The National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. ® (NMSDC®), the leading corporate membership organization committed to minority business inclusion by advancing business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises and connecting them to buying entities across the globe, will host its virtual annual NMSDC Conference + Business Opportunity Exchange (BOE) October 25-28, 2021.

Under the leadership of its recently named CEO and President Ying McGuire and with presenting sponsor Worldwide Technology, Inc., the conference features four days that allow attendees to design their agenda and explore the learning, networking, and collaboration opportunities that are most relevant and exciting to them.

In addition, the conference will facilitate conversations with world-renowned business leaders focused on heightening the impact minority businesses have on the global economy.

• Day One of the conference will feature a conversation with esteemed business leader Robert F. Smith, chairman of Vista Equity Partners and creator of the Southern Communities Initiative, a catalytic effort to accelerate racial equity funding and programming.

• Day Two NMSDC will be joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in an Economic Summit with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who will speak on the $1.2 trillion 2021 U.S. infrastructure bill, which will increase MBE spend across a broader range of industries and establish the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) as a permanent federal agency, with more than twice its previous budget.

• On Days Two and Three (October 26-27) is the coveted Business Opportunity Exchange and Matchmaker sessions, the largest national procurement event of its kind that matches buying entities with MBE suppliers based on category and scope of services.

• Day Four will be an inspiring conversation on how women of color are leveraging the latest technology to drive growth and innovation in their businesses, industries, and the world.

Additional conference speakers include:

• Isabella Casillas Guzman, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

• Emily Chang, author, anchor and executive producer at Bloomberg TV

• Staale Gjervik, president of ExxonMobil Global Services Company

• Latondra Newton, chief diversity officer for The Walt Disney Company

• Lester Owens, senior executive vice president and head of operations for Wells Fargo and many more.

The conference is sponsored by Corporate Co-chairs Cigna Healthcare, The Coca-Cola Company, JPMorgan Chase, Walmart and The Walt Disney Company; Corporate Plus Co-chairs SoftPath and VDart; and MBE Co-chair Superior Maintenance Company, plus many more.