bba news mar '10

THE WHITE HOUSEOffi ce of the Press Secretary March 02, 2010

Presidential Proclamation - Women’s History MonthCountless women have steered the course of our history, and their stories are ones of steadfast determination. From reaching for the ballot box to breaking barriers on athletic fi elds and battlefi elds, American women have stood resolute in the face of adversity and overcome obstacles to realize their full measure of success. Women’s History Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the contributions women have made to our Nation, and to honor those who blazed trails for women’s empowerment and equality.

Women from all walks of life have improved their communities and our Nation. Sylvia Mendez and her family stood up for her right to an education and catalyzed the desegregation of our schools. Starting as a caseworker in city government, Dr. Dorothy Height has dedicated her life to building a more just society. One of our young heroes, Caroline Moore, contributed to advances in astronomy by discovering a supernova at age 14.

When women like these reach their potential, our country as a whole prospers. That is the duty of our Government -- not to guarantee success, but to ensure all Americans can achieve it. My Administration is working to fulfi ll this promise with initiatives like the White House Council on Women and Girls, which promotes the importance of taking women and girls into account in Federal policies and programs. This council is committed to ensuring our Government does all it can to give our daughters the chance to achieve their dreams.

As we move forward, we must correct persisting inequalities. Women comprise over 50 percent of our population but hold fewer than 17 percent of our congressional seats. More than half our college students are female, yet when they graduate, their male classmates still receive higher pay on average for the same work. Women also hold disproportion-ately fewer science and engineering jobs. That is why my Administration launched our Educate to Innovate campaign, which will inspire young people from all backgrounds to drive America to the forefront of science, technology, engi-neering, and math. By increasing women’s participation in these fi elds, we will foster a new generation of innovators to follow in the footsteps of the three American women selected as 2009 Nobel Laureates.

Our Nation’s commitment to women’s rights must not end at our own borders, and my Administration is making glob-al women’s empowerment a core pillar of our foreign policy. My Administration created the fi rst Offi ce for Global Women’s Issues and appointed an Ambassador at Large to head it. We are working with the United Nations and other international institutions to support women’s equality and to curtail violence against women and girls, especially in situ-ations of war and confl ict. We are partnering internationally to improve women’s welfare through targeted investments in agriculture, nutrition, and health, as well as programs that empower women to contribute to economic and social progress in their communities. And we are following through on the commitments I made in Cairo to promote access to education, improve literacy, and expand employment opportunities for women and girls.

This month, let us carry forth the legacy of our mothers and grandmothers. As we honor the women who have shaped our Nation, we must remember that we are tasked with writing the next chapter of women’s history. Only if we teach our daughters that no obstacle is too great for them, that no ceiling can block their ascent, will we inspire them to reach for their highest aspirations and achieve true equality.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2010 as Women’s His-tory Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

President’s MessageEarl “Skip” Cooper, IIPresident/Chief Executive Offi cer

Women’s History Month is Awe-Inspiring

The Black Business Association (BBA) undertakes a wide range of socioeconomic advocacy posi-

tions as our most vital concern is the advancement of black women as time-honored captains of industry. In view of that the BBA looks forward to its annual tribute to black women and is pleased to have this year the co-chairpersons of the HONORABLE MAXINE WA-TERS and HONORABLE JEANETTE T. NDHLOVU to help us do so on March 27, 2010 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, CA. These ac-complished women assuredly will help make this a most noteworthy experi-ence as they work in concert with the Women’s History Month Theme, “Writ-ing Women Back Into History”.

The BBA’s 2010 Salute to Black Women Business Conference and Awards Luncheon will honor and re-member the contributions of black women who have lead struggles for equality and civil rights; created or ad-vanced educational and professional opportunities; and have made contribu-tions to the arts, sciences and other hu-manistic causes. To enhance the con-sciousness and knowledge of women’s history, this BBA conference inspires and helps generate ideas that further serve to help black women thrive. The

conference includes workshops on self-improvement, fi nancial improvement, fi nancial security, independent living, and everyone is invited to attend.

It is not surprising that in 1978 the fi rst “Women’s History Week” celebra-tion was launched in California by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission that chose the month of March to coincide with the International Women’s Day’s fi rst ob-servance in 1909. In 1981, the United States Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women’s History Week and six years later Congress ex-panded the week to a month.

Black women are emerging with greater ownership and management responsibilities for core business activ-ity, developing product lines and brand-ing campaigns, and in general holding executive leadership positions for mov-ing products and making higher profi ts than ever before. In spite of this, black women too often face some opposition to obtain operating capital as business owners or to advance upwardly to exec-utive appointments in corporate roles. This is a large concern of the BBA and is why we continue to work diligently to help fi ll this gap as a strategic business network to generate contracting and corporate management opportunities.

Those barriers to reaching the exec-utive corporate suites are in some cas-es the underlying reasons why black women launch their own enterprise. Although the corporate experience means something to black women, the executive ladder to the top seems un-achievable at some corporations where the entrepreneurial spirit has a more appealing challenge. In 2002, accord-ing to the Small Business Administra-tion, enterprise ownership for black women was 547,341 versus black men who owned 571,670 companies nation-wide.

This serves to illustrate how black so-cioeconomic conditions have dramati-cally improved in America over the past century from those memorable pioneer female captains of industry. Like Sarah Breedlove who changed her named upon marrying Charles Joseph Walker, to Madam C.J. Walker who founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company and by 1917 had the largest business in the United States owned and operated by a black American, male of female. Walker paved the way for many black women like Marjorie Stewart Joyner who went to work for her and oversaw 200 of Madame Walk-er’s beauty schools as the national ad-visor. Not unlike Sarah E. Goode, the fi rst black American woman to receive a patent from the United States Pat-ent and Trademark Offi ce for the fi rst folding hideaway bed, which was thirty years before the Murphy bed.

Today, this fi ne enterprise expan-sion is carried on in great style by black women like Oprah Winfrey, CEO of

see President’s Message on page 69

3 March 2010 Black Business News www.bbala.org

Black Business AssociationP.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043

323-291-9334 Fax: 323-291-9234www.facebook.com Search: Black Business

[email protected] www.bbala.org

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEFEarl “Skip” Cooper, II

PRODUCTION MANAGERNarishima Osei

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSW. Gladney ▪ C. Collins

PHOTOGRAPHYIan Foxx ▪ Sabir • N. Osei

LAYOUT/TYPESETTINGLion Communications

Copyright © 2009 by Black Business Association.All Rights Reserved.

BBA BOARD OF DIRECTORSTed Davis, Chairman

IsComp Systems, Inc.Nathan Freeman, Vice Chairman

Figueroa Media Group, Inc.Eugene Jones, Secretary NVA Financial Group, Inc.

Kevin M. Caliup, Treasurer AIA/E-World Strategy

Narishimah Osei, Parliamentarian Osei & Associates

Gwen Moore, Director GEM Communications

Candida Mobely-Wright, Director Voices, Inc.

Angela Walton, Director Melador Technologies, Inc.

Angela Reddock, Esq., Legal CounselSTAFF

Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEOKesha Vontreese, Administrative Consultant

Brett Byers, Special Projects Consultant Steven Turner, Economic Development Editor

CORPORATE PARTNERSAEG

American Honda Motor CompanyAT&T

Bank of AmericaThe Boeing Company

California LotteryCitibank

Coca-Cola EnterprisesComerica Bank

Department of Water & PowerDonald Sterling Corporation

Over 40 years of serviceFounded 1970


Fannie Mae IBMKaiser Permanente LAEDCLos Angeles World Airports

Northrop Grumman CorporationRaytheon Company

S.C.R.P.C.Sempra Energy

Southern California EdisonSwinerton Builders

Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.Turner Construction Company

Union Bank of CaliforniaUSBank Verizon

Walt Disney CompanyWellPoint

Wells Fargo BankLyceum Management Services, Ex Offi cio

Hollis Smith, Ex Offi cioPaulette Williams, Ex Offi cio

AFFILIATESAfrican American Unity Caucus

Association of Black Women EntrepreneursBlack Women’s Network

California Black Chamber of CommerceCalifornia Council of Black Chambers

The Greenlining InstituteMinority Business Enterprise Legal Defense &

Education FundNational Black Business Council

The National Association of African American Chambers of Commerce

The National Black Chamber of CommercePan African Film & Arts Festival

Recycling Black Dollars

2010 EventsMarch

•Salute to Black WomenApril/May

•Trade Mission to Washington, DC

June•Business of Black Music

Conference & Awards DinnerAugust

•40th Anniversary Awards DinnerNovember

•Utilities Procurement Exchange Summit & Awards

Luncheon• Call for information •

323-291-9334Bl k B A N l Bl k B C l

Procurement Trade Mission

The Trade Missionthat Targets

Federal Contract Procurement Dollars

for Your Business!!to Washington, D.C.

April/May 2010

In This Issue…3 President’s Message Women’s History Month is Awe-Inspiring9 $3 Million in Discretionary Stimulus Funds

10 Black Farmers Get Settlement15 HOMESTAR Program16 Help for Homeowners17 Recovery Act Update22 36th Annual Awards Dinner37 Let’s Move!44 Africa Focus

Trade Show Marketing Strengthening African Leadership page 52

65 SBA News Recovery Lending Extended

71 Calendar Columns

43 - Take A Look! 56 - New Credit Card Laws 61 - Books to Consider...

BBA Action Alert 11 - Help for Haiti 20 - Health Care Reform-Contact Your Senator Now

Cover Design - Sarah HarrisCover Photo - Ian Foxx

About the BBA…Since 1970, the Black Business Association (BBA), a 501(c)(3) non-profi t organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, has been instrumental in the incubation and development of more than 15,000 African-American busi-nesses. Nationally, we have access and infl uence with more than 85,000 African-American-owned and women/minority-owned fi rms via strategic alliances with more than 100 women/minority trade associations in more than 42 states nationwide.

___ Our Mission ___

The Black Business Association’s mission is to advocate and promote the development of African-American owned businesses with the goal of creating a fi rm economic base that support the self-determination and survival of the Afri-can-American and urban community by:

Identifying and creating fi nancial opportunities for • the growth and stability of African-American owned businesses;Being a community voice that advocates for the suc-• cess of small businesses;Being a conduit for the merging of resources, values, • profi ts, technology and people;Promoting development and support of minority busi-• ness enterprises within the domestic and internation-al economies by encouraging and generating greater access to market opportunities and capital;Providing training for entrepreneurial professional • development;Supporting and contributing to the economic base • and progress of the African-American community; andDeveloping coalitions that support our political • endeavors to effectively achieve public recognition and political infl uence for African-American business owners.

___ Advocacy ___

The Black Business Association maintains very effective working relationships with elected and appointed offi cials for the support of African-American business develop-ment. Locally, statewide and in Washington, DC, we are constantly aware of pending legislation that might affect our member’s businesses, their growth and even their ability to conduct business. When legislation is being con-sidered that affects our mission, the BBA quickly mobilizes to work with key policy makers to support, defeat or modify the bill and pursue the BBA position.

As an organization, we are constantly at the helm, secur-ing innovative means and policies that protect our con-stituency and their business interests.


Omni Hotel Downtown Los Angeles

251 South Olive Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Saturday, March 27, 2010 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

BUSINESS CONFERENCE & AWARDS LUNCHEON

2010 Salute to Black Women

IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF SERVICE

YOUR L INK TO AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES

In concert with the Women's History Month theme “Writing Women Back into History,” the BBA will

honor women who lead struggles for equality and civil rights; create and advance educational and

professional opportunities; and make contributions to the arts, sciences and humanistic causes.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

The Honorable Jeanette T. Ndhlovu

Honorary Committee Chairperson

Co-Chairperson

The Black Business Association (BBA), headquartered in Los An-geles, California, hosts its annu-

al Salute to Black Wom-en Business Conference and Awards L u n c h e o n on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the Omni Hotel in Los An-geles, Cali-fornia in rec-ognition of Women’s History Month.

In concert with the Women’s His-tory Month theme “Writing Women

Back into History,” the BBA will honor w o m e n who lead s t ruggles for equal-ity and civil rights; create and a d v a n c e education-

al and professional opportunities; and make con-tributions to the arts, sci-ences and humanist ic causes. We are pleased to announce that Con-gresswom-an Maxine Waters (35th District) will serve as the Honorary Committee Chairperson

and Ambassador Jeanette Ndhlovu will serve as the Honorary Committee Co-Chairperson for this magnifi cent occasion that will not only educate and in-form, but honor extraordinary women whose

lives show exceptional vision and lead-ership.

The honorees for 2010 are: Ms. Towalame Aus-tin, President, Magic Johnson Foundation (Phil-anthropic Vision-ary Award), Mrs. Lillian Mobley, Community Ac-tivist (Lifetime A c h i e v e m e n t

Award); Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass, California State Assembly (Out-staning Public Service Award); Ms. Forecee Hogan-Rowles, President & Chief Executive Offi ce, Community Financial Resource Center (Outstand-ing Business Leadership Award); Ms. Dawn Suther-land, Vice President and C o n t r o l l e r for the North American So-lutions Group’s Western Sales Operations / Xerox Corpora-tion (Outstand-ing Corporate Leader Award); Ms. Faye Washington, Chief Executive Offi cer, YWCA of Great-er Los Angeles (Outstanding Executive

Leade rsh ip Award ) ;and Ms. Genell B r o w n , P r e s i d e n t , Four Sea-sons Produc-tions (Special Recognit ion Award).

The Sa-lute to Black Women’s Business Conference will provide inspiration and ideas to help Af-

rican American women thrive during this eco-nomic downturn by offering work-shops focusing on self-improve-ment, fi nancial improvement, fi -nancial security, and independent living.

Throughout 2010, the BBA will cele-brate 40 years of service, during which they have been instrumental in the in-cubation and development of more that 15,000 African American busi-nesses. For four decades BBA has provided innova-tive information and service pro-grams to our con-stituents, advo-cated for change and adherence to laws and programs, and assisted com-panies and individuals in moving up the entrepreneurship ladder of success.

For information about the BBA or the Salute to Black Women Business Con-ference and Awards Luncheon call 323-291-9334 or visit www.bbala.org.

CongresswomanMaxine Waters

AmbassadorJeanette Ndhlovu

Towalame AustinSpeaker Emeritus

Karen Bass

Lillian MobleyForecee Hogan-Rowles

Dawn Sutherland

Genell Brown

Faye Washington

The Black Business Association Holds AnnualSalute To Black Women BusinessConference & Awards Luncheon

Governor Announces $3 Million In Discretionary Stimulus Funds To Bridge Career Paths for Students

Governor Arnold Schwarzeneg-ger has announced $3 million in American Recovery and Re-

investment Act (Recovery Act) funds for the Bridges to Success program, designed to open career paths for chil-dren who are most likely to drop out of school.

“We must prepare our students so that they can develop the skills neces-sary to compete in a rapidly-changing and technologically-sophisticated econ-omy,” said Governor Schwarzeneg-ger. “This program offers summer jobs to students and will help them better understand the connection between school and a successful career. I am glad that I could partner with the fed-eral government, Senator Steinberg and the legislature to improve the next generation of California’s workforce.”

Bridges to Success tackles the high school dropout rate, which currently stands at 20 percent statewide. These funds will help to link at-risk youths with real-world jobs that offer a taste of the career opportunities available to them if they complete their education.

“Reducing the dropout rate is one of my top priorities and critical to Cali-fornia’s future economic success,” said Senate President pro Tem Dar-rell Steinberg (D—Sacramento). “The Bridges to Success program will help at-risk students stay in school by show-ing them the connection between what they learn in school and real-world jobs. This initiative is a great example of how the Legislature and Governor can team

up with the federal government to do something innovative for young adults who would otherwise drop out from school.”

The Employment Development Department (EDD) will distribute up to $3 million in Recovery Act money to fund innovative summer programs blending work and school experiences in a way that convinces youths to stay in school. Grants of up to $500,000 each will go to six local projects throughout the state.

EDD is now accepting solicitations for proposals from local Workforce Invest-ment Boards for programs that match at-risk, low-income, 16 to 18 year olds with positive education and work expe-riences. The proposals will focus on the academic fi elds of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and ca-reer pathways in the allied health and skilled trades industries.

Further information on submitting proposals for the “Bridges to Success” funds is available online at: http://www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/WDSFP_Workforce_Develop-ment_Solicitations_for_Proposals.htm.

