Cortez assumes new leadership at TAMACC
June 2, 2008
AUSTIN — The Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce recently named Frank Cortez as its new president and CEO. Cortez brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in leadership training, organization development, procurement opportunities and strategies,chamber management, corporate fundraising and event planning.
“We have selected an experienced leader who we are confident will grow opportunities for Texas Hispanic businesses,” association chair Arcilia Acosta said. “Frank has established an outstanding rapport with chambers and legislators throughout the state and across the nation. This, along with his innovative leadership style, will enable us to place our membership at the forefront. TAMACC will continue to focus on procurement, advocacy and legislation issues throughout the state.”
Prior to joining the association, Cortez worked as director of economic opportunity at Dallas Area Rapid Transit for seven years. He served as president of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for 11 years and president of the Victoria Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for three years. Cortez will be based out of the TAMACC headquarters in Austin.
BNSF awards diverse suppliers
March 26, 2008
BNSF Railway honored two top diverse suppliers during a recent ceremony held at its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Multatech Engineering Inc. received the Distinguished Supplier Award, and Zones Inc. was honored as Newcomer of the Year. Dennis Johnson, BNSF vice president and chief sourcing officer, presented the awards.
Multatech, a certified Hispanic-owned minority business enterprise, has been a BNSF supplier for many years, starting as a mechanical/engineering/ plumbing subcontractor. With increased business, the company has expanded as a design and construction management firm. Multatech is BNSF’s largest dollar- volume MBE supplier.
Zones is a direct marketing reseller of information technology products. The relationship began when BNSF purchased desktop and laptop hardware from Zones as a test. BNSF has also purchased other items from Zones, including printers and 40” liquid crystal displays. BNSF also uses Zones for information technology spot buys. Asubsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions. To learn more about BNSF visit the Web site: www.bnsf.com.
Toyota appoints Diversity Advisory Board members Greater Houston Partnership recognizes greatests
March 26, 2008
AUSTIN – Toyota’s North American Diversity Advisory Board welcomed three new members, including Gilbert Casellas, vice president of corporate responsibility for Dell Inc., during its 18th annual Opportunity Exchange minority business conference and trade fair. The advisory board, formed nearly six years ago, provides outside perspective and guidance to Toyota and establishes clear goals for the company’s efforts and commitment to nurturing inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
New advisory board members also include Phyllis Campbell, president and CEO of The Seattle Foundation, and James Lowry, senior adviser for the Boston Consulting Group.
Current member and former Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman, one of the nation’s most recognized thought leaders in strategic corporate diversity, will continue to chair the advisory board. The eight-member advisory board also includes retired Federal Appellate Judge Nathaniel Jones; former Congressman and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp; former Congresswoman Susan Molinari; and former Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Peña.
“Toyota believes that diversity and inclusion are essential to our long-term success,” said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president of Toyota Motor North America. “Our Diversity Advisory Board’s invaluable guidance, service and dedication for the past half decade have led to a number of significant achievements for our company. The board is imperative to our efforts, helping move us forward in the right direction.”
The advisory board meets regularly with senior management several times a year and provides objective advice and guidance to the highest levels of Toyota’s North American management with respect to the content, implementation and further development of Toyota’s 21st Century Diversity Strategy.
About the new members:
Gilbert Casellas
Casellas oversees Dell’s global diversity, sustainability and corporate philanthropy functions. He previously served as chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, general counsel for the U.S. Department of the Air Force and co-chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board.
Phyllis Campbell
Campbell previously served as president of U.S. Bank of Washington from 1993 to 2001. She has received many prestigious awards for her community service work, including the Woman Who Makes a Difference Award from the International Women’s Forum and, in 2006, the Lifetime Achievement Award from City Year.
James Lowry
Lowry leads the Boston Consulting Group’s Chicago office in its firm’s workforce diversity, ethnic marketing and minority business development consulting efforts. He has hosted two nationally syndicated TV programs, “Inside Bedford Stuyvesant” and “Minority Business Report.” Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, chairman of The City of Chicago Library system board and was recently inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame.
Mcompany pays tribute to executive leadership
March 26, 2008
The 11th annual Mcompany Awards, celebrating “Executive Leadership in Supply Chain Diversity and Inclusion, was recently held at the Tower Club in downtown Dallas’ Thanksgiving Tower. Each year, Mcompany fulfills its mission in paying tribute and honor to outstanding entrepreneurs, corporations, organizations, public entities, individuals and advocates. Read more
Staffing niche: Houston MBE provides contract personnel to oil, gas, chemicals, plastics and power industries
March 26, 2008
Finding success in the business world is all about having the ability to recognize opportunities and then taking the necessary steps to capitalize on them. It was back in 1981 when Ray Nunez, president and CEO of Houston, Texas-based Taylor & Hill Inc., saw such an opportunity to grow a business and become well known in the industry. Read more
City of Dallas receives council honors Reliant Energy fills leadership roles
March 26, 2008
At the 2007 E Awards gala, the city of Dallas earned the Dallas/Ft. Worth Minority Business Council’s esteemed Public Sector of the Year award for its leadership and commitment to minority business development. Members of the D/FW council’s board of directors presented the city of Dallas with the award at a recent press conference. Read more
Texas A&M University welcomes new president
March 26, 2008
COLLEGE STATION –The Texas A&M University system’s board of regents recently named Dr. Elsa Murano its 23rd president of Texas A&M University. She was selected as the sole finalist for the
position at the December 2007 board of regents meeting. Read more
NY & NJ MSDC signs agreement with New York state
February 12, 2008
NEW YORK, NY –The New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council has signed a Memo of Understanding with the State of New York that permits councilcertified minority businesses to bid on state contracts. Read more
Free small business kit launched by IBM and IFC offers valuable tips, tools and information
February 11, 2008
Small business owners looking for information or ideas on managing or growing their companies have a valuable new resource to mine — a free small business toolkit launched by IBM and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. Read more
Quality STRATEGIES FOR DIVERSE SUPPLIERS
February 11, 2008
In Part I (MBN USA Conference Edition) we looked at the definition of a quality management system such as ISO 9001:2000 and other ISObased quality management systems that are industry specific such as TL 9000 for the telecommunications industry, AS 9100 for aerospace and ISO/TS16949 for the automotive industry. Read more
