The New York and New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council is proud to announce the celebration of our 50-Year “Golden” Anniversary in 2023. As we reflect on the amazing milestone that is 50 years of serving our local business community, we think about all the progress we have made in empowering minority suppliers and connecting them to corporate members in need of their services. Not only is The Council able to help suppliers get recognized and certified as minority-owned, but we also help build and grow these suppliers through development programs and by offering ample opportunities to network and connect with other suppliers or corporate members. 

We have no plans of slowing our efforts this year —or any of the years to come— and are excited to embrace The Council’s 2023 theme: Amplifying Capabilities, Fostering Growth. 

This year’s theme is both a reflection of the core message The Council has strived to embrace since our inception in 1973 and a poignant reminder of the work still to be done in creating truly diverse, accessible supply chains for all. As we move into the 50th Anniversary year of the NYNJMSDC, we look forward to new ways we can amplify the message of our organization and build a greater connection between MBEs and new business opportunities. We hope that everyone can take time this year to explore new business opportunities, build connections that will enhance your goals, succeed beyond your expectations, and celebrate your successes. 

No matter where life takes your business this year, remember that you always have the support of the NYNJMSDC. We offer a range of networking opportunities and special events, providing the perfect opportunity for all of The Council’s constituents to create long-lasting connections to propel their businesses forward. This year’s Signature Events will take place on the following dates:

• Business Opportunity Exchange: May 18, 2023
• Biz Connect: August 10, 2023
• Networking for Scholarships: September 20, 2023
• Partnership Awards Gala: October 12, 2023

There will be plenty of other development and networking events in the coming months, and we invite you to stay tuned to our regular email newsletters and social media updates to make sure you don’t miss out on some great opportunities for your business. 

As always, we’re looking forward to continuing the advocacy, partnership, and mentorship relationships with our MBE suppliers and corporate members as we work to foster lasting, meaningful connections all year long. We strive to enable everyone involved with the NYNJMSDC to reap the benefits of connection and recognition offered through our past, present, and future efforts. And we look forward to amplifying the capabilities and fostering the growth of our members and community for another 50 years… and many more!

Udayan Bose, Founder and CEO of NetElixir, started the company with a vision to help retail businesses succeed online. As CEO, he has led the way in building NetElixir into a premier digital marketing agency, using smart, data-driven solutions to deliver exceptional performance for retailers across industries. Udayan’s exclusive focus on the digital retail space has helped NetElixir become a leader in the search marketing landscape while partnering with industry leaders like Google and UPS.

Prior to NetElixir, Udayan was the Director of Business Development at PartyGaming. He regularly lectures MBA classes at Cornell University, Baruch College, and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India, in addition to being an Innovation Fellow at Lang Center of Entrepreneurship at the Columbia Business School. Udayan has been featured in many of the most prominent online journals, including The New York Times, Forbes, AdWeek, eMarketer, and Media Post, among others.

Albert Einstein is one of Udayan’s biggest inspirations and, in fact, Einstein is the reason that NetElixir’s headquarters are in Princeton, NJ. Udayan prides himself on structuring NetElixir as a learning organization, both internally and externally. He leads with the notion of fail faster, which encourages his team to try new things, experiment, and learn from their mistakes or successes without fear holding them back. An open dialogue between himself and his employees is crucial to fostering creativity and collaboration. A hallmark of Udayan’s leadership style is his Sunday CEO notes that share the team’s recent accomplishments, new innovations in the e-commerce landscape, and thought-provoking ideas to keep the team connected. 

Udayan travels extensively to speak at trade shows and conferences, visit the team in person at our India office, and meet with clients. He’s excited about the near limitless opportunities available in the e-commerce industry and the chance to help more businesses succeed online!

About your company

NetElixir is an independent growth marketing agency for leading retail, DTC, and B2B brands. We have been driving profitable growth for e-commerce businesses since 2004, by combining a high-tech and high-touch approach to digital marketing. Leveraging our AI-powered digital marketing platform, LXRInsights, we predictably identify, engage, and win high-value customers through targeted demand generation campaigns on search, social, programmatic display, and retail media channels. Our strategic insights empower brands to humanize their customer relationships and draw the line between invasive and inventive marketing.

