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INDUSTRY- March 2004
But, because of Kentucky’s rural nature, the big fish are often few and far between. These “fish” include local governments, colleges and universities, school systems and the really big Kentucky businesses, like Toyota, Yum! Brands and Humana. Vendors drool at the prospect of supplying the needs of these big concerns. For minority-owned businesses, the challenges have been particularly daunting. Wanting to share in the American dream, many minority business owners have scraped and built up their businesses with little more than “sweat equity.” With many minority business owners having little experience at landing a big fish, new efforts are being made statewide at growing and prospering these small-to-medium sized companies. For almost 30 years, the Kentuckiana Minority Business Council (KMBC) has operated in Louisville, grooming small businesses, helping them to get their feet on the ground and to become more prosperous. Established in 1984, the KMBC is one of 39 regional Minority Supplier Development Councils in the U.S. With more than 360 clients and 105 corporate members, KMBC is the largest certification organization in Kentucky. “The KMBC has maintained a history of assisting minority businesses to flourish in corporate America’s procurement process,” said Derwin Webb, the group’s President/CEO. “The Council has enabled many businesses, both large and small, to improve in areas to make them more competitive in the marketplace. Moreover, the Council has served as a valuable asset and tool to corporations seeking certified emerging businesses that exhibit sound cost savings, on-time delivery capabilities and produce innovative solutions for the end-users. KMBC is pleased to provide these services for all minority businesses in Kentucky, Southern Indiana and West Virginia.” In a move indicative of its aggressive growth, the organization opened a Lexington office in December and aims at possibly opening an Owensboro office within a year. “The KMBC office here in Lexington has had a very good reception,” said Janet Givens of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. “I’ve had calls about the center almost daily. The organization has started making some solid inroads into our community.” According to Givens, the KMBC has begin building rapport with numerous Lexington minority-owned businesses. “They have been meeting with a lot of organizations promoting minority businesses. For example, they’ve made presentations to Commerce Lexington and recently, at the Black Business Mixer sponsored by Emmaus Road Village, which is a group that encourages what they call, the ‘recycling of black dollars.’ “The KMBC people are very adept at networking, which is good. I believe we’ll see some very positive results from their presence here in the Bluegrass. They certainly have a great track record in Louisville.” The KMBC is headquartered in the Greater Louisville Inc. building at 614 West Main St. Its new office in Lexington is in the Phoenix Building at 101 East Vine St. The group’s presence in the Bluegrass is something anticipated for some time. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government sponsored what was expected to be a modest conference promoting minority businesses last July. More than 200 entrepreneurs and businesspeople showed up, which, according to Givens, far surpassed all expectations of attendance. “The success of the July Minority Business Expo indicated that a Lexington office of this type was needed,” said Lexington Mayor Teresa Ann Isaac. The KMBC is a member organization of the much-larger National Minority Supplier Development Council. According to the KMBC website, the group provides “a direct link between corporate America and minority owned businesses” as its primary objective as a National Minority Supplier Development Council organization. The NMSDC itself 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 most of America’s largest 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 (Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American) with member corporations which want to purchase goods and services. KMBC offers its members and clients an extensive integrated network of resources. For our corporations, they serve as a source of contact and information. In addition, we help member corporations identify certified minority business enterprises and provide assistance in developing and implementing minority supplier development programs. “The KMBC is a very professional group,” Givens said. “Because they do have that 30 year history and an affiliation with a national organization, they know what they’re doing. They offer a wide range of programs and activities. They also have educational opportunities designed to help minority businesses increase and give them advice and direction on how to do business with the corporate sector.” And, Givens says, the “big fish” in Central Kentucky are starting to pay attention to well-run minority businesses. “The ‘big fish’ here are becoming more receptive,” she said. “Many are taking their cues from Toyota Motor Manufacturing, who’s had a very successful minority supplier program for years. They’ve become the model for the region in doing business with minority owned vendors. The big fish in Lexington are UK, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Fayette County Schools. At LFUCG, we’ve had minority businesses on our radar screens for a number of years and have been working hard to increase their numbers among our vendors and suppliers. We’ve had a lot of help from Commerce Lexington and the Urban League to reach these goals.” Those interested in learning more about KMBC and its new initiatives can call them at (502) 625-0135.
Claude Hammond is a staff writer for The Lane Report. Back to March Issue The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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It’s like trying to catch a big fish. Businesspeople from throughout the Commonwealth are in search of big clients for their products and services. These are the clients that can make or break a business, serving as a reward for years of labor and quality control.