EDD must receive the proposals by March 24, 2010.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has authorized funding for these grants to be drawn from the Governor’s 15 percent Discretionary Workforce In-vestment Act under the administrative authority of EDD, as directed by the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Governor Schwarzenegger

Applauds Kyocera Decision to Create

Green Jobs in California

“This announcement is further proof that California’s nation-leading green policies play a vital role in our state’s economic success. Even in this re-cession, green jobs in California have grown, and Kyocera’s decision to lo-cate solar manufacturing operations in San Diego will create even more jobs at a time when they are needed most. This is exactly why we must continue to work to make the state a better part-ner to the economy and implement my California Jobs Initiative to encourage additional investment in California.”

San Diego will be the fi rst U.S. site to begin solar modules manufacturing and is the fi fth site worldwide chosen by Kyocera. The manufacturing is ex-pected to commence in the fi rst half of 2010.

see Recovery.CA on page 21


USDA Reaches New Settlement With Black Farmers By The Associated Press

Thousands of black farmers who were discriminated against by the U.S. Agriculture Department will

be eligible to receive $1.25 billion in new settlement - Pigford II.

The Obama administration has announced a $1.25 billion deal with black farmers that could end

a years-long stalemate over alleged racial discrimination by the Agriculture Department.

If approved by Congress, it would be the second round of damages stem-ming from a class-action lawsuit the government originally settled in 1999. The new money is intended for people who were denied earlier payments be-cause they missed deadlines for fi ling. The amount of money each would get depends on how many claims are suc-cessfully fi led.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said she will work on Capitol Hill to resolve discrimination claims against the Agri-culture Department (USDA).

The centrist senator, who is in charge of the Senate Agriculture Committee and is facing a tough reelection cam-paign this year, said she will help fi nd funding to resolve black farmers’ dis-crimination claims against USDA after the Obama administration reached a new settlement with the group.

“As Chairman of the Senate Agri-culture Committee, I am committed to ensuring that every farmer in America receives equal access and treatment in the delivery of USDA’s programs and services. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to help pro-vide the compensation owed to African American farmers who have been vic-tims of discrimination,” Lincoln said in a statement.

President Barack Obama initially called for the $1.25 billion in his budget

last year, but the request stalled in Con-gress as disagreements persisted over the amount of funding and the structure of the settlement. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the new agreement should pave the way for congressional approval and get money fl owing soon.

In a statement, Obama said the deal would bring ‘’these long-ignored claims of African-American farmers to a right-ful conclusion.’’

‘’I look forward to a swift resolution to this issue, so that the families affected can move on with their lives,’’ Obama said.

Vilsack said the deal should close a ‘’sordid chapter’’ in USDA history in which blacks often lost land or went deeply into debt after being denied loans and other aid that routinely went to their white counterparts.

“Today is a historic day for the Ameri-can people,” said John W. Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farm-ers Assn. “We have fi nally buried the hatchet.”

“I’m very pleased that the settle-ment has come to pass . . . because I’ve worked on it for 20 years,” he said. “This is long overdue for people who’ve been long overlooked.”

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Hold-er, Jr. said there possibly could be

two tracks for farmers to seek claims. Those who establish their credit-relat-ed claims will be entitled to receive up to $50,000 and debt relief; a separate track may provide actual damages of

up to $250,000 through a more rigorous pro-cess.

John Boyd, a key plaintiff organizer and head of the National Black Farmers Asso-ciation, initially balked at the $1.25 billion last year, saying it would take more money to satisfy all the claims. But he said recently that he and others agreed to the total because the case has dragged on

for so long.‘’Many of the farmers have already

died waiting for justice so I thought this was the right thing to do,’’ he said.

The original lawsuit is known as Pig-ford, named after Timothy Pigford, a black farmer from North Carolina who was among the original plaintiffs. Un-der the 1999 settlement, the govern-ment paid out more than $1 billion to about 16,000 farmers, mostly from the South.

Most claimants opted for expedited $50,000 payments that required a rel-atively low burden of proof. Boyd and others have pushed for another round of damages because thousands of people said they didn’t know about the settlement and missed deadlines for fi l-ing.

The new agreement calls for a simi-lar process in which claimants can win damages without going to court.

Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli said claimants can seek fast-track payments of up to $50,000 plus debt relief, or choose a longer pro-cess for damages of up to $250,000. Estimates on the number of potential claims vary widely, but some expect about 65,000 -- which would set aver-

see Black Farmer’s Settlement on page 13


MEDSHAREwww.medshare.org

MedShare was helping Haiti be-fore the January 12, 2010 7.0 earthquake, and we will con-

tinue to help Haiti in the years following this devastating earthquake. Some of the news cameras may be packing up and moving on, but the people of Haiti still need us. MedShare is committed to continue sending “Help for Haiti”.

With your help, since the Jan 12th earthquake in Haiti, we have:

Shipped • 11 shipments of approxi-mately 11,000 boxes of requested medical supplies to partnering organizations doing medical relief work in Haiti. So far, we’ve outfitted • 22 medical teams going to Haiti with medi-cal supplies, and are still offering FREE medical supplies to medical teams going to serve in Haiti. More than • 2,000 of you have volunteered your time to help sort and pack medical supplies to be shipped to Haiti.

We’ve been astounded at the 2,000+ companies, hospitals and individuals that have given their time, talent, product and financial support towards Help for Haiti. We simply could not

do it without you and it goes to show that when all of us do our part, we can truly make great things happen. We would like to extend a special thanks to a few major supporters of our relief efforts, whose contributions are truly exceptional:

World Vision, Henry-Schein, Covid-• ien, Mölnlycke Health Care, Volun-teers for Inter-American Develop-ment Assistance (VIDA), Catholic Healthcare West and Pleasanton Rotary Club donated over 5,500 lbs of emergency-requested medi-cal supplies Sutter Health for donating • $250,000 Kaiser Permanente donated • $50,000 Kimberly-Clark Corporation • sponsored a shipment of medical supplies to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic The Atlanta Braves chose Med-• Share as their local charity partner for Haiti relief Members of the MedShare Board • of Trustees and Regional Councils and their networks raised sub-

stantial financial resources and have helped us spread the work about relief efforts to their families, colleagues and friends

Thanks to your support, Med-Share continues to respond to the immediate medi-cal needs in Haiti, with five additional

medical aid shipments scheduled over the next week. As we move forward, MedShare is identifying how to best use our resources, skills and partners to contribute towards rebuilding a qual-ity health system in Haiti.

Gifts to MedShare are tax deductible.

DonateContribute online through Clinton-• BushHaitiFund.org. Text “QUAKE” to 20222 to charge • a $10 donation to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (the donation will be added to your cell phone bill). Find more ways to help through • the Center for International Disas-ter Information.

Get Information about Friends or Family

The State Department has several resources for inquiring about the wel-fare and whereabouts of friends and family in Haiti:

To Ask For or Provide Information About U.S. Citizens in Haiti:

Email the Task Force at Haiti-Earth-• [email protected] OR From the U.S. or Canada, call 888-• 407-4747 (Other countries, call 202-501-4444)

For U.S. Citizens in Haiti Seeking As-sistance or Reporting Their Status/Whereabouts:

Email the Embassy at ACSPaP@• state.gov OR Call the Embassy’s Consular Task • Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672

When contacting any of the numbers or using the emails above, please include the following information:

The full name, date of birth and • passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact. Their contact information in Haiti; • telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known) Your name and contact informa-• tion, and your relationship to the


see Help For Haiti on page 59

Black Business NewsSPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE LIMITED EDITION

Now On Sale!A commemorative limited-edition magazine, unlike any other special tribute

issued to recognize the election of Barack H. Obama as the 44th President of the

United States of America, has been published by the Black Business Association.

Hurry! Buy Your Copy Today - Quantities are limited!

To order your copy, call the BBA office at

(323) 291-9334 or email to: [email protected]

Pres. Obama Has His... You Get Yours!

Do Business with BBA Member

Businesses & Advertisers

OUR ECONOMIC RECOVERY PLAN

OERP

Black Farmer’s Settlement

age payments at roughly $20,000.The announcement comes as Boyd

and others had become increasingly critical of President Obama, arguing that he was paying lip service to the issue and not living up to a campaign promise to fund it. It also represents a shift from the Bush administration, which resisted paying new claims.

Roy Merrick, who tried unsuccess-fully in the early 1980s to start a catfi sh farm on his property in Natchez, Miss., said Thursday he was glad to hear he might get some compensation. He said he could never get USDA offi cials to

from page 10


pay him much attention when he tried to get a loan -- even thought many of his white neighbors got federal help to build successful catfi sh ponds.

‘’Had I been able to secure money back in those times I might have been able to do more for my family,’’ said Merrick, 67, who instead went into home painting and repairs.

Dr. John Boyd, [email protected]

www.associatedpress.com

The White House Asks At WhiteHouse.gov we’re always looking for new ways to engage with citi-zens, whether it’s through a live video chat with a policy expert or an Open for Questions event with the President.

As an extension of the Administration’s commitment to making govern-ment more collaborative and participatory, we’re trying something new this week. The White House will pose a question to our more than 480,000 fans on Facebook, 1.7 million followers on Twitter and 30,000 group members on LinkedIn. Later in the week, we’ll highlight some of the most inter-esting responses on the White House blog.

As part of the “Education in Focus” series, the White House asks:

What does a 21st century education mean to you? So, tell us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse), Twit-

ter (//twitter.com/whitehouse) or LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2199632).

We look forward to your responses and want to give a hat tip to @GOOD (www.good.is) for a good idea.

Add Your Two Cents: offer new ideas directly to government agecies.

As part of the Open Government Directive, 25 different agencies have launched open government

webpages and are using those sites to take your ideas for how they can be

more open and transparent. These webpages are only one of the

important milestones laid out in the Directive and the next deliverable, an open government plan for each agen-cy, is being developed based on your input. Each agency’s plan will serve as a two-year roadmap for how the prin-ciples of transparency, collaboration, and participation will be incorporated in both the agency’s overarching mission and day-to-day activities.

Your feedback can help infl uence the development of agency plans, trans-parency policies, and publically dis-closed data.

Exercise your citizenship options - af-ter you vote then contribute to the op-eration of your government. Visit www.whitehouse.gov/open to participate in the Open Government initiative.

Also, take a look at the Featured In-novations and other sections of the website to fi nd and participate in the many, many opportunities in education programs, business development, sci-ence projects and more.


HOMESTAR - Helping Homeowners Invest in Energy-Effi cient Homeswww.whitehouse.gov

President Obama has announced the initiatives for HOME-STAR, a program that offers incentives for people to make their homes more energy-effi cient.

The President explained that the new program will save fami-lies several hundred of dollars on utilities, make the economy less dependent on fossil fuels, create work for small businesses and contractors, and bring back construction jobs. “Here’s one of the

Fact Sheet: Homestar Energy Effi ciency Retrofi t ProgramThe President looks forward to continuing to work with Members of Congress, business, environmental and labor

leaders to enact a HOMESTAR program into law. The HOMESTAR program has the potential to jumpstart our economic recovery by boosting demand for energy effi ciency products and installation services. This program will help them save hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs while improving the comfort and value of our most important investment – our homes. In addition, the program would help reduce our economy’s dependence on oil and support the development of an energy effi ciency services sector in our economy. Key components of the HOMESTAR Program include:• Rebates delivered directly to consumers: Like the Cash for Clunkers program, consumers would be eligible for di-rect HOMESTAR rebates at the point of sale for a variety of energy-saving investments in their homes. A broad array of vendors, from small independent building material dealers, large national home improvement chains, energy effi ciency installation professionals and utility energy effi ciency programs (including rural utilities) would market the rebates, pro-vide them directly to consumers and then be reimbursed by the federal government. • $1,000 - $1,500 Silver Star Rebates: Consumers looking to have simple upgrades performed in their homes would be eligible for 50% rebates up to $1,000 - $1,500 for doing any of a straightforward set of upgrades, including: insula-tion, duct sealing, water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofi ng and doors. Under Silver Star, consumers can chose a combination of upgrades for rebates up to a maximum of $3,000 per home. Rebates would be limited to the most energy effi cient categories of upgrades—focusing on products made primarily in the United States and installed by certifi ed contractors. • $3000 Gold Star Rebates: Consumers interested in more comprehensive energy retrofi ts would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate for a whole home energy audit and subsequent retrofi t tailored to achieve a 20% energy savings in their homes. Consumers could receive additional rebate amounts for energy savings in excess of 20%. Gold Star would build on existing whole home retrofi t programs, like EPA’s successful Home Performance with Energy Star program. • Oversight to Ensure Quality Installations: The program would require that contractors be certifi ed to perform ef-fi ciency installations. Independent quality assurance providers would conduct fi eld audits after work is completed to ensure proper installation so consumers receive energy savings from their upgrades. States would oversee the imple-mentation of quality assurance to ensure that the program was moving the industry toward more robust standards and comprehensive energy retrofi t practices. • Support for fi nancing: The program would include support to State and local governments to provide fi nancing op-tions for consumers seeking to make effi ciency investments in their homes. This will help ensure that consumers can afford to make these investments.

The program will result in the creation of tens of thousands of jobs while achieving substantial reductions in energy use – the equivalent of the entire output of three coal-fi red power plants each year. Consumers in the program are antic-ipated to save between $200 - $500 per year in energy costs, while improving the comfort and value of their homes.

President Barack Obama stops to greet workers as he tours the Chatham Steel Company in Savannah, Ga., March 2, 2010. (Offi cial White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

see HOMESTAR on page 16

Helping the Hardest Hit Housing Markets www.whitehouse.gov

President Obama has announced $1.5 billion in funding for inno-vative measures to help fami-

lies in the states that have been hit the hardest by housing market stress and unemployment. States where house prices have fallen more than 20% from their peak will be eligible for this funding. Such price declines, coupled with the effects of high unemployment, means that many working and middle-class families in these areas are facing serious challenges. The effort we are announcing today will provide support for state housing fi nance agencies (HFAs) to design programs tailored to the urgent needs of particular commu-nities.

Eligible HFA programs will aim to help homeowners in areas hardest hit by un-employment and home price declines, helping responsible but struggling ho-

meown-ers stay in their homes.

T h e $1.5 bil-lion fund

will be available for State Housing Fi-nance Agencies and similar organiza-tions to develop innovative programs help address the problems facing their communities. Housing markets vary considerably from state to state, and often within a single state. Housing Fi-nance Agencies are very familiar with their local housing markets, and will take the lead role in determining what sorts of programs are most appropri-ate to local conditions. The types of programs that may be funded include: measures for unemployed homeown-ers, programs to assist borrowers ow-

ing more than their home is now worth, programs that help address challenges arising from second mortgages,; or oth-er programs encouraging sustainable and affordable homeownership.

There will be a formula for allocat-ing funding among eligible states that will be based on home price declines and unemployment. Eligible HFAs that would like to participate must submit a program design to Treasury. Program

designs must meet funding require-ments under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA). The Department of the Treasury will an-nounce maximum state level alloca-tions in the next two weeks, along with rules governing the submission of pro-gram designs by HFAs, and provide a period thereafter for HFAs to submit their program designs in order to re-ceive funding.

The state specifi c nature of the fund will allow HFAs to design programs focused on the priorities in their local markets. The program will be under strict transparency and accountability rules. All program designs and mea-sures of program effectiveness will be posted online, creating a public web fo-rum for interchange of innovative ideas developed through the program.

This new funding for increased HFA initiatives will support families in the hardest hit markets markets, combin-ing with the numerous other steps the Administration has taken to help sup-port US homeowners and housing mar-kets.

Sarah Apsel is a Policy Advisor at the Treasury Department

www.ncsha.orgwww.ustreas.gov

HOMESTAR

best things about energy effi ciency - it turns out that energy-effi cient windows or insulation, those things are products that are almost exclusively manufac-tured right here in the United States of America. It’s very hard to ship windows from China. So a lot of these materials are made right here in America.”

Through the HOMESTAR Program, homeowners who make investments for energy-effi ciency in their homes will be eligible to receive:

Direct rebates for energy-saving • investments 50 percent rebates for the cost of • each upgrade up to $1,500 Rebates up to $3,000 for those • who choose to retrofi t their whole homes Guaranteed quality installations •

from page 15through quality assurance provid-ers who would conduct fi eld audits after work is completed Support for fi nancing through State • and local governments

President Obama has explained that these short-term investments will lead to long-term savings for homeowners and consumers.

“Just like a responsible homeowner will invest in their homes in the near term to fortify their economic security in the long term, we’ve got to do the same as a country. It will have some costs on the front end -- you buy a new boiler, or you get some insulation, or you get some new windows, that’s go-ing to have an initial cost, and the same is true from a government perspective. And it’s going to be politically diffi cult to do some of this, but it’s what’s right to plan for our future.”


