jurisdiction spans from New York State through Trenton, New Jersey. Currently, there are approximately 1,300 New York and New Jersey minority-owned businesses with annual revenues from $100,000 to $2 billion that are certified by The Council. For more information, contact The Council at 212-502-5663 or www.nynjmsdc.org.