MBDA National Deputy Director Alejandra Castillo gave the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR) last week held in Seattle, Washington. Committed to supplier diversity, BDR is made up of 18 large firms who pledge to spend at least $1 billion contracting with minority-owned businesses.
At the event BDR recognized its newest inductee Microsoft and Johnson and Johnson, the first healthcare company to join.
Deputy National Director Castillo congratulated the BDR for their leadership and highlighted the benefits, as well as the business imperative for our Nation, to cultivate a strong, diverse supply chain and the importance of minority business growth through 21st-century strategies, like joint ventures, merger and acquisition.
MBDA has encouraged minority businesses to pursue these growth strategies in order to achieve scope and scale in a dynamic global economy. BDR has been a strong ally in helping minority firms develop strategic partnerships. In fact some of their members, such as IBM and Walmart, are sponsors of this year’s Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference.
MBDA’s MED Week conference presents an excellent opportunity for minority-owned businesses to partner with large firms through the business-to-business matchmaking programs. Make sure you keep this year’s MED Week conference on your calendar: September 27-30 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.