One year in, the evidence is clear – and growing by the day – that the Recovery Act is working to

cushion the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and lay a new foundation for economic growth. Public and private forecasters ranging from the Council of Economic Advisors to Moody’s Economy and IHS Global now say the Recovery Act is respon-sible for 2 million jobs or even more nationwide. These jobs have also laid the groundwork for a new clean energy economy, revitalized infrastructure and transportation, helped transform health information technology, and helped make America more competitive for

generations to come.And while the President will not

be satisfi ed until he sees strong job growth, job losses one year in were a fraction of what they were before the Recovery Act was signed. Learn about the progress made through the Vice President’s report, through video from mayors representing towns and cities in every part of the country, and through a map highlighting just a tiny sample of the projects underway.

Vice President’s 1st Annual Report on Progress Implementing the

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009.

www.whitehouse.gov/recovery/anni-


versary/message.

Recovery Act: In FocusTransforming to a Clean Energy Economy - www.whitehouse.gov/ad-ministration/vice-president-biden/reports/progress-report-transformation-clean-energy-economyJump-starting High-Speed Rail - www.whitehouse.gov/high-speed-railAdvancing Use of Health IT, Train-ing Workers for Health Jobs of the Future - www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/sebelius-solis-announce-nearly-1-billion-recovery-act-investment-advancing-use-healBuilding a Smarter, More Reliable Energy Grid - www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/27/smart-grid-creating-jobs-saving-energy-and-cutting-electric-billsExpanding Broadband Access - www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/17/learning-growth-internet-new-broadband-grants

Recovery Act: Previous Milestones200 Days - www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Recovery-Act-Milestone-200-Days100 Days - www.whitehouse.gov/blog/100-Days-100-Projects

Black Business Association � National Black Business Council

California Black Chamber of Commerce � National Black Business Association

BBA � NBBC � CBCC � NBBA

� Send Me Information on the Trade Mission TODAY!

APRIL 2010Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact:

P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043Tel: 323.291.9334 � Fax: [email protected] � www.bbala.org

Black Business Association

NAME ______________________________________________

BUSINESS ____________________________________________

ADDRESS ____________________________________________

CITY ________________________________________________

STATE _____________________________ ZIP CODE ___________

TELEPHONE __________________________________________

FAX ________________________________________________

E-MAIL ______________________________________________




for Your Business!!PARTIAL LISTING OF FEDERAL AGENCIES

Department of TransportationDepartment of Defense

General Services AdministrationDepartment of Agriculture

Housing and Urban DevelopmentVeterans Administration

Department of EnergyDepartment of Commerce

Supported by the U.S. Small Business

Administration/Los Angeles District

to Washington, D.C.

Your $1000 Idea

African Vibes Magazine has partnered with Keller Graduate School of Management, a subsidiary of Devry University, to present an Ideas Contest to address the question “What can you do with $1000 to help fi ght poverty in Africa?”

African Vibes Magazine will award the person with the most compelling idea, $1000 to implement their idea at the African Vibes Magazine 4th Anniversary event. Ideas will be judged based on the following:

Reach: How many people would this idea affect? Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need? Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two? Effi ciency: How simple and cost-effective is the idea? Longevity: How long will the idea’s impact last? Feasibility: Can the Idea be implemented within the specifi ed budget of $1000 Relevance: Is the idea relevant to the contest topic? Sustainability: Can the idea sustain itself or will it always require a new investment to be sustained?

Contest details and submission form can be found at http://anniversary.africanvibes.com .If you have any questions regarding the contest, please email Lisa Brown at [email protected].

African Vibes Magazine • 4th Anniversary CelebrationAvalon Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

www.africanvibes.comAfrican Vibes Communications, Inc. • P.O. Box 10203 Canoga Park, California 91309 USA • 877-692-8624

ACTION ALERT!

Let Your U.S. Senators & RepresentativesKnow How You Want Them To VOTE!

Write, call or e-mail your federal representatives today! Give voice to your opinion. The citizens of this nation need a comprehensive health care plan.

Pass legislation that includes a Public Insurance Option and No Insurance

Industry Buyout.

Find congressional contact information at: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.


Tuesday, Apr. 13th“For everyone interested in doing business with Metro”

Watch & Support the Africa Channel!Time Warner • Channel 176

Don’t have the Africa Channel in your area? Call Time Warner at: 1-888-892-2253 and ask that the Africa Channel be broadcast to ALL regions of Califor-nia.

For information on the Africa Channel visit www.theafricachannel.com or send an e-mail inquiry to [email protected].

KYOCERA to Manufacture Solar Modules in the U.S.

Kyocera Solar, Inc. plans to begin manufacturing solar modules in San Diego, Calif., to serve the U.S. market’s growing demand for clean energy. The U.S. module manufacturing will support a new milestone for Kyocera’s solar energy business — global production capacity targeting 1,000 megawatts of solar cells per year (equal to one “giga-watt” per year) by March 2013.

The new solar module manufactur-ing will begin in San Diego at Kyocera’s Balboa Avenue facility during the fi rst half of 2010, with an initial production target of 30 megawatts per year. The production venue was selected to ca-ter specifi cally to the U.S. market’s in-creasing demand for large-scale solar electric generating systems.

“The U.S. is experiencing extraor-dinary growth in its adoption of solar electricity,” said Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar, Inc. “Kyocera’s San Diego plant will provide high-quality, high-effi ciency solar modules to serve this expanding market. With a 35-year commitment to providing clean energy through solar modules, Kyocera is add-ing capacity globally to meet worldwide demand.”

Solar power offers a hedge against electricity cost increases and serves as an environmental countermeasure to acid rain, ozone depletion and ris-ing carbon levels. As an illustration of Kyocera’s global expansion plan, the one-gigawatt capacity will allow the company to supply 3.5-kilowatt solar-electric systems for about 285,000 homes each year.

Kyocera established U.S. operations in 1969. Kyocera Group companies currently employ approximately 4,000 people in the United States.

www.kyocerasolar.com

Recovery.CAfrom page 9


3 4

21

The Black Business Association (BBA) celebrated its 36th Annual Awards Dinner recently at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, commemo-

rating Black History Month through the theme “Black Eco-nomic Empowerment”.

The highly successful event paid recognition to key lead-ers from politics, government and business who demon-strate excellence in black economic empowerment. Earl “Skip” Cooper II, BBA President and Chief Executive Offi -cer, said “the theme for the evening is fi tting as a message to convey public acknowledgement of Black History Month. Each of our honorees and sponsors has made outstanding contributions toward improving the economic quality of life for countless black entrepreneurs and their respective cus-tomers, employees, investors, and suppliers.

Congresswomen Maxine Waters, a consummate fi ghter for those who are most often left out and forgotten, was re-cipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Her acceptance address was inspiring, as she spoke on the importance of not being afraid to take on controversial and unpopular is-

sues, as well as constantly fi ghting for the rights of people of color and low and moderate income families.

Dinner Chair Verizon, represented by Elva Lima, Vice President of Strategic Programs, commended the BBA’s commitment to address issues of relevance to the African American community and advance the development and growth of African American owned businesses. Ms. Lima stated, “By working together, we have built a strong base of African American suppliers, empowered communities and changed lives for the better.”

Congresswoman Waters was joined by six other well de-serving honorees, including: Jerome Horton, Vice Chair, California Board of Equalization, recipient of the Special Recognition Award for his work behind the scenes in work in holding the government accountable and transparent to taxpayers as well as increasing public safety, improving the quality of education and expanding health care access; Kaiser Permanente, recipient of the President’s Award for its ongoing contributions to communities of color; Sempra Energy, Major Corporation Award winner for increased con-


5

(L-R) Roberto Barragon, Valley Economic Development Center; Cedric Williams, Sempra Energy; The Honorable Jerome Horton, Vice Chair, California Board of Equalization; Ambassador Sidney Williams, representing Congress-woman Maxine Waters; Joyce Sloss, Los Angeles World Airports; Dr. Tumani Leatherwood, Kaiser Permanente; Clarence Scott, President & CEO, Brandon Supply Corporation

tract spending with diverse business enterprises; Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC), Small Business Lender Award recipient for the highest number of business loans made to African American businesses in 2009; Los Angeles World Airports, Government Agency Award winner for consistently promoting economic development in the sur-rounding community; and BBA Member of the Year Clarence Scott, President & Chief Executive Offi cer of Brandon Sup-ply Corporation, cited for continuous support of the growth and advancement of the BBA.

Please read the stories of our honorees and support the vendors and sponsors that helped make the 36th Annual Awards Dinner a success.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

MAXINE WATERS, CONGRESSWOMAN, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual or Agency that is most responsive in promoting the BBA and Black

economic empowerment.

As one of the most powerful women in American politics today, Congress-woman Maxine Waters has gained the reputation as a fearless and out-spoken advocate for women, chil-dren, people of color and the poor.

Elected in November 2008 to her tenth term in the United States House of Representatives with an over-whelming 80 percent of the votes in the 35th District of California, Con-gresswoman Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles and the communities of Westchester and Playa Del Rey, as well as the diverse cit-ies of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale.

In the House, Ms. Waters serves as a Chief Deputy Whip, making her an integral part of the House Democratic Leader-ship, which is lead by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James Clyburn. A listing of Ms. Waters’ current committee memberships would include: member of the House Committee on Financial Services and Chair of its Subcommittee on Housing and Community Op-portunity; member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit; member, Subcommittee on Interna-tional Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology; and member, Committee on the Judiciary and its Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and its Subcommittee on Immigration.

Additionally, Congresswoman Waters is an infl uential

member and former Chair of the Congressional Black Cau-cus; the co-founder and Chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus; and the co-founder of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Legislative LeadershipThroughout her 30 years of public service, Maxine Waters

has been on the cutting edge, tackling diffi cult and often con-troversial issues. She has combined her strong legislative and public policy acumen with high visibility in Democratic Party activities and a keen ability for grassroots organizing.

Prior to her election to the House of Representatives in 1990, Maxine Waters had already attracted national atten-tion for her no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style of politics. During 14 years in the California State Assembly, she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. While in the Assembly, she was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen: the largest divestment of state pension funds from South Africa; landmark affi rma-tive action legislation; the nation’s fi rst statewide Child Abuse Prevention Training Program; the prohibition of police strip searches for nonviolent misdemeanors; and the introduction of the nation’s fi rst plant closure law.

As a national Democratic Party leader, Congresswoman Waters has long been highly visible in Democratic Party poli-tics and has served on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) since 1980. She was a key leader in fi ve presidential campaigns: Sen. Edward Kennedy (1980), Rev. Jesse Jack-son (1984 & 1988), and President Bill Clinton (1992 & 1996). In 2001, she was instrumental in the DNC’s creation of the National Development and Voting Rights Institute and the appointment of Mayor Maynard Jackson as its chair.

Following the Los Angeles civil unrest in 1992, Congress-woman Waters faced the nation’s media and public to inter-pret the hopelessness and despair in cities across America. Over the years, she has brought many government offi cials and policy makers to her South Central L.A. district to appeal for more resources. They have included President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Secretaries of Housing & Urban De-velopment Henry Cisneros and Andrew Cuomo, and Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve System. Fol-lowing the unrest, she founded Community Build, the city’s grassroots rebuilding project.

Congresswoman Waters has used her skill to shape public policy and deliver the goods: $10 billion in Section 108 loan guarantees to cities for economic and infrastruc-ture development, housing and small business expansion; $50 million appropriation for “Youth Fair Chance” program which established an intensive job and life skills training program for unskilled, unemployed youth; expanded U.S. debt relief for Africa and other developing nations; creation of a “Center for Women Veterans”; and much more.

She is lauded by African American entrepreneurs for her work to expand contracting and procurement opportunities



Photo Legend:1) (l-r) Maxine Ransom, Von Phul, President, Winmax Construction and Ezekial Patten, President, Patten En-ergy, both former chairs of the Black Business Association Board of Directors.2) (l-r) State Assemblyman Mike Davis and Greg Irish.3) (l-r) Mark Robertson, Pacifi c Coast Regional, a repre-sentative of FAME and, Gustavo Bidart, II, Citi.4) (l-r) Delinda Jones, Patricia Basquez with Billie Greer, Director, Governor’s Los Angeles offi ce.6) Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, the Presi-dent’s Award Recipient.7) (l-r) Billie Greer, Director, Governor’s Los Angeles of-fi cer with the Honorable Jerome Horton and Mrs Horton.8) (l-r) Earl “Skip” Cooper, II, President/CEO, Black Busi-

6

8

9

7

10

11

12


13

15

16

14

ness Association (BBA) greets State Assemblyman Steven Bradford.9) (l-r) Barbara Perkins, Elva Lima, Vice President, Stra-tegic Programs and Roz Pennington, President, National Black Business Council (NBBC).10) View of the Annuals Awards Dinner at the Milliennium Biltmore Hotel.11) (l-r) Vincent Craney, Southern California Edison, Linda Smith, Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Center (LA/MBOC), and Aubrey Stone, President, California Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC).12) (l-r) James Burkhardt, III and Joanna Davis, both of Kaiser Permanente.13-16) (top to bottom) Cakes, pies and cookies that make up the famous and fabulous BBA Dinner Dessert Recep-tion. Vendors included Harriet’s Cheesecake, Kobbler King, Gwen’s Specialty Cakes, and Romeo’s Full Service Cater-ing.

Photos by Ian Foxx and Sabir

omeo’sFULL SERVICE CATERING

714-457-8480

CRYSTAL mcpHERSONEXECUTIVE COORDINATOR

KOBBLER KINGBakery

3622 W Jefferson Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90016

(323) 731-9286Specializing in all Kobblers

We Cater!

SPECIALTY CAKES AND CATERING820 N. La Brea Ave., #D • Inglewood, CA 90302

(310) 677-9979gwensspecialtycakes.com

“You’ll Love That Homemade Taste”• Cakes & Catering for All Occasions •

Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m - 6 p.mSunday and Monday by Appointment

Thank Youto all of our

Sponsors, Vendors, and Attendees for

making the 36th Annual Awards

Dinner a Success.

and to strengthen businesses. Long active in the women’s movement, Rep. Waters has given encouragement and fi -nancial support to women seeking public offi ce. Many young people, including those in the hip-hop music community, praise her for her support and understanding of young peo-ple and their efforts at self-expression. One testament to her work is the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a multimillion dollar public school complex providing educa-tion and employment opportunities to residents of the Watts area and beyond.

Personal BackgroundMaxine Waters was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the fi fth of

13 children reared by a single mother. She began working at age 13 in factories and segregated restaurants. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked in garment factories and at the telephone company. She attended California State Univer-sity at Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She began her career in public service as a teacher and a volunteer coordinator in the Head Start program.

She is married to Sidney Williams, the former U.S. Am-bassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. She is the mother of two adult children, Edward and Karen, and has two grandchildren.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

JEROME E. HORTON, VICE CHAIR, CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF

EQUALIZATIONThe Special Recognition Award recognizes a corporate represen-

tative or individual contributing to and supporting the BBA and Black business community, which does not specifi cally fi t any of

the other categories.

Jerome E. Horton currently serves as the Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization. In July 2009, he was appointed to the Board of Equalization by the Governor and confi rmed with overwhelm-ing support by both the Califor-nia State Senate and Assembly. Mr. Horton brings to the Board twenty-one years of prior Board of Equalization experience as business tax law specialist and a keen understanding of public policy as a former member of

the California State Assembly and Inglewood City Council. Mr. Horton’s appointment to the Board is historic in that he is the fi rst member to join the Board with twenty-one years

of prior Board of Equalization experience, the fi rst African American to serve on the Board in its history and the third African American California Constitutional Offi cer.

Mr. Horton has earned a reputation as a tireless advo-cate for California taxpayers. He is credited in playing an important role in the creation of the Board of Equalization’s “Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights” which ensures California’s taxpay-ers a fair and transparent process. As an avid crime fi ghter, Mr. Horton initiated the formation of the Joint Enforcement Criminal Task Force, which targets organized crime opera-tions, active in the underground economy. His legislation is credited with recapturing hundreds of millions in unreported business taxes, the prosecution of illegal business operators, and taking tons of cigarettes and other illegal contraband off our streets. While serving with the Board, Mr. Horton was an active member of the Association of California State Su-pervisors and Service Employees International Union (SEIU 1000). Fondly referred to as the Equalizer at the Board of Equalization, Horton exemplifi es fairness, justice, and equal-ity in taxation.