Currently, NetElixir is one of 27 agencies (and the only New Jersey-based agency) invited to sit on Google’s Leadership Circle.

What does being a minority business, or supporting minority businesses, mean to you?

Most importantly, being a minority business leader sends out a strong message about what my team and I stand for. We champion diversity and equal opportunity for all — these are in fact two core values I built NetElixir on. 

Being a minority leader means it is important to ensure my voice is heard. Recently, I sat on an agency executive committee at one of the top five tech companies and I was the only minority leader present. 

I work hard to build a community and a family, both personally and professionally, that constantly champions inclusion, openness, and diversity. At NetElixir, I am proud to facilitate a one global team mentality, where no matter our background or geographic location, we help one another, uplift each other, and dream big together.

How has being certified with the NMSDC helped your business?

I am a recent member of NMSDC, but I already feel the impact. Being certified strengthens our profile for larger brands who are looking for an agency that aligns with their diversity initiatives to complement and amplify their brand values. Most importantly, being certified means my team’s efforts toward greater diversity are being recognized and acknowledged.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out in your career?

I wish I had known more about the range of opportunities available to me. When I first started, I didn’t even know that such organizations existed or that I could make a career in search and build my own search marketing organization. If I had known the strong partnership ecosystem that is available to me, I could have tapped into this ecosystem earlier knowing that I have strong support systems in place and people to continually gain inspiration from.

For more information on NetElixir, please visit: netelixir.com or follow them on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, & Instagram

Perry Wilson is a dynamic energy executive with 15 years of cross functional experience in wholesale and retail markets who has managed trading, pricing, risk, product development, asset management, acquisitions, marketing, and forecasting. He has a robust and working knowledge of all U.S. gas and power markets with a broad range of deep functional disciplines in IT and automation. 

While working at Northeastern Power, Perry is an outside-the-box thinker who is extremely driven and a candid individual that leads by demonstration and welcomes challenges. When not thinking of ways to increase Northeastern Power’s footprint in a mission to become the leading clean energy supplier, Perry enjoys traveling abroad and long distance running. 

Northeastern Power provides clean energy services and solutions to residential, commercial and industrial customers in all New York State markets. The Company is a customer focused ESCO, delivering clean economical and sustainable products that positively impact the community.

Northeastern Power, Inc. started as an energy consulting firm in 2015, offering sustainable solutions and automation to energy service companies in New York. In 2020, Perry realized the most efficient way to make a significant impact was becoming an energy service company (ESCO) to directly serve the community with clean energy and set higher standards for deregulation in underserved communities. The New York Public Service Commission approved Northeastern Power and Gas LLC as an ESCO in September 2021. Northeastern Power is currently serving thousands of customers throughout New York State – providing customers with renewable and reliable energy which enables them to manage their energy costs and make a clean impact in their community. 

About your company

Northeastern Power is a licensed, integrated clean energy provider offering electricity, natural gas, and sustainability solutions to residential, industrial, and commercial customers. Our mission is to empower communities with innovative and sustainable solutions through integrated energy services.

Innovation

To ensure data transparency and integrity, we centralize data from multiple sources and employ proprietary technology. We provide our customers with detailed information about energy supply components, forecasted energy trends, and the impact of the product on the community.

Integration

We create unique structures with renewable generators, microgrids, and other energy companies, driving added value back to the customer

Sustainability

We focus on multiple aspects of sustainability including social-economic improvement, environmental impacts and ethical responsibility.

What does being a minority business, or supporting minority businesses, mean to you?

Being the first 100% African American owned energy supplier in New York means a lot to me, as it relates to social responsibility and much more. Supplying one of the largest and most important commodities while giving underserved communities access to clean energy gives me a sense of pride and responsibility. I feel uniquely positioned to positively impact my community on a large scale.

How has being certified with the NMSDC helped your business?

Being certified with NMSDC has helped in a number of ways including being provided a network of large corporate members that make a significant effort to support minority owned businesses, a NMSDC board that cares and are always looking for ways to drive our businesses forward – putting us in a position to succeed, and neighboring minority businesses supporting one another as we grow together. 

