Thread: Phoenix loses suppliers convention over new immigration law

Phoenix loses suppliers convention over new immigration law

10 comments by Jahna Berry - May. 26, 2010 03:16 PM
The Arizona Republic

A minority suppliers group that would have brought 7,000 convention attendees to Phoenix this fall has moved the meeting to Florida because of Arizona's new immigration law.

The National Minority Suppliers Development Council, Inc. released a statement, which Phoenix officials received today.

The council is the latest of several out-of-town groups that have canceled Valley meetings because of the law. Metropolitan Phoenix risks losing as much as $90 million in hotel and convention business over the next five years because of the controversy, according to one Phoenix estimate.

The stakes for Phoenix are particularly high because the city operates the Phoenix Convention Center and it owns the 1,000-room Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, which serves the convention center. Many of the hotels and resorts that would be boycott targets are also located in Phoenix.

The minority suppliers group will hold its October national convention in Miami instead, the statement said.

The Arizona law "is inconsistent with the ideals and principles upon which the NMSDC operates, including valuing diversity and inclusion for all," the statement said.

Founded in 1972, the National Minority Suppliers Development Council matches more than 15,000 businesses owned by Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native Americans with member corporations that want to purchase goods and services, according to the group's website.

It will be difficult for Phoenix to replace the canceled events, because such meetings are usually booked years in advance, said Deputy City Manager David Krietor. The convention center is also having difficulty booking future events because of the publicity about the law, he said.

The sales office phones "have stopped ringing," he said.

Arizona's immigration law makes it a state crime to be in the country illegally. It states that an officer engaged in a lawful stop, detention or arrest shall, when practicable, ask about a person's legal status when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is in the U.S. illegally.

Supporters say the law merely builds upon existing federal law. Opponents say that the law may lead to racial profiling.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoe ... z0p4wpMoY0

Statement from NMSDC on conference relocation

The National Minority Supplier Development Council will hold its 2010 Conference and Business Opportunity Fair October 24-27 in Miami Beach, Florida. This conference was originally scheduled for the same dates in Phoenix, Arizona.

The decision to relocate the conference was made as a result of the concerns of NMSDC’s members and constituents about the impact of Arizona S.B. 1070. The bill is inconsistent with the ideals and principles upon which the NMSDC operates, including valuing diversity and inclusion for all.

NOTE: The conference Housing Bureau on the NMSDC Web site will be available beginning Tuesday, June 1, to make online room reservations in Miami. Online registration will be available beginning Tuesday, June 15.

Additional Conference information will be communicated via the NMSDC Web site at www.nmsdc.org.


NMSDC Conference: This four-day event is the nation’s benchmark forum addressing the trends and issues in purchasing; international markets; strategic sourcing and access to capital for Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American business owners. Thousands of minority entrepreneurs, corporate executives and government decision-makers attend each year.

http://www.nmsdc.org/nmsdc/

By Mail:
National Minority Supplier Development Council
1359 Broadway, Tenth Floor
New York, New York 10018
By Phone:
(212) 944-2430


By Email:
Click on the CONTACT US at the top of the home page

The Arizona law "is inconsistent with the ideals and principles upon which the NMSDC operates, including valuing diversity and inclusion for all," the statement said.

Founded in 1972, the National Minority Suppliers Development Council matches more than 15,000 businesses owned by Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native Americans with member corporations that want to purchase goods and services, according to the group's website.

First they say they value "diversity and inclusion for all", but then they dont seem to include caucasians among their membership. How is that "inclusion for all."

Sounds like a racist organization to me. If you are white,you cannot belong !!!! Certification
The National Minority Supplier Development Council has standardized procedures to assure consistent and identical review and certification of minority-owned businesses. These businesses are certified by NMSDC's affiliate nearest to the company's headquarters.

A minority-owned business is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States or its trust territories, which is owned, operated and controlled by minority group members. "Minority group members" are United States citizens who are Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American. Ownership by minority individuals means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of a publicly-owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. Further, the management and daily operations are controlled by those minority group members.



Definition
For purposes of NMSDC's program, a minority group member is an individual who is a U.S. citizen with at least 1/4 or 25% minimum (documentation to support claim of 25% required from applicant) of the following:

Asian-Indian
A U.S. citizen whose origins are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Asian-Pacific
A U.S. citizen whose origins are from Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas.

Black
A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

Hispanic
A U.S. citizen of true-born Hispanic heritage, from any of the Spanish-speaking areas of the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean Basin only. Brazilians shall be listed under Hispanic designation for review and certification purposes.

Native American
A person who is an American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut or Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part. Native Americans must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the continental United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e., tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number).


Certification II — Minority Controlled Firm (NMSDC Growth Initiative)

A minority business may be certified as a minority "controlled" enterprise if the minority owners own at least 30% of the economic equity* of the firm. This occurs when non-minority institutional investors contribute a majority of the firm’s risk capital (equity). Under this special circumstance, a business may be certified as a minority "controlled" firm if the following criteria are met:

A. Minority management/owners control the day-to-day operations of the firm.

B. Minority management/owners retain a majority (no less than 51%) of the firm’s “voting equityâ€

You have to be a certified OTW (other than white) to belong to this org. Is that even legal? I think the Justice Department should be investigating this organization.

Here are some of the companies that you can boycott, Including WAL MART !!!! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Brown
212) 944-2430
kim.brown@nmsdc.org
NMSDC TO CELEBRATE BUSINESS TRIO FOR LONG-STANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Michael Duke of Wal-Mart, Ralph G. Moore of RGMA, Fred Ruiz of Ruiz Foods to be honored
NEW YORK, NY, March 2, 2010 — The National Minority Supplier Development Council will honor Michael Duke, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores; Ralph G. Moore, president of Ralph G. Moore & Associates; and Frederick Ruiz, chairman emeritus of Ruiz Foods, for their significant long-term achievements in minority business development at its Minority Business Leadership Awards Dinner-Dance on Wednesday, May 19th, at the Hilton New York and Towers in New York.
More than 1,200 guests are expected to attend, including CEOs and executives of Fortune 500 corporations and minority business owners from across the nation.
“For decades, our honorees have maintained their steadfast commitment to minority business development,â€