Before joining the Board of Equalization, Mr. Horton served as a member of the Inglewood City Council and California State Assembly from 1996 to 2006. Mr. Horton’s background in accounting, fi nance and real-estate investments enabled him to take leadership roles in balancing municipal and state budgets; without raising taxes. Mr. Horton focused on the principles of accountability, transparency, effi ciency and wealth building as a way of increasing the number of tax-payers and improving the effectiveness of government. As a result, Mr. Horton has been honored as an outstanding legis-lator by several prestigious organizations. He has also been recognized for his efforts to increase public safety, improve the quality of education and expand health care access for all Californians.

After his tenure in the legislature, Mr. Horton served on the California Medical Assistance Commission (CMAC), where he fought tirelessly for the expansion of access and the im-provement of quality healthcare for Californians. Mr. Horton also continued his commitment to building healthy and pro-ductive communities by volunteering with several nonprofi t organizations including the United Job Creation Council and California Education Solution. Mr. Horton, known as a progressive political strategist, helped these organizations build powerful coalitions that have resulted in the passage of progressive local initiatives and the election of several can-didates.

PRESIDENT’S AWARDKAISER PERMANENTE

The President’s Award is presented annually to the business or individual recognized by the President of the Black Business

Association for their long-term commitment to the advancement of



the Black Business Association and its membership.As the nation’s leading health care provider and nonprofi t

health plan, Kaiser Permanente is helping to shape the fu-ture of health care. Founded in 1945, our mission is to pro-vide high-quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of our members and the diverse communities we serve.

Kaiser Permanente’s expert physicians, specialists and

other health care professionals strive to deliver total health for our 8.6 million health plan members and patients in nine states and the District of Columbia. Supported by advanced technology and other robust tools for health promotion, dis-ease prevention, care delivery, and chronic disease man-agement, Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innova-tions, clinical research, health education, and a wide range of support for our communities.

Kaiser Permanente is widely recognized for fostering di-versity within our organization and in our communities, and we believe this supports our ability to provide high-quality culturally responsive care. In addition, we are committed to supplier diversity that refl ects the communities we serve, and the contribution supplier diversity makes towards fueling the economic growth and health of our communities through competition and innovation.

Because Kaiser Permanente believes that ensuring good health extends beyond our doors, we invest signifi cant re-sources and are directly engaged in programs that improve the health of our communities by eradicating health dispari-ties and providing access for underserved people. Based upon community needs assessments, these programs range from more than 40 years of support for the Kaiser Per-manente Watts Counseling and Learning Center, to our IN-ROADS and Summer Youth Employment workforce training programs, to support for local community health centers.

For more information, visit kp.org and the Kaiser Perma-nente News Center.

MAJOR CORPORATION AWARD

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS COMPANYThe Major Corporation Award recognizes the organization that

has achieved the highest level of purchasing goods and services from members of the BBA, as well as from the broader African

American business community.

At Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric (the Sempra Energy utilities), we take seriously

the responsibility of being a “good corporate citizen” -- and understand the importance of community service and eco-nomic development in the communities we serve. Our em-ployees understand the importance of community service and frequently volunteer their time and resources to a vari-ety of community service projects and activities.

To all employees at the Sempra Energy companies, good corporate citizenship also means conducting our business with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. It means being a good steward of the environment and looking for new ways to work with our communities to help enhance the quality of life throughout our region.

At Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric we have been very proud of the work we have done collectively to increase diverse business enterprises (DBE) spending with all communities. Last year, we an-nounced unprecedented results, chiefl y by exceeding the aggressive 30% spending goals we set for ourselves in 2007. In 2009, we achieved an all-time record of $440 mil-lion DBE spending for SoCalGas and SDG&E compared to $369 million in 2008, a $71 million increase. These results did not come from the actions of a few, but from the hard work of our employees and prime contractors across every category of spending.

For over a century, the Sempra Energy util-ities have been a part of the so-cial fabric of the com-m u n i t i e s we serve.

We have provided funds for programs that give us the op-portunity to build partnerships with organizations, business-es and community leaders to address community needs. The Company invests in organizations like the Black Busi-ness Association because we understand the importance of promoting economic development in the communities we serve.

More broadly, we support civic involvement in communi-ties where our employees live and work and give preference to programs that heighten business and civic leadership, as well as events that promote pride in our diverse communi-ties. At the Company, we’re happy to do our part to help im-prove communities and develop the leaders of tomorrow and create what we hope will be a lasting legacy for our region.

SMALL BUSINESS LENDER AWARD


VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER (VEDC)

The Small Business Lender Award recognizes the organization that has been successful in effectively lending to African

American-owned enterprises, thereby enabling expansion, retention and growth of fi rms.

The Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC) is the largest non-profi t business development corporation in Los Angeles with an annual budget of almost $4 million and 40 employees in seven offi ces. VEDC has 34 years experience

in providing affordable b u s i n e s s assistance s e r v i c e s , direct fi nan-cial assis-tance, entre-preneur ia l

training and economic development to individuals and busi-nesses in Los Angeles County, with a focus on the City of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. In 2009 alone, VEDC assisted 6,500 businesses in creating 600 jobs, open 155 businesses, placed 45 local residents in meaningful em-ployment, graduated 171 individuals from the Entrepreneur-ial Training Program and provided $20,000,000 in direct and guaranteed lending for small businesses.

Lending - VEDC administers several direct loan programs through its state licensed lender and certifi ed development fi nancial institution, the Los Angeles Business Development Corporation (LABDC), and provides loan packaging services to businesses for various SBA programs:

Financial Restructuring Assistance Revolving Loan • FundNon-Profi t Loan Fund• Microloan Programs• Los Angeles Citywide Loan Program• California Small Business Loan Guarantee Program/• San Fernando Valley Financial Development Corp. (SFV-FDC)Capital Access Centers: SBA 7(a), 504 and Community • Express programsDebt Advisory Services•

Business Services - VEDC has numerous programs that provide Entrepreneurs with the tools they need to success-fully start and/or expand their business. Services include professional business consulting, entrepreneurial training, workshops/conferences and information services:

Women’s Business Center• Microenterprise / Entrepreneurial Training Programs• West San Fernando Valley Business Assistance Pro-•

gramDowntown LA Retail Project• San Fernando Learning Center• Pacoima Training Center• PRIME Project•

Economic Development - VEDC engages in economic development projects that seek to provide comprehensive solutions for revitalization and growth. Efforts have target-ed the Northeast San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles County, which suffers from a poverty and unemployment rate that is twice the City average with certain areas of the community reaching a poverty rate as high as 48%.

Pacoima Development Federal Credit Union• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)•

GOVERNMENT AGENCY AWARD

LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTSThe Government Agency Award recognizes the Agency that is most responsive in promoting the BBA and African-American

economic development.

The mission of the Business and Job Resources Center (BJRC) is to shape and drive the perception of Los Ange-les World Airports (LAWA) stakeholders by providing best in class customer service through our business outreach, bond assistance, First Source Hiring Program (FSHP), high school and college internships and international trade pro-grams. Every program and activity that fl ows from the BJRD is based on LAWA’s commitment to establishing improved accessibility and communication with local business enter-prises, community residents, local employers, airport ten-ants, educational institutions, and job seekers, in particular, those that are in communities most adversely impacted by airport operations.

With the modernization of Tom Bradley International Ter-minal (TBIT) and the addition of over one million square feet in additional space, including concessions space, construc-tion contracting opportunities are plentiful. Walsh Austin Joint Venture is taking unprecedented measures to insure that there is diversity in contracting on this project, which presents opportunity for BBA members. Please take advan-

Small Business Transportation Resource Center-SW

Learn more about the US Department of Transportation’s Financial Assistance Programs

Short-Term Lending & Bonding Assistance Teleconference Free Workshops

Date Time Wednesday, February 10 3:45 – 5:15 PM

Friday, March 19 2:00 – 3:30 PM Thursday, April 22 3:45 – 5:15 PM Thursday, May 13 3:00 – 4:30 PM

Wednesday, June 23 3:45 – 5:15 PM RSVP is required. Only 20 people will be invited per teleconference call. Reservations are taken on a first come, first served basis. Please reserve a date and time. RSVP to Carrolyn Kubota, Project Director, at (415) 348-6262 or via email at [email protected]. Once you receive confirmation, you will be informed of the teleconference number and pass code. Our SBTRC-Southwest office is operated by the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization’s (OSDBU) Regional Partnership Division of the US DOT in an effort to increase the number of small businesses that are prepared to compete for, and enter into, transportation-related opportunities. Our purpose is to offer a comprehensive delivery system of business training, technical assistance, and dissemination of information targeted toward transportation-related small business enterprises within the Southwest region.


tage of these opportunities by networking at the outreach meetings, attending the mandatory prebid meetings and making your company known.

We are honored to be awarded the BBA’s Government Agency award and thank you for this recognition.

MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD

BRANDON SUPPLY CORPORATIONThe Member of the Year Award recognizes the BBA Member

that has gone above and beyond in supporting the advancement and development of the BBA.

Brandon Supply Corporation, established in 1980 as a regular dealer and distributor of industrial supplies and equipment, has as its core area of business the sale of pipe, valves, fi ttings and material handling equipment. Brandon Supply’s mission is to be the in-tegrated supplier of choice for industrial supplies, exceeding customer expectations through innovation, unsurpassed ser-vice, quality product selection, and competitive pricing while maintaining the highest ethical and safety standards.

Prior to starting the company Mr. Clarence Scott, a Vietnam Veteran, worked as a purchas-ing agent for the Department of Energy and also as a salesper-son for Smith Pipe Corporation. Capitalizing on his experience on “both sides of the street”, Mr. Scott initially concentrated on the businesses of the utility companies. Brandon’s custom-ers include major local utilities and refi neries.

Brandon has been a leader in embracing new technologies such as EDI, ERS, Bar-coding and eProcurement. A compre-hensive on-line eProcurement catalog has been developed for oil refi neries as well as a new Material Handling catalog on-Line www.brandonsupply-corp.com.

Brandon has been the re-cipient of numerous awards

and honors since its inception, including 2008 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award, Supplier of the Year, Outstanding Minor-ity Business in South-ern California/Private Industry Award, and Award of Merit for Out-standing Achievement in Industrial Supplies. Certifi cate and Spe-cial Programs include: UCLA Anderson School of Management Development for Entrepreneurs Academy, Dartmouth Minority Business Ex-ecutive Seminar, Graduate of SBA 8(a) Program and HUB-ZONE certifi ed.


New Opportunities in Meeting New Challenges

Real Healthcare Reform Via Information Technologyby Samuel Greengard from Baseline Briefi ngs, March 2010

While the healthcare debate rages over both politics and

practicalities, it’s easy to overlook the fact that information technology is driving change more than any politician or lobbyist.

In fact, whether or not Congress passes legislation or the public forces changes to the current system, the healthcare fi eld is about to undergo the most radical transformation in its his-tory.

While examining IT and healthcare for an upcoming Baseline magazine story, I came across some eye-opening research conducted by Pricewater-houseCoopers (PwC). The consulting fi rm reports that a new and emerging fi eld of personalized medicine will chal-lenge IT mightily (see Additional Infor-mation).

Essentially, personalized medicine targets individualized treatment and care based on personal and genetic variations. The fi eld incorporates tele-medicine, medical device and diagnos-tics capabilities, and even human ge-nomic testing. In many instances, these systems relay data onto physicians and other healthcare professionals in real-time. The market for this niche is already $232 billion, and PwC projects that it will grow by 11 percent annually.

Meanwhile, electronic medical record (EMR) initiatives are steadily pushing healthcare organizations to adapt. A second PwC study found that it’s not only the direct medical data residing in the records that’s valuable to healthcare providers. More than three-quarters of the respondents from the survey indi-

cated that second-ary data could help them predict public health trends and reduce healthcare costs (see Additional Information).

Among other things, PwC reports, de-identifi ed and aggregated data col-lected from health records, insurance claims, clinical trials, lab and radiol-ogy results, employer benefi ts, disease management companies, researchers, manufacturers and payers could pro-vide fodder for predicting and improving health outcomes. It could also assist in identifying new markets and opportuni-ties--while at the same time reducing medical errors and fraud.

Overlay all of this with a spate of other healthcare initiatives--including electronic physician order entry, RFID tagging for patients, wireless tablets and smartphones that practitioners use throughout hospitals and clinics, unifi ed communications, bedside touch screen devices, and also back end initiatives revolving around server virtualization and business continuity--and it’s easy to see that this isn’t your granddad’s IT shop.

Make no mistake, this Brave New World represents huge and ongoing challenges. CIOs and other IT execu-tives must sync with business units like never before. They must build robust and effi cient networks. They must use

virtualiza-tion, data c l o u d s ,

SOA components, and analytics to push information collection, manage-ment, and delivery to the point of contact. And, not surprisingly, as col-

laboration grows, security and privacy become more important.

How IT departments act and react will ultimately determine which healthcare organizations thrive and which wind up on life support. As Daniel Garrett, part-ner and leader of PwC’s health indus-tries technology practice puts it, “The potential...has yet to be unleashed.”

Additional Information atPriceWaterhouseCoopers:www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/secondary-health-da-ta.jhtml.

International Edition

Black Business News

To be added to theInternational Edition

mailing list or advertise in the publication send an e-mail

request to:[email protected]

View theInternational Edition at

www.bbala.org andwww.yudu.com

Search: Black-Business-News-International

Slaton Insurance Group Slaton Insurance Group offers solutions for individuals, business owners, entrepreneurs and small to mid-size companies. We work with businesses of all sizes, from trade contractors to general contractors, from project owners to restaurants. Some of our product offers are:

Commercial General Liability Commercial Automobile

Workers’ Compensation Property and Inventory

Health Insurance Employee Benefits

Surety Bonding Board of Directors Coverage our

Providing Low Cost Insurance For all your business and commercial needs, at extremely competitive rates

Slaton Insurance Group Steven D. Turner (818) 585-1374

16161 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 382, Encino, California 91436 • www.teamworksia.comCalif. # 0G012789

Sponsored by the National Black Business Council (NBBC)

Black Business Association (BBA) & California Black Chambers (CBC)

AFRICAN AMERICAN ENGAGEMENT COLLABORATION

Introducing the...

For more information call:

310.568.5000

The New Townhouse6835 La Tijera Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045

EVERY 2nd Thursday of Each Month

Join us for

TheArtofBidding.comBlackSuppliers.com

Presented by the National Black Business Council (NBBC)

Hosts of the new business resource websites:


Mobility is Going Mainstream • The Worker is the Boss Source: by Samuel Greengard

We all know that if the typical IT manager had his way, every-one would use the same type

of computer, phone or mobile device. Standard issue. No muss. No fuss. It makes perfect sense because this ap-proach trims dollars and simplifi es IT administration. It also makes it a lot easier to manage security.

But the era of dictating to employees what to stow in their pocket or purse is rapidly disappearing. “The consumer-ization of IT is underway,” argues Sean Ryan, a mobile research analyst at IDC. “Employees are grabbing control of the process and IT executives don’t have much say about the matter.”

A few things are driving this trend. First, mobility is going mainstream and becoming a competitive factor in the business world (see: Minding Your Mo-bile Assets). How do you tell the sales guy to carry a Blackberry when the ap-plet he requires and desires is on an iP-hone? How do you inform an executive that she has to lug around a full-fl edged laptop when a netbook will do?

Second, if you’re going to tie a work-force to an electronic leash and ask


people to blur their job and personal life, you had better give them some fl exibility and let them use a device that works for them. Nowadays, this isn’t so simple. Windows Mobile is wheezing and the Blackberry, while still viable, certainly isn’t the headliner it once was. Apple has changed the game, and An-droid, Palm and Symbian are players too.

Third, and this one is particularly important, handcuffi ng employees for sheer cost savings or simplicity isn’t a particularly brilliant approach to running a business. IT effi ciency doesn’t nec-essarily equal better sales and bottom line results. In reality, a one-size-fi ts all approach is a bad idea. Sales staff or executives may require iPhones and fi eld techs may need Blackberries. Even within a particular group or de-partment, people may have entirely dif-ferent needs.

On a certain level, IT managers know all of this. Yet, they grumble about sup-

porting multiple devices and usually do everything in their power to thwart the migration to a number of operating sys-tems and devices. Just remember this: Forrester Research reports that 73 per-cent of global enterprise workforces will be mobile by 2012. In other words, the ripple is rapidly turning into a tsunami.

What’s more, this sea change has im-plications far beyond the mobile world. Gartner too has examined the topic of IT consumerization, even referring to a “civil war” between IT and consumer-ization. Clearly, IT leaders must adjust and adapt to this new world order.