What is one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out in your career?

I wish I had known the full value of networking and taken more risk earlier in my career. Initially, I assumed the best way to succeed professionally was to follow the provided corporate structure/career path for growth; however, strategically aligning yourself within the company for visibility can be key. Driving value throughout departments outside of your own and regularly communicating with decision makers is also key to growth. 

For more information on Northeastern Power, please visit: nepower.com or follow them on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, & Instagram

The beginning of February marks the start of Black History Month. What started out as a week-long event has expanded into a full month of celebrating the achievements of African Americans whose accomplishments have gone unnoticed for too long in history.

In recognition of African Americans’ fight toward ending historic and ongoing oppression, this year’s theme for Black History Month is “Black Resistance.” For hundreds of years, minorities in this country have had to fight for the same rights as other Americans, breaking through barriers to have their work recognized in the same light as their colleagues. Despite the progress we’ve made as a country, African Americans and other minorities are still met with barriers and setbacks that make it harder to achieve the American dream. 

As we reflect on what the Council can do to help, we continue to promote the importance of creating a diverse supply chain. We recently named the winners of the 2022 Corporate Awards, an initiative that highlights standout members in their field for their commitment to creating a diverse supply chain. Employing people from all walks of life creates new ideas and different perspectives that can serve a business well; it also shows prospective employees and consumers that your organization values and celebrates differences among its people. 

We continue to see businesses grow and prosper as a result of the many events and programs we hold in our ongoing effort to increase the number of minority-owned businesses. We also proudly offer MBE and Corporate Spotlight recognition on our website to showcase different minority businesses and promote them to our members on both sides of the supply chain. And of course, we offer a variety of networking events to help businesses build connections, including Networking for Scholarships, the Partnership Awards Reception, Biz Connect, our Matchmaker events, and many others. We look forward to continuing these events and promoting businesses to find success in their fields. 

While we are continually motivated by the progress that we have seen in ending inequality, there is always room to grow and work to be done. This work can not be done by one person or organization alone — we must all continue to chip away at these inequalities to finally have equal opportunities for all in this country, no matter the color of their skin. 

We want to say thank you to all of our MBEs and Corporate Sponsors for your continued support of The Council and our initiatives. We are excited for what the future will bring and will continue to reflect on progress, assess our challenges, and make strides toward a powerful minority business community that benefits every member of our diverse nation.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What would have been a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 93rd birthday is now a day of remembrance of his contributions to the advancement of minority communities everywhere. With every year that passes, we become closer to achieving the American dream that Dr. King so passionately and bravely fought for. Despite the progress that still needs to be made, we want to take today to look back on all that has been accomplished so far as a result of Dr. King’s leadership. 

From his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King was, and still remains, a household name when it comes to the Civil Rights Movement. His advocacy for the use of peaceful tactics to bring attention to and spur change regarding inequalities occurring through the United States resonated around the country and world. He became a leader who inspired people of all demographics to stand up against injustice and strive for a better life. 

Today The Council recognizes the sacrifices that Dr. King and many others like him have made for us to have the lives and opportunities that we see today. We aim to show our appreciation for this sacrifice by building and uplifting minority businesses to create more opportunities for otherwise marginalized peoples and communities to prosper and grow. 

It has been a long road to gain the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today, but the fight to end racial injustice is far from over. Take today to reflect on all that you have been able to achieve because of Dr.King’s work and the success of the Civil Rights Movement. Think about the future – how can you help others to see the success that you have achieved? Whenever possible, we should be reaching out and helping those around us so one day everyone will have equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. Keep in mind that progress will not always be linear, but don’t get discouraged. 

As Dr. King said, we must, at all costs, “Keep moving forward.”

As another year comes to a close, we are eagerly looking forward to what 2023 has in store for The Council! Next year marks our 50th anniversary year and we’re excited to announce that we will be able to provide some new and exciting opportunities to our constituents in the new year. However, this is the time of year for us to look back on all the connections we made and the growth that happened in 2022 — because there was a lot of it! 

