The Council is only as good as your participation, perseverance and persistence,” Robledo says. “The Council has the infrastructure to make the connections, certify you, advocate for diverse businesses and help you develop the best version of your company. I am living proof the Council is effective and works.”

The Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council’s strong leadership with representation from corporate America makes it particularly effective in advocating for closer relationships with corporations and increased opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises,” said José Nido.

Serving on the board of the FSMSDC allows me to spend time with other supplier diversity executives who also have supplier diversity programs and contribute to economic development in their respective communities,” Romany said.

I enjoy being part of an organization whose commitment to furthering the development and expansion of MBEs is unmatched,” she said.

I enjoy it because I like serving and helping others succeed,” she says. “By serving on the board, I can bring the mountain to the people.

FSMSDC has provided tremendous help and support for Vistra,” Butler says. “The organization does a great job of putting minority businesses in the same room with buyers, in an environment that fosters relationship building.

I will be forever thankful for everything I gained from [the Advanced Management Education Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management],” Valcarcel-Roth says. “FSMSDC continues to be a wealth of information, support, networking and professional development, and its dedicated staff is an inspiration.”

The FSMSDC has given us opportunities to meet, bid and work with Fortune 500 companies we might not have had the chance to pitch to in the past,” Lynn says. “It has opened a lot of doors and allowed us access to those companies.

The FSMSDC and the Miami MBDA Business Center have been invaluable to the growth of our company,” Maldonado said. “They have made introductions to new potential retail partners and assisted with packaging a loan application that helped us to obtain a line of credit.