So, get over it. IT is no longer call-ing the shots about what devices and gear workers use. The good news is that cloud computing, SOAs, better ad-ministration tools, and improved secu-rity are making it possible to build an IT framework that’s equipped for 21st century business. Savvy IT executives will say viva le difference!

www.baselinemag.com

Listen toKDEE 97.7FMTh e California Black

Chamber Foundation’s Radio Station

LIVEon Your Computer

www.kdeefm.org

9th Annual Veterans and Small Business Training and Outreach Conference

April 13-15, 2010Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego, CA

Participating agencies: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Elite SDVOB Network Department of the Navy, Camp Penderton Naval Hospital, Small Business Administration, General Services Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Procurement Technical Assistance Center. The conference is open to both government, non-government personnel, small and large businesses, veterans and non-veterans.

www.implanners.com/veterans

YOUR LINK TO AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNERS

CELEBRATING OVER 40 YEARS OF SERVICE

BLACK BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

presented by the

SPONSORSHIP PROPOSAL

For more information, contact the Black Business Association at: (323) 291-9334 | [email protected] | www.bbala.org

With Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and USDA Secre-tary Tom Vilsack in tow, First

Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Phila-delphia yesterday as part of the Let’s Move! campaign, a nationwide effort to rally the country around one goal, end-ing the epidemic of childhood obesity.

During her remarks at Fairhill El-ementary School, Mrs. Obama ap-plauded the city of Philadelphia for their “stand” to end childhood obesity:

“Six years ago, when this city had fewer supermarkets per person than almost anywhere in America, all right, that was six years ago, when many folks had no access to healthy foods; six years ago many neighborhoods had alarming rates of obesity-related condi-tions like heart disease and diabetes -- the folks in this city, you all could have decided that you had an unsolvable problems on your hands, right? You could have done that. You could have decided that these problems were just too big and too complicated and too entrenched and thrown your hands up and walked away.

But instead you all took a stand, a re-ally important, collaborative stand. You decided fi rst that no family in this city should be spending a fortune on high-priced, low-quality foods because they have no other options. You decided that no child should be consigned to a life of poor health because of what neighborhood his or her family lives in. And you decided that you weren’t going to just talk about the problem or wring your hands about the problems, but you were going to act.

And that’s precisely the kind of deter-mination, the kind of commitment that


we need to address the epidemic of childhood obesity in this country. And this issue is an issue of great concern to me, and I’ve said this before, not because I’m First Lady -- or not just because I’m First Lady of this coun-try -- but because I’m a mother, and I care about my kids and I care about all of our kids. And I know that this issue is a great concern to all of you, everyone around this country. We all care about our kids. That’s why last week we enthusiastically and proudly launched “Let’s Move.” (Applause.) “Let’s Move” is a nationwide campaign to rally this country around one single

but ambitious goal, and that is to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation so that the kids born today grow up with a healthy weight. Simple but ambitious.”

Mrs. Obama also announced a new part of Let’s Move! -- the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a multi-million dollar public and private investment to eliminate food deserts in America with-in seven years:

So with your success here in Penn-sylvania, what you’ve shown us is that when we provide the right support and incentives, then business leaders like Pat Burns and Jeff Brown, they’re go-ing to take the chance to invest in our

communities. And when we bring fresh, healthy food to communities, what do we learn? People will buy it, right? People will buy it. These stores are turning a profi t. And what’s going on is that they’re doing well by doing good. Isn’t that something? (Applause.)

So it’s because of this example that part of “Let’s Move” we created this Healthy Food Financing Initiative that’s modeled on what’s been going on here. And as Secretary Geithner said, with a modest initial investment of about $400 million a year, we’re going to use that money to leverage hundreds of millions more from private and non-profi t sec-

tors to bring grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved communities all across this country. If you can do it here, we can do it around the country. And our goal is ambitious. It’s to eliminate food deserts in America completely in seven years.

Again, we know this is ambitious, but we also know that tackling the issue of accessibility and affordability is key to achieving the overall goal of solving childhood obesity in this generation.

To learn more about what you can do to help solve the childhood obesity epi-demic – visit www.LetsMove.gov and become a fan of Let’s Move! on Face-Book (www.facebook.com/letsmove).

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to students at Fairhill Elementary School, Philadel-phia, Pennsylvania

Graduate Programs in Nonprofit Management Spring Colloquium 2010 Open to students, alumni, and the public. MGT 411, Room 307, 5:00 PM- 6:30 PM

January 27 – “Implementing a Social Media Plan” Rachael Post, Principal, Luna Sky Media

February 10 - Open House - "Transforming Disinvested Communities" Dr. Robert Ross, President and CEO, The California Endowment

Note: This class is held in the 3nd floor Small Berg with prospective MBA students

February 17 – “Celebrating Our Heritage – Lessons Learned” Charmaine Jefferson, Executive Director, California African American Museum

Robert Kirschner, Director, Skirball Museum Note: This session will be held at the Skirball Museum and includes an introduction and free access

to the “Road to Freedom” Civil Rights Exhibit at the Skirball Center

March 3 – Executive Leadership Forum “Hearing Our Voices – An Author’s Roundtable” Panel Discussion of Nonprofit Authors: Dr. Thomas Backer, “Evaluating Community Collaborations”

Mike Allison, “Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations” Note: This class is held in the Small Berg

March 17 - “Understanding Incubators –Getting Up and Going” Paul Vandeventer, President and CEO, Community Partners

March 24 - “New Trends in Pro Bono Ethics” Joel Bashevkin, Executive Director, Western Region, Taproot Foundation

April 14 - “Engaging Celebrities in Social Awareness Campaigns” David Figueroa and Araceli Campos, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)

April 21 – “Youth Advocacy and the Foster Care System” Zaid Gayle, Executive Director, Peace4Kids

April 28 - “Trends in Philanthropy in Southern California” Sushma Raman, President, Southern California Grantmakers

MBA School of Nonprofit Management

American Jewish University

Please RSVP to [email protected] or call 310-440-1260 to attend these sessions

For program information visit our website www.ajula.edu/mba


Rainbow PUSH LA Trade Bureau

The Rainbow PUSH LA Trade Bureau (RPC/Bureau) is focused on the implementation of economic, social, and education initiatives, as well as growing the offi ce to become a strong voice for our constituents and Trade Bureau Members.

Rainbow Push LA is connecting our Trade Bureau members with our Trading Partners for the purpose of doing business.

Rainbow Push LA is committed to connecting our members to new opportunities that will not only bring us through the recession, but beyond it. Our innovative ideas are expressed through powerful programmatic pieces that are designed with everyone in mind.

Please use the information below to contact the Los Angeles offi ce to request a contact information form that may be completed then faxed or e-mailed to us. The information will reconnect us with you and will aid Mr. Israel in his upcoming meetings with corporate trading partners.

Regina Black, Offi ce ManagerRainbow PUSH/CEF Los Angeles, 1313 W. 8th Street, Suite 232, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Offi ce Number: 213.483.3500 Fax Number: 213.483.3577Email: [email protected] Website: www.rainbowpushla.org

www.californiasbdc.org/governorsconference

SAVE THE DATE!Community Meeting: Metro Westside Extension Optional Crenshaw Station

Metro, together with the City of Los Angeles, invites you to a community meeting to discuss

the optional Wilshire/Crenshaw station being evaluated for the future West-side Subway Extension. The Draft En-vironmental Impact Statement/Report (DEIS/DEIR) currently underway for the Westside Subway Extension identi-fi es Wilshire/Crenshaw as an optional station. The recommendation about whether or not to include a station at this location will be a part of the overall recommendations when the environ-mental analysis concludes.

We must continue to analyze this sta-tion as part of the ongoing evaluation. We anticipate releasing the Draft EIS/EIR for public comment this summer. Community input is one of the factors that will be considered in making the recommendation. The Metro Board of Directors will make the ultimate deci-sion later in the year.

Please join us at this upcoming meet-ing to learn more about the Westside Subway Extension and the optional sta-tion at Wilshire/Crenshaw. We will also be joined by colleagues from the City of Los Angeles Planning Department to discuss land use planning guide-lines for this area. There will be several ways at this meeting for you to share your views on whether there should be a Wilshire/Crenshaw station.

Wednesday, March 17, 20106PM – 8PM

Wilshire United Methodist Church 4350 Wilshire BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90010

Served by Metro Line 20, 210, 710 and 720. Free parking is available. For additional information please visit

the Westside Subway Extension proj-

ect website at metro.net/westside or contact the project information line at 213.922.6934.

ww.bbala.org•Contracting Information•Employment Opportunities•Links to Sponsor Websites•Event Announcements•Resources:

• President’s Message• Financial Management• Meeting Management• International News• BBA Publications• Other Information

Youdeserve every opportunity to succeed.

You are proud. You are committed. You are a leader. You are an ethnically diverse business owner, and you deserve a bankthat can help you fulfill your dreams. Union Bank of California’s Business Diversity Lending program recognizes this andoffers a variety of smart financing options and flexible, less restrictive lending requirements.Whether you need short-termfinancing to help run your day-to-day operations, or long-term financing for new equipment or building improvements,your dream of running a successful business is well within your reach.

This is not a commitment to lend. Financing subject to credit and any applicable collateral approval.Other restrictions may apply. Eligible borrowers must meet all criteria for the BusinessDiversity Lending program. Financing available to businesses located in California, Oregon orWashington.Terms and conditions subject to change.

welcome to youbankingSM

Invest in you®

©2008 Union Bank of California, N.A. Member FDIC

To see if you qualify, stop by your local branch,call 1-888-818-6060, or visit unionbank.com/diversebizloans

Crenshaw Branch: Karen Smith, Branch Manager, 3501W. Jefferson Boulevard, (323) 737-3483Ladera Heights Branch: Renee Givhan, Branch Manager, 6719 LaTijera Boulevard, (310) 342-1779

Technology:

Take a Look!by LaSandra Stratton

Submitted by LaSandra Stratton BBA member, Chair of the BBA International Trade Committee.

Check out what these fi rms and organi-zations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.

http://cybersynchs.comCyberSynchs.com is a service that automatically mirrors mobile phone content to a safe, secure, user friendly and accessible website. The service requires no cables or plugs in order to begin transferring your mobile content to your CyberSynchs account. This allows for maximum accessibility and manageability while offering the users the luxury of managing their mobile content from the web anywhere in the world.

Your phone content- Contacts (Ad-dress Book), text messages, emails, photos, videos, ring tones, GPS, Calendar, Notes and Voice mails are

easily and securely uploaded to your CyberSynchs account.

With CyberSynchs your life does not have to be placed on pause due to a lost, stolen or destroyed mobile device. Its simple and easy to use.

www.igogreenbiz.comGO Green with Organic Banking of-fers business owners better technol-ogy through a suite of “eco-friendly e-payment solutions” that provide se-cure, effi cient, and immediate “good funds” payments…at a fraction of the cost of traditional payment methods! With the integration of i-GO Green e-payment programs, business own-ers can realize signifi cant savings on their payment needs...while having a positive impact on the environment and their bottom-line!

www.safelinkwireless.comThrough SafeLink, Lifeline support is now available for wireless phones. Lifeline is a federal program created by the Reagan era Federal Commu-nications Commission (FCC) in 1984. Traditionally, the Lifeline program was only available as a discount on a con-sumer’s landline telephone bill. Safe-Link Wireless was created by Trac-Fone Wireless, Inc. when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved the company to of-fer Lifeline -- a public assistance pro-gram that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for low-in-come subscribers. SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense. Instead of receiving a sub-sidized monthly telephone bill for Life-


line service, SafeLink converts the to-tal amount of discounted service into minutes each month for one year. The cell phone offers in-demand features: voicemail, text, three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID and access to 911.

Only certain Americans are eligible for SafeLink. Eligibility guidelines vary by state (the program is available in 21 states at this time) but in general individuals qualify if they participate in a public assistance program such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, Supple-mental Security Income (SSI), Tem-porary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Na-tional Free School Lunch, Federal Housing/Section 8 Assistance, or if they do not receive any of these pub-lic assistance pro-grams, they may also qualify based on total household gross monthly in-come. Customers can learn more or apply by calling 1-800-SAFELINK or visiting www.Safe-Link.com.

International Trade: One Path to Collective Economic Recovery

Taking Advantage of Trade Show Marketing in Africa

Gold miners - South Africa

Construction workers - South Africa

Riverside, CA • Obuasi, Ghana Sister City

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma with Mayor

Villaraigosa of Los Angeles

Kente Weaver - Ghana

President Obama announced fi ve steps the Administration is taking under the NEI to help

U.S. fi rms expand sales of their goods and services abroad: creating a new Cabinet-level focus on U.S. exports, expanding export fi nancing, prioritizing government advocacy on behalf of U.S. exporters, providing new resources to U.S. businesses seeking to export, and ensuring a level playing fi eld for U.S. exporters in global markets.

A New, Focused High-Level Effort to Promote U.S. Exports

The President has signed an Execu-tive Order instructing the federal gov-ernment to enhance and coordinate Federal efforts to promote exports. The President ordered the following mea-sures to ensure high-level coordination of U.S. export promotion activities:• Creating the Export Promotion Cabinet: The President has created the Export Promotion Cabinet to en-sure that export promotion is a top-level priority of all relevant cabinet agencies, and that export promotion activities are incorporated in a wide ar-ray of government programs, not just existing dedicated export promotion offi ces. The Export Promotion Cabinet will coordinate with the Trade Promo-tion Coordinating Committee, an ex-isting staff-level interagency body that supports U.S. trade and export efforts, to execute a new National Export Strat-egy. The Export Promotion Cabinet will hold its fi rst meeting in April, and will meet regularly thereafter. Members of the Cabinet include the Secretaries of State, Treasury and Commerce, senior White House advisors, and the heads of key U.S. economic and trade agen-cies.

President Obama Details Administration Efforts to Support Two Million New Jobs by Promoting New Exports


• Re-launch-ing the P r e s i -d e n t ’ s E x p o r t Council ( P E C ) : T h e PEC has s e r v e d as the principal private sector adviso-ry committee on international trade. It advises the President of government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related challenges among the business, in-dustrial, agricultural, labor, and govern-ment sectors. Today, the President an-nounced the relaunch of the PEC to be chaired by Jim McNerney, CEO of the Boeing Corporation, and Ursula Burns, CEO of the Xerox Corporation, who will serve as the vice-chair.

More Financial Support for U.S. Exporters

In fi scal year 2009, Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) authorized $21 billion in support of U.S. exports, 50% more than the pre-vious year. Under the Obama Adminis-tration, Ex-Im has further increased its authorizations to $10 billion in the fi rst quarter of this fi scal year alone, three times the amount it did in the fi rst quar-ter last year. Ex-Im projects that this pace of expansion will continue and ultimately double Ex-Im’s trade fi nance capacity within fi ve years. Additionally, as part of the National Export Initiative, Ex-Im is expanding its efforts to work with small business by creating a new facility to provide up to $2 billion a year

in trade fi nance to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Major Government-wide Export Advocacy Effort

Secretary Locke issued Government-wide advocacy instructions for all se-nior level offi cials who work with foreign counterparts in the U.S. and abroad. This instruction ensures that our export promotion efforts will be conducted by U.S. offi cials who regularly commu-nicate with other governments. This guidance is also instrumental to help ensure that our offi cials abroad are proactively looking for new export op-portunities for U.S. businesses in their daily work routines. As part of our new advocacy efforts, the U.S. government is also:• Sponsoring an Unprecedented Number of Trade Missions this Year: U.S. trade missions bring senior U.S. offi cials and U.S. businesses in direct contact with export opportunities. Over 40 trade and reverse trade missions are scheduled in 2010 to promote U.S. goods, agriculture products and ser-vices. • Creating a New Market Exporter Ini-tiative: The Department of Commerce is launching a new public-private part-nership that engages U.S. global ship-

see Promoting New Exports on page 59

President Barack Obama addresses the Export-Import Bank’s annual confer-ence at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., March 11, 2010. (Offi cial White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Trade shows are still a very popular way for new and es-tablished companies to reach

retail buyers. Where else can you get in front of so many buyers look-ing to source new products for their stores and businesses? Not many other places.

But with the economy taking its toll on small company budgets, how can you get the most bang for the buck out of your trade show mar-keting? The answer is to make the most of your time and money when planning to attend these shows.

During 2009, I attended a hand-ful of large consumer product trade shows including the House Wares Show in Chicago and the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas. Both tradition-ally are very crowded and even booking hotel rooms can be tough and of course quite pricey due to high demand. These shows, while still busy, were just not that crowd-ed and that can be a source of concern when you are planning to spend your marketing dollars. The retail buyers seemed to be there, but knowing that budget constraints prevent even retail executives from jumping on a plan means that there are fewer of them walking the fl oor. That means that you must do what-ever you can to maximize your trade show experience and be fully prepared to do business!