In March 2022, we had the pleasure of launching a new, easy-to-use website with the help of our friends at Accelerate Media. We look forward to growing this site in the next year to make it a tool that all our MBE’s can use to get the latest updates and information. 

We also restructured our own communication strategy to help us deliver news and need-to-know information to our members by launching three new email newsletters. The Wire relays information to all audiences who are interested in what’s happening at The Council. The MBE Insider delivers information to our certified MBE’s that will help expand and grow their business connections – whether that be through promoting MBE-only events or by giving information on new grants or financing opportunities, this exclusive newsletter is sent every week on Thursdays. And finally, we launched the Corporate Connections newsletter, which is sent once a month to give updates and keep our corporate members in-the-loop on what’s happening.  

Don’t miss any news on our 50th Anniversary year! Sign up for The Wire today.

In 2022, we were also able to expand many of our MBE opportunities. For example, the MatchMaking Sessions that were held this year began as sessions in our Business Opportunity Exchange. But due to their success, and several requests from our members for more events like this, we remade them into their own event—successfully launching a new event series that connected many of our certified-MBE members and corporate partners. We are eager to continue this quarterly event series in 2023 with new matches and opportunities.  

Speaking of the Business Opportunity Exchange, we were able to host this event virtually in April of this year, where we watched as our members worked to expand their businesses and network with other professionals. We listened to inspiring talks and gained insights from leading diversity officers and minority suppliers that enhanced our understanding of what diversity in business looks like in 2022. 

In September, we kicked off our Networking for Scholarships Golf Tournament at the Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ. This world-class golf destination provided the backdrop for a memorable day full of fun in which our members made valuable, long-lasting connections with top corporate professionals, minority business owners, and other key influencers in supplier diversity. Through this event, we were able to generate financial support for the Council’s Scholarship Program that benefits qualifying MBE’s. 

In October, we celebrated our corporate partnerships with the Partnership Awards Reception at Pride Global. This event allowed us to recognize and honor the achievements of minority-owned firms and corporate members that stood out this year. Congratulations to all of our 2022 Award Recipients!  

Throughout the fall, we were able to amplify our programming efforts and bring valuable networking opportunities to our certified MBE’s. In fact, we were able to host our first in-person symposium, the Healthcare Symposium, at Mt. Sinai Health System’s  corporate headquarters. It was great to be able to spend the day learning how diverse suppliers can do business with the healthcare industry—in person! 

After all the good things that happened in 2022, we’re excited to jump into the new year and provide even more development and collaboration opportunities to our constituents in 2023. Because something tells us our 50th Anniversary year is going to be the best yet! 

We look forward to meeting more of our constituents and creating lasting connections that will create a better future for you, and for The Council. We wish you all a happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

NEW YORK, NY—The New York and New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council (NYNJMSDC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Corporate Awards, which were announced during a brief virtual ceremony on December 8, 2022.

The corporate awards were received by I. Javette Hines, Global Head, Supply Chain Development, Inclusion and Sustainability for Citi and Sonia Walkes, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for ConEd. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

2022 National Corporation of the Year: Citi

2022 Local Corporation of the Year: Consolidated Edison (ConEd)

2022 Advocate of the Year: Shendora Pridgen, Morgan Stanley

Learn more about Corporate Sponsorships and Opportunities.

About the Council

The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (The Council), established in 1973, is a vital link between major corporations and minority business enterprises (MBEs). Each year, member corporations have reported billions of dollars spent with Council-certified Minority Business Enterprises. Serving the New York and New Jersey region, The Council is one of the 23 regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC).

The Council is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that identifies minority suppliers, certifies minority business enterprises, and facilitates procurement opportunities between major purchasing entities and Council-certified minority suppliers. That supplier group includes Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native-American businesses located throughout the state of New York and Northern and Central New Jersey, including Trenton. The Council’s membership consists of Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.

The Council encourages its membership of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations to include MBEs as their regular suppliers of products, goods, and services. Through its MBE certification program, The Council links a myriad of businesses for local, national, and global impact. The Council is committed to advancing supplier diversity initiatives to a world-class level.