Here are some smart ways to make the most of your time and money at trade shows in 2010:

If you are an inventor or small • startup, consider sharing a booth space with someone in the same situation. Sharing a

booth can save you hundreds if not thousands! Try seeking out others you may • know in your industry and share a hotel room. May sound a little awkward, but if you know some-one that you feel comfortable with then why not halve your hotel costs and share the room. Don’t overspend on giveaways. • You know what I mean. The pens or coffee mugs you get made up with your company logo. These can cost hundreds of dollars...and you have to ship them to the show. Skip these and instead have bottled water and some cookies or something at the booth. I know I love a good chocolate chip cookie when I am trolling the trade show fl oor! Take the red eye to and from the • show. I know, who wants to fl y in at 2am, but hey, if you don’t have to arrive at a specifi c time you can save some money. Utilize the shuttle bus services. • Most trade shows offer shuttle buses to and from the local ho-tels. Take advantage of them. Renting a car can be expensive, and if the show is in a big city then you probably won’t need the car for anything else while you are there. Take an airport-to-hotel shuttle when you arrive and save your self the time and expense. Don’t order a lead retrieval ma-• chine. These machines, which look like a credit card machine you see in stores when you shop, can cost a few hundred

dollars to rent. They are con-venient as a buyer can simply swipe their badge on the ma-chine when they visit your booth and you have a record of their information. However, asking for their business card is the same thing and does not cost a cent.

There are many ways to save money and collectively they can re-ally add up. In the end, buyers are looking to do business with those that offer a great product with clear

benefi ts for their customers. Dress-ing well, being at your booth on time, and saying hello to everyone that walks by will ensure that you have the best shot at having a pro-ductive show.

I often tell people who are plan-ning to go to shows to limit the amount of shows they plan to at-tend. For example, my company used to exhibit at nearly ten shows a year. By choosing just the largest of these shows, you can exhibit at just a few and save a bundle! Mak-ing the most of a show is not about how many you do, but rather how well you prepare and present your product and company when you are there.

Trade Show Marketing - The Keys to Successby Jim DeBetta (www.jimdebetta.com)


…“Trade shows sti ll provide the largest return

on investment.”

Many people seem to think the only measurement for trade shows is a count of

how many visitors’ badges were swiped at your booth. Here are 10 more things you can measure.

1). What visitors think of your fea-tured product -- ask open-ended questions and record their an-swers. 2). If you know how many qualifi ed leads it takes to get a personal sales call and how many calls generally it

10 Things You Can Measure at Your Next Trade ShowFrom Skyline Exhibits (www.skyline.com/Trade-Show-Tips)

takes to close a sale, you can esti-mate sales from the qualifi ed leads at a show. 3). You can measure media cov-erage at shows in terms of an ad equivalency. In other words, what would that same coverage cost had you bought an ad the same size? 4). Most frequently asked questions are often an indication of what your graphics don’t tell people or what people don’t understand about your products or potential perception is-sues about your company.

5). Exhibitions are a great venue for testing brand

awareness. 6). What were your competitors doing at the show? How was their booth traffi c? What products were featured? Was their CEO there? 7). Cost per lead, cost per reach, cost per person, cost per impres-sion - all serve as budget bench-marks and tracking tools. 8). Leads give you names of com-panies not currently being pros-pected, geographic concentration of specifi c inquiries and they let you know whether or not you reached the target audience. 9). What are the current hot topics in your industry? Are exhibitors and show visitors on the same page? 10). If you hold a private event (even a small customer dinner), ask cus-tomers one question: Are we meet-ing your expectations and if not, what should we do differently?

Trade Show Planning:Your Roadmap To SuccessFrom www.trade-show-advisor.com

Thoughtful, strategic trade show planning is essential to achiev-ing your exhibiting goals and

maximizing your return on investment, which includes both your money and time.

The fi rst step in the planning process is to identify productive conferences and events that specifi cally reach your target audience of potential buyers.

Start the research process by talking with current customers and learn about the events they attend. Then, contact professional organizations and col-leagues in your industry for additional suggestions.

Trade show planning directories (print and online) are another valuable resource, as well as your local cham-

ber of commerce and area business associations.

Once you fi nd an event that looks opportunistic, request to review lists of past vendors and attendees, if avail-able from the show sponsor.

Make sure the trade show you select draws the type and number of pros-pects you want. Other key consider-ations include geography, timing, cost, and sponsor reputation.

Then once you have identifi ed which trade show to attend, develop a de-tailed plan and tradeshow check lists that includes these steps:

Establish Specifi c Event Objec-tives… such as number of product sales, leads generated, publicity se-cured, image and awareness initia-

tives, etc.Set a Realistic Budget… that in-

cludes a projected return on invest-ment

Develop a Compelling Sales Mes-sage… to use in all tradeshow market-ing and sales initiatives, including booth graphics, banners, brochures, adver-tisements, and sales presentations.

Create a Trade Show Marketing Plan… that is divided into three sec-tions: 1. Pre-Show Marketing, 2. At-Show Marketing, and 3. Post-Show Marketing. You’ve got to aggressively pre-sell prospects before they arrive, fully engage them during the show, and promptly follow-up with them after the show to generate additional sales.

Create a “WOW” Exhibit… that at-tracts people and instantly conveys your image and product message. Whether you are interested in custom-designed booths, tabletop displays or rental ex-hibits, the graphics and lighting must deliver your marketing message with a

see Trade Show Planning on page 53


The only event that focuses

on the A-Z of the Continent’s

Food & Beverage Industry FACT SHEET 2010

_____________________________ Plus

Retail Trade Exhibition- Food, Beverage

& Merchandise Dry goods ● groceries ● frozen foods ● convenience foods ● HMR ● fresh produce ● confectionery ●beverages ● liquor and FMCG

AgriFood

Manufacturers & Producers Expo Fresh produce ● Product development ● Ingredients, additives & flavourings ● Processing ● Quality control ● Value added food products

FoodTech Africa

International Food & Beverage Trade Fair for: ● Ingredients, additives & flavourings ● Manufacturing technologies ● Production, processing and packaging equipment

Interbake Africa

Ingredients ● premixes ●mixes ● ready mixes● processes ● equipment ● shelf ready products

DrinkTech Africa

Beverage processing & packaging machinery, equipment & technology; beverage products

Retail Solutions Africa ● Location Kiosks ● ATM ● EFT Terminals Retail IT ● Security & cash handling equipment ● Shopfitting ● Refrigeration ● Store layout ● Merchandising ● Display equipment ● Point of Sale systems ● Back office software ● Lighting

FoodBiz Africa Food, service & equipment

Hospitality, retail & institutional catering Equipment, food preparation and preservation equipment ● Packaging ● Warming, heating and refrigeration ● Catering supplies ● Raw materials and ingredients.

● Food & Beverages

Supported & Endorsed by the South African National Halaal Authority

THE SEVEN CO-LOCATED EVENTS

Promoting Halaal product manufacturers & retailers to the growing African Moslem market

EXHIBITION DETAILS 2010 YOUR AGENT IN USA VENUE Gallagher Convention Centre

Midrand, Johannesburg, RSA DATES 25-27 July 2010

COST OF EXHIBITING Space only R 1,780/US$ 295/m² Full standpackage price R 2,150/US$ 345/m² Stand package Includes: space, shell scheme, carpets, electrical connection, spotlights*, plug point*, conference table*, conference chairs*, company name on fascia – * Quantities vary according to stand meterage.

www.exhibitionsafrica.com

SAITEX 2010 FACT SHEET Southern African International Trade Exhibition

25-27 July

Gallagher Convention Centre, Richards Drive, Midrand,Johannesburg – South Africa

Event Profile & History: The 17th Southern African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) is a platform for trade across Africa and internationally. It is an import/export business and trade fair with exhibitors representing various industry sectors. This is the only multi-sectoral trade event of its kind in Africa.

SAITEX was first established in 1993 and was acquired by Exhibition Management Services (EMS) in November 2008. EMS is a leading exhibition organiser, with a 28 year track record in delivering successful trade fairs throughout the African continent.

SAITEX 2010 will be co-located again with EMS’s flagship event “Africa’s Big Seven” (AB7). This expo specialises in food & beverages - it is the only event of its kind that tracks produce from the farm gate to a retail outlet and encompasses all the processes along the way. The expo is so named because of its seven component parts. The first combined event (i.e. SAITEX & AB7) in 2009 attracted 403 exhibiting companies from 39 countries and over 12, 700 visitors from 44 countries. They showcased 392 product categories featuring 2117 different items.

Exhibitor Profile: Local & international manufacturers and exporters, merchandise traders, distributors, importers, entrepreneurs, trade management service providers as well as government & investment agencies looking to penetrate the South African, African and/or the global market with a focus on expanding their current markets, should apply.

SAITEX 2010 will also create an ideal forum for SMME’s, as well as large corporations, to showcase their products and services to an international, African and South African market.

As a new year begins, the nation’s economy continues to suffer from high unemployment rates, reduced consumer demand, diffi culty in accessing credit, and an uncertain regulatory environment given discussions on major policy issues in Washington, D.C. that could affect business. Closer to home, the state’s economic situation remains a challenge as the Governor and state legislature prepare to deal with another diffi cult budget year and the same for many cities throughout the state and our region here in Southern California.

One brighter spot in the economic landscape was the continued increase in exports which has grown for seven straight months. Clearly, a weaker U.S. economy has resulted in fewer goods made for U.S. consumption being shipped. Also, a weaker U.S. dollar has made goods manufactured here a lot cheaper to foreign buyers. Therefore, a weaker dollar and stronger foreign economies are creating an opportunity for U.S. exporters. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Commerce has indicated their desire to explore new opportunities to educate companies on the benefi ts of “incorporating new markets to continue to boost exports and create jobs” according to Secretary Gary Locke.

As one of the leading states for exports, California companies should benefi t from any enhanced effort to support the promotion of U.S. exports. For the last full year where data is available – 2008 – California companies exported $144.8 Billion in products globally. Of the many categories of products exported, processed foods ranked as the seventh leading export area, at $7.5 Billion, which represented an 80 percent increase in exports over a 4 year period!

Global Population Growth and Liberalized Trade Laws Fuel Increased Opportunities in

Processed Food ExportsBy Dwayne A. Gathers, Gathers Strategies, Inc.

Overall, processed foods have been the fastest growing segment of overall U.S. agricultural exports. In 1980, 70% of agricultural exports consisted of bulk commodities. Today, over 65% of all agriculture exports consist of processed foods. Fueling this rapid reversal, and growth in processed food exports, has been the demand driven by low and middle income countries – especially as these countries experience rising populations, increased urbanization, and rising income levels. In addition, increased exports have been aided by more open trade regimes and liberalized trade laws reducing tariffs.

Of the large emerging markets, Brazil, China and Mexico are expected to represent the largest future markets for U.S. processed foods. For California exporters, Asia continues to represent the most signifi cant market based on size of opportunity and proximity. With nearly $3.5 Billion in exports in 2008, this represented a 66% increase from 2004. However, other market opportunities cannot be ignored and also represent new business possibilities. For example, California exports of processed foods have experienced their greatest growth in sales to Sub-Saharan Africa (up over 300 % between 2004 and 2008) and to South America (nearly 400% increase between 2004 and 2008).

More specifi cally, a number of countries are driving this increased growth in California exports. These include countries such as Brazil (up 194%), Chile (up 227%) and South Africa (up 218%), but all off of a lower base of exports, while countries such South Korea have witnessed a 140% growth in U.S. exports. It is hoped that South Korea would represent a larger export opportunity if and when the U.S.

– South Korea Free Trade Agreement is enacted as this would represent a key business opportunity for California fi rms.

While this highlights a few of the markets driving U.S. and California processed food exports, there are opportunities in every corner of the world. With the development of a strategic plan, market research, and the establishment of marketing priorities, companies of all sizes can engage the world and advance their international sales and marketing objectives. An important tool in advancing these objectives is the identifi cation and participation in key industry trade shows and conferences. Throughout the year, these events offer the opportunity to visit a country, and region, identify local partners, and get a look at the global competition also trying to enter that market.

For a look at a few of the events taking place throughout 2010, we’ve highlighted a number of important food and beverage shows in various regions of the world on the calendar of events. We look forward to being an ongoing resource to support FIBR and its members in better understanding and identifying global sales opportunities and executing new business in the global marketplace.

This article was contributed by FIBR Associate Member Dwayne Gathers, of Gathers Strategies, Inc. (GSI). GSI is a business development advisory fi rm based in Los Angeles providing business strategy, government relations and international business development services. Dwayne previously served at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. and was appointed the fi rst ever Director of the State of California’s Offi ce of Trade and Investment in South Africa, where he lived from 1995 to 2000.


powerful punch. In addition, you need to plan for the

type of promotions you will have that will draw people to your booth such as interactive demonstrations, contests, giveaways, etc. For more information on trade show booth attractions, click here.

Confi rm Booth Location in the Ex-hibition Hall… with the sponsor as part of your trade show planning process. Try to secure a high traffi c location at the event. In addition, confi rm access to electrical outlets, lighting, and other needs you may have.

Print Marketing Materials… includ-ing sales literature, product sheets, business cards, and promotional items you will use at and after the show.

Train and Schedule Staff… to effec-tively convey your sales message and ensure your booth is always staffed ad-equately.

Prepare Follow-up Information Packets… so they are ready to im-mediately use with new leads after the show is over

Make Travel Arrangements… to ensure you, your staff, exhibit booth, materials and supplies arrive in plenty of time for the show.

Follow-up with Attendees… pri-oritize your leads and make follow-up contact promptly.

Evaluate Trade Show Success…to determine if you met your objectives and identify changes to make in the fu-ture.

Trade Show Planning

from page 47

This web-site includes a series of simple tools to assist exhibitors in plan-ning for an exhibition and to measure performance in delivering a return-on-investment (ROI) from exhibiting. Funded by a grant from the PCMA Education Foundation to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, this web-site was developed by Exhibit Surveys, Inc. in conjunction with the ROI Task Force of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events.

To make use of the ROI Tool Kit registration is required. Registration is, how-ever, free. Register at http://roitoolkit.exhibitsurveys.net/Home/Welcome.aspx.

Caltrans Construction

MoneyCan

MEAN

Youfor

El Camino College offers the training and advising you need to enhance your ability to bid for and WIN state highway construction contracts.

Now is the time to get bid ready with assistance in the areas of procurement, personnel, cash flow, marketing and more!

Appointments with a business advisor are available at the SBDC at no charge to you. For more information, call the SBDC at 310.973.3177.

Be sure to attend the free Economic Stimulus event on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in the City of Compton to learn more about stimulus opportunities available from Caltrans and other state and federal agencies. Visit californiasbdc.org for details.

Small Business Development CenterHosted by El Camino College

13430 Hawthorne Blvd.Hawthorne, CA 90250

310.973.3177southbaysbdc.org


International:

New 5-Year Strategy Focuses on Strengthening African Leadershipprovided by: The Whitaker Group [email protected]

Over the next fi ve years, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will

focus on building sustainable programs that more strongly support on-the-ground leadership by African health ministries, and that strengthen national health systems beyond the response to

the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It will also fo-cus more aggressively on prevention in an effort to curb the estimated 2.7 mil-lion new infections each year.

“Given that the AIDS epidemic rep-resents a shared global burden among nations, the next phase of PEPFAR represents an opportunity for the Unit-ed States to support shared responsi-bility with partner countries,” PEPFAR’s Five-Year Strategy, released in Decem-ber, stated. “To seize this opportunity, PEPFAR is supporting countries in tak-ing leadership of the responses to their epidemics.”

The new strategy lays out how PEP-FAR will transition from being an emer-gency response to the AIDS crisis in “focus” countries to funding treatment and prevention programs that are im-plemented and sustained within a part-ner country’s broader health system.

Since it was launched in 2003, PEP-FAR has supported antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for more than two million people, provided care for more than 10 million people - including four million children orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS - and made available services to prevent mother-to-child transmission

of HIV during nearly 16 million pregnancies. In 2008, the U.S. Con-gress reauthorized an additional $48 billion to fi ght AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria through 2013.

“We’ve created a very good start at what was an emergency re-sponse. We now need to move that emergen-cy response into a sus-tained response,” said Dr. Eric Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Co-ordinator. “It’s a harder

lift, it’s not fl ashy, it’s not as rapid in our ability to deploy and put in place. But it is more durable.”