Rey Montalvo has been working in the energy field for 50 years, with the last 35 years at one company, Consolidated Energy Design (“CED”). He started off as General Manager, and over time became the President & CEO. After gaining years of energy conservation expertise, he’s now focused on a higher subset called Smart Grid technology. Rey has been awarded three patents thus far by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He believes strongly that this will become the future of Building Automation Systems (“BAS”) by leveling the playing field so that a Small-to-Medium-Size Businesses (“SMB”) can compete with any size company and use the money saved from significant energy reduction and monetary incentives earned from the Power Grid to help them optimize their networks. Now, SMBs can have extra money going to their bottom lines for improving their lifestyle, hiring more employees, expanding their businesses, helping reduce global warming, etc. At CED they put in the hard work to develop this disruptive hardware and software called FADRS™ so the client, can focus on their business and reap the financial rewards and the great feeling that comes with knowing they are doing their part to reduce carbon emissions and save the planet. While Rey’s work is his passion, most of his spare time is spent with family, spiritual activities, photography, and composing music.

About your company

Rey lived through that period of time in 1975 when the nation had to ration natural gas and gasoline. He witnessed firsthand significant price increases in both, and it brought home the fact that these fossil fuels weren’t going to last forever. They needed to conserve energy. Although most of his HVAC designs had an energy-saving controls component since the early 70s, in 1987 Rey began to focus on his dream of developing his vision of a better way to manage energy usage, reducing energy costs, and doing his share to help protect the environment. The turning point for Rey was when the NJ Board of Public Utilities punished Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) for their part in the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in 1979. In the late 80s, JCP&L had to pay homeowners around the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant in South Jersey to switch from electric heat to gas or oil heat. He remembers walking into someone’s home and seeing a large wood stove right in the middle of their living room. Rey asked, “Why do you have that there instead of by your outside wall?” The homeowner said that electric costs were so high that he had to make a decision every month, “Do I pay my mortgage, or do I pay the electric bill?” It was this interview that led to an epiphany. This is what the future would be like for America—and the world—and that conserving energy would be more important than ever. He was on the right track.

In 1999, Rey became President of CED and started to change the direction of the company, focusing his talents as an inventor and developing patents in the energy space. The old conventional methods and procedures were no longer effective in the rapidly changing energy landscape. What was needed was a disruptive solution designed to address energy usage, costs, and impact on the environment. CED commenced R&D activities and on October 8, 2008, Rey filed for a US Provisional Patent for such a system: FADRS™ (pronounced “faders”). This Fully Automated Demand Response and Reduction System was filed for patent review on October 8, 2009 and granted full patent status in late 2012. FADRS™ is a highly advanced and robust group of integrated software programs that work in conjunction with sophisticated commercially available BAS. FADRS™ is licensed to end-users in modules depending on the client’s needs. Since computers are faster than humans and are proactive, they are better suited to save significant money on energy, while at the same time minimizing human discomfort. 

Currently, CED is in the completion stage for our first Near Net Zero Energy Cost project for a commercial office building in Maryland. This project includes Solar PV with EV Chargers, a Distributed Gas Generator to provide 100% Business Continuity, battery storage, and two microgrids. One microgrid controls the large equipment so it runs in sync, while the other controls all aspects of energy usage from HVAC to Lighting to plug loads.

What does being a minority business, or supporting minority businesses, mean to you?

Many majority contractors believe that minority contractors are not equipped to provide the same level of service and performance that they can. However, we all know this is not the case. What is important to me is that my capabilities as a minority contractor demonstrate to the majority contractor that minorities can not only compete with them but can provide value-added services that they might not possess. For example, I hold 3 patents in a very high-level form of energy conservation called Smart Micro Grid and IoT “Mini BAS” Edge Control technologies. This is something that even the majority contractor does not have. I hope to demonstrate to those majority contractors that partnering up with minorities will help them gain a major competitive advantage in the bidding process above and beyond just satisfying minority quotas. Additionally, being a minority contractor born in the Panama Canal Zone from Puerto Rican parents, means that I have a different cultural experience. This allows me to think differently and hopefully, between this unique thinking process and that of the majority, a unique blended cultural approach will develop for the benefit of both parties and our clients. It is my expressed desire that this type of cooperative relationship between majority and minority contractors will enable me to engage the services of my fellow minority contractors so that they too can experience the better quality of life that we all aspire to.

How has being certified with the NMSDC helped your business?

Being part of the Council has opened opportunities to meet Fortune 500 companies and hopefully, these opportunities will materialize into added revenue. Membership with such a well-respected nationally recognized organization has boosted my company’s visibility and credibility with major organizations and possible future partners. Our company has started doing more work with city and state agencies and being certified with the NMSDC is a valuable asset when bidding on potential opportunities.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out in your career?

Time is money and there are only so many hours in a day reserved to sell your products and services. I should have learned to recognize sooner the people that were time wasters versus people that are really committed to working with me as a client and partner.

For more information on Consolidated Energy Design, Inc. please visit: fadrs.com or follow them on social media: Facebook & LinkedIn

Sal Austin is a Senior VP at DGX Security (DGX). He is a security expert, an Internet for ALL Advocate, and a Cloud Champion with over 20 years of hands on experience in the IT and Security Industry. He has extensive experience in business practices, operational leadership, technology and management. Sal is also a community leader who is seen as a role model for inner city, minority, young men and women who are born into poverty and surrounded by drugs and violence. Sal was born into the bottom of the inner city of Orange, New Jersey, surrounded by drugs, violence and crime but he always wanted more for himself. He wanted to become a business man and to give back to the community and society as a whole. As a result, he has been in the IT & Security industry for over 20 years.

Sal’s goal has always been to leave a legacy for others to follow and he believes that it is not where one starts but where one ends. The only way a person can overcome most hardships is education, so he has actively sought out and read self help books, attended lectures and took every free business course available to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Currently, he is a member of the EY minority, small business network, the Chase JP Morgan minority, small business network, and the Microsoft Black Partner Network. This all contributed to helping Sal get ready to accomplish his lifelong goals and dreams.

About DGX Security

DGX Security (DGX) is a value-added, technology reseller. They specialize in IT Modernization, Zero-Trust WIFI, Cloud Services and Artificial Intelligence. They have IT & Security Solutions and Services all in one place. Clients can expect to save money on their monthly cyber security insurance by using their IT Modernization/Cyber Security solutions. DGX is ACDBE, DBE, SBE & MBE certified.

What does being a minority business, or supporting minority businesses, mean to you?

Being a minority business owner or entrepreneur, automatically comes with being a role model and community leader, which I appreciate and take very seriously. I am always willing to share knowledge and words of wisdom with younger brothers and sisters who have recently became involved in business. It is one of the reasons I am so appreciative of being part of so many professional networks.

Each One, Teach One!

How has being certified with the NMSDC helped your business?

We recently became active members but plan to reach out to the corporate members to build relationships and see what technology pain points we can help to resolve. Looking forward to seeing how the NMSDC can help our business.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out in your career?

The importance of networking and making new friends.

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For more information on DGX Security please visit: dgxsecurity.com or follow them on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram

When November 11th was officially named Veterans Day in 1952, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower called upon all citizens to join together in “solemnly remember[ing] the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom.” As our troops continue to serve with dedication and honor, so too do we take this time to recognize the commitment and sacrifices of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and all other military service members. 

And, more importantly, we use this day as a chance to say a heartfelt thank you to the brave men and women who have served our country. The United States was built on hard-won freedoms, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without heroes like our World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Afghanistan Veterans. Their sacrifice ushered in an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity in our country, and one day alone each year will never be enough to express the deep gratitude of our thanks. 

As a supporter of minority-owned businesses and a stark advocate for supply chain diversity, we owe the crux of our work to the military servicemen and women who’ve defended our freedoms, allowing for everyone’s freedoms of speech and expression and the freedom to secure a future free from want. It’s these fundamental rights, among others, that have created an economy of acceptance and abundance, offering those from all walks of life a seat at the entrepreneurial table. The Council sees this as the embodiment of civil liberties for all, and for that, we will always owe our gratitude to our enlisted military. 

We hope to never forget to not only give thanks, but live thanks. In the words of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”

This Veterans day, be sure to appreciate your freedoms and thank all of those who have won them for you.