Ensuring the sustainability of HIV/AIDS programs, he said, will require expanded support to national health ministries and provincial health depart-ments, using U.S. funds to equip and train local health workers to take up more of the health care burden. In ad-dition, PEPFAR is committed to engag-ing in true partnership with the govern-ments of focus countries by ensuring that services supported by PEPFAR are aligned with the national plans of partner governments and integrated with existing health care delivery sys-tems.

Under the strategy, PEPFAR will also work to integrate HIV/AIDS inter-ventions with the broader health and development programs involving the


U.S. government, country partners, multilateral organizations and other donors. This will include linking PEP-FAR food and nutrition programs with the new U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, expanding partner-ships with education, and strengthen-ing economies, microfi nance and vo-cational training programs. It will also promote accountable and responsive governance through increased bilateral engagement and capacity building with partner governments.

PreventionA critical component of the new PEP-

FAR strategy is to work with partner governments to identify and map the characteristics of local HIV/AIDS epi-demics, focusing on demographics and working backwards to ascertain how these populations respond to preven-tion efforts.

“[A] challenge to successful preven-tion programs is the lack of country data for planning and thinking about where the prevention effort should con-centrate,” said Dr. Goosby in January at a Center for Strategic and Interna-tional Studies (CSIS) forum in Wash-ington on confronting the challenges of HIV prevention.

“Our understanding needs to ex-pand,” he said. “We need to show that we indeed have connected and have conveyed information that has resulted in a behavior change. Measuring that, identifying that, understanding that, has been a real challenge to everybody on the planet to come up with process and programmatic outcomes. To dem-onstrate impact is really our goal.”

Dr. Goosby said that the U.S., through PEPFAR and broader diplo-matic efforts, will also work with partner governments to identify structural con-ditions - such as laws, institutions and policies - that may favor or diminish a country’s ability to test or provide treat-ment for its population.

“The idea is to work with our multilat-eral partners to ensure that the inter-ventions provided converge and occur in an environment that does not in-crease barriers to entering and retain-ing patients and care,” he said. “Access to services based on principles that are

“A FEW NOTES ON AFRICA”

Kenya Approves New Mega Wind Plant

The government has approved plans by Gitson Energy Ltd to build 300 megawatts wind power plant at Bubisa in Marsabit.

The fi rm owned by Kenyans in Diaspora, is required by Ministry of Energy to complete detailed feasibility studies including the electricity transmission line and interconnection facilities. According to Energy Permanent Secretary Patrick Nyoike Gitson is now required to complete detailed feasibility studies within eight months.

A similar plant is planned for Turkana by privately owned Turkana Windpower. The resultant 600MW from the two plants are expected to hugely cut power cost in the country.

http://allafrica.com

Rats Used to Clear Land MinesThe non-profi t APOPO, based in Tanzania,

has been training rats for mine detection and is currently putting them to work in Mozambique to clear minefi elds left over from confl icts in the 1960s, 70s and 90s.

Already, a signifi cant portion of the mine-ridden areas have been cleared, and according to APOPO’s clearance plan, they

will clear more than 3.7 million square miles by 2013. This is an immense amount of land that was previously off limits to any sort

of development or use due to the danger of landmines. Harvard Bach from the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining told MediaGlobal that “mine action is an integrated element of development. Where landmines exist, they hamper or deny development in addition to killing/


maiming people and causing fear and passive attitude[s]. Removing landmines and releasing land will always have a positive effect on regional and national development.”

The rats being used by APOPO are African Giant Pouched Rats, which are much larger than an average rat. However, they are still lighter than dogs or humans. Courtney Baggett from APOPO explained to MediaGlobal that “it takes 5 kilos to set off a mine, [and] rats weigh 1.5 to 2 kilos so their risk [of setting off a mine] is minimal.”

Rats will be used as a “complementary tool” to dogs in attempt to “reach the goal of a mine-free world together in the most effi cient and cost effective way.” The rats do have the potential to provide least developed countries with a local and cost effective way to clear minefi elds, without having to wait for developed countries funding and special equipment or personnel to help.

SEE YOU ON THE CONTINENT.

equitable and non-discriminatory be-come a critical foundation of that dis-cussion. Supporting prevention efforts for women, integrated family planning, reproductive health linkages and treat-ment programs become the overall

kind of 30,000-foot level of orchestra-tion, and scaling up programs that real-ly aggressively take advantage of what is a low-hanging fruit opportunity that we identify to fi nd and target our most at-risk populations, many of whom are marginalized.”

“I hope that we will be able to add to our understanding of both the diffi cul-ties and successes that we identify as we move these programs to scale and aggressively identify effi ciencies [and] redundancies, [and] eliminate paral-lel systems of care that really are not contributing to our ability to contain the infection,” Dr. Goosby added. “Ef-

fectiveness at the population level is something that we need to be able to talk about better, to be able to under-stand better, to be able to document better.”

PEPFAR’s fi scal year (FY) 2010

budget includes $5.5 billion that is ear-marked to go directly to target coun-tries for AIDS relief - an increase of $61 million from 2009 - as well as $1.05 bil-lion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, representing a $50 million increase over last year.

PEPFAR’s targets for FY 2010-2014 include:■ Supporting the prevention of more

than 12 million new HIV infections;■ Ensuring that every partner country

has both 80% coverage of testing for pregnant women at the national level, and 85% coverage of ARV treatment for women found to be HIV-infected;

■ Doubling the number of at-risk ba-bies born HIV-free, from the 240,000 HIV-negative babies born of HIV-posi-tive mothers during the fi rst fi ve years of PEPFAR;■ Providing 100% of youth in PEP-

FAR prevention programs with compre-hensive knowledge about HIV transmis-sion and ways to protect themselves;■ Providing direct support for more

than four million people on treatment, doubling the number of people directly supported on treatment in the fi rst fi ve years of the PEPFAR program;■ Supporting care for more than 12

million people, including fi ve million or-phans and vulnerable children;■ Supporting training and retention

of more than 140,000 new health care workers to strengthen health systems;■ Ensuring that partner governments

take a leadership role in setting the di-rection of the HIV/AIDS response; and■ Ensuring that every partner country

with a Partnership Framework address-es larger structural conditions, such as gender-based violence, stigma or low male partner involvement.

www.pepfar.govwww.state.gov/s/gac


Real World Personal Strategy

How To Use The New Credit Card Laws To Your Advantage by L C Green, Jr.

You may not have heard, but a new credit card law (“The Card ACT”) went into effect last week.

The provisions of this new law that will impact most of us are the ones around interest rates, over-limit fees, payment allocation, and monthly statements. Now, if you don’t use credit cards in your family life, this doesn’t apply to you...but most people do, and you should know about what’s now being done by credit card companies in response to this new law.

So, here is a quick summary of what you should know so that you can take full advantage of these pro-consumer changes:

Interest Rates The new rules will make it harder

for credit card companies to raise a c u s t o m e r ’ s rates across the board. Under the so-called “universal default practice”, a consumer who was late on a payment for one credit card might have seen the interest rate rise on that card and another, unrelated credit card.

But now... interest rate hikes are going

away during the fi rst year an account is open and on existing balances. However, banks and card companies will still be able to raise interest rates in *some* cases, such as when you are more than 60 days late paying your bill or an introductory rate expires after six months.

Another important exception : Issuers can raise your rate before the fi rst 12 months is up if your rate is “variable” and tied to an index--and that index rises. These indices are at historic lows, but when rates begin to rise (to keep

infl ation at bay), so will payments.

Over-Limit Fees Rising Another major change involves

the fee charged when a consumer charges more than his or her credit limit. Until now, many card companies have allowed consumers to continue charging beyond set limits--tacking on sometimes hefty over-the-limit fees in the process. Cardholders will now have to “opt-in” for over-the-limit spending.

How Payments Are Applied To Balances

see Credit Card on page 69

SupportBlack

BusinessesHire and/or

Contract WithBlack

BusinessesPractice

Recycling Black Dollars

L.A. Business PrintingProviding Solutions

Printing needs for all your

Services we offer

L.A. Business Printing is a full service printing facility that will meet your every need. We have prompt courteous, dependable service and will work to make your project the way you want it. We will provide the quality and Guarantee the Lowest Prices

fax 310.649.5855

www.labusprint@ aol.com

L.A. Business PrintingSince 1987

• WINNER •

Service Firm Of The Year

Los Angeles

What is“Pass It On!”

???

In a few weeks Africare will launch an exciting new campaign to con-nect you to people overcoming ma-

jor challenges impacting the African continent-- issues like unsafe drinking water, food insecurity, and the growing

number of children orphaned by AIDS.Our new “Pass It On!” campaign

will carry these messages around the world through a series of powerful testi-monies and unique stories told directly by the individuals who see, work with, or benefi t from Africare’s assistance on the ground. The stories come from more than 20 African nations, covering a variety of key issues. They all carry positive messages of growth and em-powerment on the African continent!

Beginning September 1st, Africare will introduce you to a new story— once

a month for 16 months— from a child, grandmother or Africare staff member who will “have something to tell you” about the important work Africare is implementing on the ground. Each will be packaged in a format that is ready to “pass on” to a friend or someone you know through video, social network, and even your phone! And if you live in Washington, DC, you’ll see our stories on buses and in Metro stations across the city.

Sign-up to receive the messages and support the “Pass It On!” campaign us-ing this special link - www.africare.org/news/enews_signup.php.

Learn more about Africare’s current projects, long history and esteemed leaders at their website - www.africare.org.



person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.) Any special or emergency circum-• stances.

For All Nationalities and Locations

Use the Person Finder tool on the Help For Haiti website, an initiative set up by Google to help concerned fami-

Help For Haitifrom page 11

lies and friends find about and report on their loved ones whereabouts and well-being.

For more information about locating friends and family members, visit the State Department’s Haiti Earthquake website.

Federal Response InfoFor information on how each federal

department and agency is responding to the earthquake in Haiti visit the Help for Haiti website at whitehouse.gov.

Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Dr. Jill Biden meet with Archbishop John Clement Favalora to discuss relief efforts at Notre Dame D’Haiti Church, in Miami, Florida, January 16, 2010. (Of-fi cial White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Promoting New Exportsping companies like FedEx, UPS and USPS as strategic partners to expand U.S. export opportunities. This effort will build on the knowledge and market reach of its private sector partners to focus on U.S. businesses that currently only export to one or two countries, and provide support to these businesses on how to proactively expand their cus-tomer bases to additional markets. • Launching an International Busi-ness Partnership Program: The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is launching a new program to bring 250 – 300 senior procure-ment offi cials from over 20 countries to the U.S. this year to meet with U.S. businesses seeking to gain access to emerging economies. • Engaging our Ambassadors in a New Commercial Diplomacy Strate-gy: Secretary Clinton has directed U.S. ambassadors to emphasize commer-cial diplomacy in their work. The State Department will also require: Embas-sies to create Senior Visitor Business Liaisons to manage country advocacy efforts; and launch a program that sends U.S. Ambassadors around the U.S. to discuss export opportunities in their countries of assignment.

Expanded Support and Resources for Potential U.S. Exporters

Many businesses want to export their products, but just don’t have the knowl-edge, experience and resources re-quired to identify and enter new mar-kets. As part of the National Export Initiative, President Obama has pro-posed increasing funding for export promotion programs by $134 million for FY2011. This funding will provide for the hiring of over 325 trade experts to provide advice to potential U.S. export-ers, and expand agriculture export ini-tiatives to provide producers with tech-

nical assistance for exporting specialty crops. The Administration is also work-ing to streamline existing U.S. exporter resources by:• Creating One-Stop Export Promo-tion Shops: Ex-Im, Small Business Administration (SBA), the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture, and USTDA will partner to provide potential exporters a comprehensive tool kit of services ranging from fi nancing options to export counseling to market access intelligence through 109 Commerce Export Assistance Centers, 900 SBA Small Business Development Centers, 8 Ex-Im regional offi ces, 2,000 USDA Farm Service county offi ces, and more than 250 U.S. Embassies and Consul-ates abroad. This effort will support

from page 45

U.S. exporters in every state and 168 countries around the world.

Free and Fair Access to Markets around the World

• Enforcing Trade Rights: USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk will continue to vigorously enforce the rights of Ameri-can businesses under our trade agree-ments. His efforts have included fi ling suit over Chinese export quotas and duties on raw materials that harmed core U.S. industrial sectors from steel and aluminum to chemicals. Over the past year, our trade enforcement efforts have led to resolving the long-standing American claim against policies that restricted exports of American beef to

see Promoting New Exports on page 60


Promoting New Exportsthe EU, ending more than 70 different measures in China that gave illegal subsides for exports and harmed U.S. companies, and working to end barri-ers to our poultry and meat exports dur-ing the H1N1 outbreak. • Opening New Markets: Ambassador Kirk will continue to work towards an ambitious and balanced Doha agree-ment that creates meaningful new market access for U.S. exports and en-sures fair access to agriculture, goods, and services markets for American businesses. USTR will pursue nego-tiations in the Trans-Pacifi c Partner-ship to develop a broad-based, high-standard 21st century trade agreement in the fastest growing region in the world. USTR will also work to resolve outstanding issues with Panama, Co-lombia and Korea with the objective of moving forward with the pending Free Trade Agreements at an appropriate time. • Laying the Groundwork for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth: Building on the historic results of the Pittsburgh Summit, Secretary Geithner will continue to work within the G-20 and other international fora to pursue policies that will lead to stronger and better balanced global growth, foster-ing increased trade and job expansion.

Export Control System Reform to Enhance National Security and

the Competitiveness of Key U.S. Industries

Separately, the President announced the initial results of the Administra-tion’s export efforts to reform the U.S. export control system – the set of poli-cies and procedures that have devel-oped over the past 50 years to restrict the export of sensitive technologies for national security purposes. The Admin-istration’s reform program will enhance

from page 59

national security by focusing on the en-forcement of strict controls around the export of the most critical technologies and products, while strengthening the competitiveness of key manufacturing industries in the U.S. by streamlining the regulations that apply to their ex-ports. Secretary Gates will lay out the outline of these reform proposals in the coming weeks, and the President looks forward to continuing to consult with Congress on this important reform effort. In the meantime, the President announced two specifi c steps that the Administration is prepared to take to re-form the export control system:• Reducing the Delay of U.S. Exports of Encryption Products from 30-60 Days to 30 Minutes: Currently, a U.S. exporter of a product with encryption

capabilities (e.g., a cell phone or a network storage system) needs to fi le with the Department of Commerce for a technical review of the product before they can export. The review can take between 30-60 days. There are over 3,300 such fi lings each year. This pro-posed rule is intended to replace the current review-and-wait process with a more effi cient one-time notifi cation notifi cation-and-ship process which may eliminate up to 85 percent of all the technical reviews of these products (about 2,800). The new process will continue ensure that the U.S. govern-ment still receives information it needs for its national security requirements while facilitating U.S. exports and inno-vation for new products and new tech-nologies.

Books to Consider...Dr. Randal Pinkett ( w w w . r a n d a l -pinkett.com) has established himself as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar and com-munity servant. He is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting fi rm based in Newark, NJ. BCT Partners works with corporations, government agencies and nonprofi t organizations in the areas of housing and commu-nity development, economic develop-ment, human services, government, healthcare and edu-cation. He was the Season 4 Winner of NBC’s hit reality television The Ap-prentice with Donald Trump. He served as an executive with Trump Entertain-ment Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ. He has re-appeared on The Apprentice as a boardroom advi-sor and is a regular segment host for CEO EXCHANGE on PBS.

Two of the books written by Dr. Pinkett are shown be-low. Another book, Black Faces in Whites Places: 10 Strategies for African Americans to Redefi ne the Game and Reshape America is schedule for release soon. Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimil-lion Dollar Business and No Mon-ey Down CEO: How to Start Your Dream Business with Little or No Cash (Audio Business Course).

Dr. Pinkett’s books may be ordered at www.amazon.com.

Give the Gifts of Knowledge, Inspiration, Entertainment.

Shop theBlack Book Stores!

Malik’s Books OnlineMalik’s Books has closed operations in the Baldwin Hills Mall.

Malik’s is now operating as an online bookstore. Malik’s is now available to serve our customer’s needs 24/7 via the world wide web with bigger deals and a larger selection. We will remain as active in the South Los Angeles community as we have always been.

Please visit us at www.Malikbooks.com and/or www.autographbooks.com. For other information give us a call at 818-564-5694.

If you want to coorespond with us, send letters to Malik’s Books, 3939 Cren-shaw Boulevard, #324, Los Angeles, CA 90008.

Thank You again for all your support and patronage over the years and visit us on the Web.

Malik’s Bookswww.Malikbooks.com • www.autogrpahbooks.com

[email protected] • 818-564-5694

Eso Won Books African American Books

4331 Degnan Ave., Leimert Park, Los Angeles

“Give Books as Gifts to Friends & Family”Check out our unsurpassed collection of

books, music, video, children’s books, and games!

Women’s History MonthGive Gifts of History, Knowledge,

Pride, Heritage, Culture, Economics

323-294-0324 • www.esowonbooks.com//esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events


Women’s History Month Honor the Women in Your World!

Name: Title: Company: Address:

City: State: Zip Code: Telephone: Fax: E-mail: URL: Type of Business: Year Established: W/MBE Certified by:

NAICS Codes: Briefly describe your products and/or services

New membership Renewal Membership

Select Type of Membership Regular Member-$200 annual dues

51% African-American owned, Voting membership Corporate Member-$2,500 annual dues

Major corporation, Non-voting membership Associate Member-$100 annual dues

Non-business owner, Non-voting membership Student Member-$25 annual dues

Full-time registered student, Non-voting membership

Amount enclosed $

Payment type: credit card Visa MasterCard

Card #:

Signature Exp. Date / Fax Payment to: 323-291-9234

Payment type: check/money order—make payable to: Black Business Association Mail to: P.O. Box 43159, Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA

For information Call: 323-291-9334 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bbala.org

MEMBERSHIPAPPLICATION

Please complete then submit this form with your payment. Please type or print.

President Barack Obama has signed legislation extending until March 28, 2010 the U.S. Small

Business Administration’s ability to provide small business loans that are enhanced with special provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including a higher guaran-tee of SBA-backed loans and a waiver of loan fees normally paid by borrow-ers.

SBA estimates the additional funding will support about $1.8 billion in small business lending.

New approvals of eligible loans with the higher guarantee and reduced fees made possible by the Recovery Act are expected to resume on March 10. Loan applications from borrowers in SBA’s Recovery Loan Queue will be funded fi rst, followed by new loan ap-plications.

“These key loan programs have been successful in helping jump-start the

Government: Extension of SBA Recovery Lending Programs Will Support $1.8 Billion in Small Business LendingAgency plans to restart Recovery loan approvals on March 10

Alberto G. Alvarado, DirectorLos Angeles SBA District Offi ce


economic recovery for America’s small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “The increased guarantee and reduced fees on SBA loans helped put almost $22 billion into the hands of small business owners and brought more than 1,100 lenders back to SBA loan programs. As a result, average weekly loan approvals by SBA have climbed by 87 percent compared to the weekly average before passage of the Recovery Act.

“We will continue working with the President and with Congress to move forward with proposals for a longer ex-tension for these important program enhancements, as well as higher loan limits, refi nancing for commercial prop-erty loans and other signifi cant ongoing support for small businesses. Small businesses need the changes the President has called for to ensure that they have the tools they need to drive economic growth and create jobs in communities all across the country.”

As part of the Recovery Act, SBA received $730 million, which included $375 million to increase the SBA guar-antee on 7(a) loans to 90 percent and to waive borrower fees on most 7(a) and 504 loans. The funds for these programs were exhausted on Nov. 23, and an additional $125 million was pro-vided in December. Those funds were exhausted in late February.

SBA has implemented the Recovery Loan Queue twice before as part of its temporary transitions back to pre-Re-covery Act lending. Eligible small busi-nesses, in consultation with their lender, could choose to be placed in the queue for possible approval of a Recovery Act loan if funding became available from

loans can-celed for a variety of reasons . Currently there are 652 loan reques ts t o t a l i n g $230 mil-lion in the R e c o v -ery Loan Queue.

The ex-t e n s i o n signed by President Obama authorizes the high-er guarantee levels through March 28, 2010, for 7(a) loans. The fee relief is available until the additional funding is exhausted or the end of the fi scal year on Sept. 30, whichever comes fi rst. As was the case in November and again in February, SBA is prepared to transi-tion into a queue system as the funds start to wind down in order to ensure the maximum simulative effect of the programs and disbursement of funds.

For non-Recovery Act 7(a) or 504 loans already funded during the transi-tion period, this extension does not pro-vide a retroactive guarantee or waived fees. Loans that were funded under non-Recovery Act terms cannot be canceled and resubmitted to take ad-vantage of the Recovery Act extension provisions.

This extension does not affect other SBA Recovery Act programs, includ-ing the America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) loan program or the agency’s microloans. Recovery Act funding still remains available for both of those pro-grams.

www.sba.gov/newswww.whitehouse.gov

Karen G. Mills,Administrator

Small Business Administration

Open Supplier Certi fi cati on

ProcessThe Verizon Communications Corporation is seeking to identify a greater share of African American-owned and operated businesses to match to potential operating contracts. The data base that Verizon procurement management personnel are instructed to review is the California Public Utilities Commission Clearinghouse.

BBA members wanting to expand market opportunities with a telecommunication company should consider completing a supplier certifi cation application. To obtain an application go to the Internet web address www.cpuc.gov and visit the supplier diversity page for an online application.

The BBA encourages all members to participate in this process that works to create greater opportunities for all African-American owned and operated fi rms. Last year the California Verizon Company reported an annual spend with African American owned suppliers in excess of $40 million.

VVERACITY REALTY, INC.

“Dedicated to Truthfulness”

Let us see what we can do for you in both Commercial & Residential fi nance!

Jonathan Thompson, Commercial Broker Phone: 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-309-2885

Rhonda Thompson, Residential Loan Offi cer Phone 800-455-2142 Cell: 323-387-9439

CA Dept. of Real Estate, Real Estate Broker: 01781216*APR: Includes appraisal, title insurance, escrow, points & other loan cost is 6.487%

Four Season’s ProductionMulti-Cultural Multi-Purpose

Multi-Functional Multi-FacetedManufacturing, Productivity, Growth & Expansion

Economical Globalization Empowerment

“We’re Fired Up and Ready to Go”

Entrepreneurial Business DevelopmentDiversifi ed Subdivision Product-Mix

&Creating Jobs Across AmericaCity by City State by State

National and International Trade Exchange

“Yes We Can”“Something New and Excitingly Different on the Horizon”

Commercial Residential

Genell Brown, Artist DesignerOur Community Source Contact: Keasha L. Charles

888-988-8551 Phone & Fax


Shop, Eat, Relax in Little Ethiopia Experience Africa in America

Culture, Retail,Entertainment

Fairfax Boulevardbetween Pico & Olympic

Los Angeles

Leimert ParkVillage

An African American Cultural, Retail,

Foods & Entertainment Cen-ter.

Degnan Boulevardbetween

Crenshaw & Leimert Blvds.43rd Street-43rd Place, Los Angeles

Lucy FlorenceCulture Center

3351 W. 43rd St. Leimert Park Village

Los Angeles, CA 90008

Shop our boutiquesEnjoy our CuisineExquisite Venue for your Special

Event……

Tinashe @ the Boardroominside Lucy Florence

We are open daily! 1-6pmTote & Satchel HANDBAGS,

beautifully restored, one-of-a-kind vintage HANDBAGS,

the hottest DESIGNER SHOES,Cuff links, sterling silver jewelry,

and Italian handmade Murano glass JEWELRY.




OERP


FAME ASSISTANCE CORPORATION

FREE CREDIT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPSHELD EACH MONTH AT

1968 W. ADAMS BLVD., LOS ANGELES

CALL FOR INFORMATION OR RSVP 323-730-7720

SPONSORED BYDo Business with BBA Member



OERP


President’s Message


andComedy NightJoin the Fun!Share the Laughs!

Harpo Inc., Linda Johnson-Rice, CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, Jan-ice Bryant Howroyd, CEO of Act-1 Group, Gail Warrior-Lawrence, CEO of the Warrior Group, Inc., Sarah Bates, CEO of New Technology Steel, Valerie Daniels-Carter, V & J Holding Com-panies, Inc., and Stacee Beauchamp, CEO of Beauchamp Distributing Com-pany.

The BBA shares a deep commitment to advocating the growth of black wom-en business owners and humbly serve as a conduit for collective mentorship and protégés programs that expand black women networks. As more black women contribute to directing orga-nizations and driving critical business opportunities the executive leadership roles will become common place, which will make for a much better American economy.

Thank you for your support and in-terest in the BBA. Please take time to visit our website for bid opportunities and outreach resources at www.bbala.org.

from page 3

New Credit Cards Laws

With the new rules, card issuers have to apply payments to the part of a bill with the higher interest rate. For example, if an account has a $5,000 balance with a regular rate of 15 percent, and a $5,000 balance at a promotional rate of 5 percent, the monthly payment must be applied fi rst to the balance with the 15 percent rate. This is good news for the consumer.

Monthly Statements Credit card statements will have to

show how long it will take to pay off a credit card if only minimum payments

from page 56

are made. The statements will also have to show how a consumer may pay off the entire bill in 36 months if payments are increased.

Lastly, you should be aware that, because of these new rules, credit card issuers will be forced to fi nd other sources of revenue. Already, we’re seeing card companies take an “airlines” approach--identifying ticky-tack fees which can be justifi ed as a “normal” course of business. Rewards transactions & international charging are two very-common places which card issuers are already applying fees.

So watch your statements carefully. And, of course, we’ll be watching

YOUR information even more carefully--if you let us!

http://lcgreen.mylocaltaxpro.com




OERP


A Royal Blend of all naturalWest African herbs

and fi ery spices

www.kingspepper.com 323.291.4267

Before you grill,before you bake,

Buy King’s Pepperand Shake, Shake, Shake!

Bernahu Asfaw or Getahun Asfaw1041 S. Fairfax AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90019

323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806Fax: 323-932-6047

[email protected] • www.messob.com

Open 7 days a week11am - 11pm

Locations:Downtown Culver City:

9537 Culver Blvd.310-202-5453

City of Compton:2600 E. Alondra Blvd.

310-638-7871www.honeyskettle.com

Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pmFriday-Saturday 11am-11pm

Order Via the InternetWines of the Black-Ownedwineries of South Africa.

Register at TheArtfulGrape.com.The Artful Grape will do the rest.

The wines will be delivered to your door.

RooibosTea HouseAfrican RedTea Imports

323-658-7832533 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeleswww.africanredtea.com

Nira Levy Maslin, CEO




OERP

Thursday Blues at

Uncle Darrow‛sHigh Noon-2pmEvery ThursdayCome by for lunch and relax to blues and jazzfrom our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd.

Marina del ReyNorth East corner of Washington & Lincoln

“LA Times Magazinefavorite cajun food”

310-306-4862www.uncledarrows.com

Artwear may be found at:Artwear may be found at:Sika’s / 4330 Degnan Ave., Leimert ParkSika’s / 4330 Degnan Ave., Leimert Park

Baldwin Hills Plaza Farmer’s Market Baldwin Hills Plaza Farmer’s Market each Saturday 10am-3pmeach Saturday 10am-3pm

www.gbabyartwear.comwww.gbabyartwear.com

AArtrtwwearear

March…3rd-4th2nd Annual Americas Business Forum - Creating Jobs Through ExportsThe forum aids small businesses ready to con-duct internatinal trade in the Western Hemi-sphere, Highlights will include country briefi ngs, best practices workshops, one-on-one meet-ings with U.S. Commercial Services offi cers stationed in 14 nations. UCLA Covel Commons. RSVP to Carlos Valderrama at [email protected] or call 213-580-7570.3rd-5thEconomic Development Credit AnalysisThis hands-on course presents an overview of business fi nancing tools and available private fi nancing options, as well as how the public sector can complement bank fi nancing. To at-tend this exceptional course contact one of the following organizations: California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).27thBBA Salute to Black Women: Women’s History Month Conference & LuncheonTo honor Black Women who are making history through their struggles for equality, contribu-tions to arts, sciences, education and human-istic causes, success in business.Omni Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, 8:30 am to 3 pm. For information call 323-291-9334.April…13th-15th9th Annual Veterans and Small Business Training and Outreach ConferenceThis event being held at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego is open to both government, non-government personnel, small and large businesses, veterans and non-veterans. Visit www.implanners.com/veterans.

BBA Procurement Trade Mission to Washington, DCThis trade mission offers face-to-face contact by business owners and managers to learn from and market to federal government agency procurement offi cers. For information call 323-291-9334.24thThe Celebration of Contemporary AfricaAfrican Vibes Magazine conducts its 4th Anni-versary Celebration at the Avalon Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA. For information visit www.africanvibes.com.24th7th Annual African Goodwill Recognition AwardsThe awards program will be held at the Veter-ans Memorial complex, 4117 Overland, Culver City, CA. For information and tickets visit www.africanfocus.org or call 310.676.7300.May…6thThe Governor’s Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship The conference will be held at the Oakland Mar-riott in City Center. Monitor the Small Business Development Center website for participation information - www.californiasbdc.org/governor-sconference.World Trade Week Symposium and ExpositionTo educate our business community regarding opportunities in international trade through dis-cussion, exhibits and networking sessions. For information call 323-291-9334.June…Business of Black Music Conference & Awards DinnerA celebration of culture of music and an exami-nation of the business of culture. Includes rec-ognition of pioneers and leaders in the world of

music. For information call 323-291-9334.July…25th-27th2010 SAITEX & Africa’s Big SevenTwo major trade exhibitions conducted in tandem in Jo-hannesburg, South Africa. South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX) is a general business ex-hibition while Africa’s Big Seven is focused on the food and beverage industry. For information on exhibiting your products or services in Africa call Gathers Strategies, Inc. at 213-291-6199.August…40th Anniversary Awards DinnerCelebration of the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Business Association 1970-2010.September…BBA Black Business DayRecognition of the advancements made by the African American business community over the last 40 years. For information call 323-291-9334.November…BBA 7th Annual Procument Exchange SummitThe annual business development event in-cludes One-on-One matchmaking sessions with utilities and corporate buyers, business development workshops and the Awards Lun-cheon. For information call 323-291-9334.

For a complete listings of events around Southern California visit

www.SAVETHEDATECENTRAL.com

Send your event notice to:

Calendarat [email protected].

Calendar


Bl k B A N l Bl k B C l




for Your Business!!to Washington, D.C.

April/May 2010

Reach Thousands of African American EntrepreneursYOUR LINK TO AFRICAN AMERICANBUSINESS OWNERS

The Black Business Association, SBA 2007 Journalist of the Year, is pleased to invite you to be an integral part of our publication, Black Business News - Your Link to African American Business Owners. The Black Business News is the of cial voice through which public and private entities advertise contract and business opportunities available to African American entrepreneurs. Gain access to a highly af uent target market via outreach and advertising opportunities.

• Outreach to Black Businesses • Advertorial/Feature Story Advertising • Profi les and Business Listings • Classifi ed Ads and Bid Opportunities

Our readers are BBA members, Black business owners, corporate buyers, prime contractors, community organizations and elected of cials, who all turn to the Black Business News for business development news and information to take their business and project efforts to the next level of pro tability and success!

Don’t be left out. Advertise in this door-opening publication.

Reserve Your Ad Space Today! Call (323) 291-9334

Deadline: Every third Friday of the Month!

Special Offer: 50% Discount for Regular Financial BBA Members

For detail advertising rate information contact: Advertising Services at 323-291-9334 E-mail: [email protected]

Black BusinessNews

Ad Type MeasurementsFull Page 10.25”x12.75”Half Page 10.25”x 6.75”Half Page 5.00”x12.75”Quarter Page 5.00”x 6.75”Eighth Page 5.00”x 3.00”

U.S. Small Business Administration2007 AWARD WINNER!“Journalist of the Year”

The Honorable Barack H. Obama,

President-Elect of the United States of America

November 2008In This Issue…5 Cover Story: Where do

we go from here? Barack Obama, 44th President of the

USA.6 Black Business Success Profi le Dickerson Employee Benefi ts

9 Foreclosure Relief $8.68 Billion Settlement.31 Small Business Administration

Online Training for Exporters

Advertising Opportunities (1x, 3x, 6x, 12x)Full Page Color w/Feature StoryFull Page ColorHalf Page Color w/Feature StoryHalf Page ColorQuarter Page ColorEighth Page Color

Website Advertising Opportunity (1x, 3x, 6x, 12x)Webpage, Link & Marketing MessageE-Blast Advertising OpportunityIssue Dedicated Marketing Message

At Comerica Bank, we choose to care about the dreams and visions

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We choose to celebrate equality and

diversity among all people, and we’re dedicated to ringing the bells

of freedom. Choose to celebrate the dream with us.

Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.

www.comerica.com

Choose to care.Choose to celebrate.

Choose to dream.

Crenshaw3825 Crenshaw Boulevard

Los Angeles

El Segundo2321 Rosecrans Avenue

El Segundo

800-888-3595

Wilshire-Crescent Heights6301 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles

bba news mar '10

Documents