Tag Archives: Business Assistance Supplier Diversity

June’s Workshop Wednesday presents ‘Being Certified Brings Success’

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It was a full house at Jones Futures Academy as attendees flowed into the school’s library to attend this month’s Workshop Wednesday to gain tips about certification and the requirements.

Representatives from the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance, City of Houston, and Houston Minority Supplier Development Council shared tips with the crowd on how to become certified with their organizations, including the necessary requirements and the various types of certifications offered.

Any firm that is certified as a Minority- or Woman-owned Business Enterprise through one or more of these three agencies is automatically accepted as a registered M/WBE firm by HISD.

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HISD’s Workshop Wednesday emphasizes mindset in building business

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Local business owners were challenged to shift their mindset to achieve their highest potential and reach their goals during Workshop Wednesday, a monthly seminar for minority and women-owned business owners hosted by HISD’s Supplier Diversity Department.

The presentation was titled “Unstuck! Mindset Reset to Achieve ______.” and led by ActionCOACH South Houston President and CEO Ted Hair. The two-hour seminar explained how a mindset is formed, how it reflects everyday outcomes, and how it could potentially deter or encourage a successful business. Continue reading →

HISD to hold subcontractor outreach session for rebuilding of Harvey-damaged schools

The HISD Business Assistance Supplier Diversity team is holding an outreach session on Friday for minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE) interested in working as subcontractors on the projects to rebuild four schools damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Last week, the HISD Board of Education selected Satterfield & Pontikes Construction as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) tasked with overseeing the demolition and construction of the four elementary schools – Kolter, Mitchell, Braeburn, and Scarborough. Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday: How to do business with HISD

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Members of HISD’s Supplier Diversity department gathered with local business owners and vendors on Wednesday to provide them with tips for successfully submitting required Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) reports to the district.

HISD established the M/WBE program in 1988 to advocate fair and equitable opportunities for the participation of M/WBE firms or companies. The M/WBE participation report makes it possible for smaller businesses to gain contracts within the district after all requirements have been met. Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday presents human capital strategies

G&A Partners Director Jose Laurel spoke to a crowd of local business owners and vendors on Wednesday offering advice on hiring and retaining good employees.

Laurel emphasized two critical requirements that are essential in achieving growth and success: employees must be eager to learn and companies must be willing to evolve.

Laurel asked attendees how often their companies administered employee reviews. While most in attendance said their companies conducted reviews annually, Laurel noted that the best practice was to conduct shorter appraisals on a regular basis. This ensures employees have the opportunity to get and give feedback.

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Workshop Wednesday focuses on maximizing the value of businesses

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Local business owners and vendors gathered on Wednesday to hear from Bank of America executives on the multiple ways to grow their businesses by increasing and monitoring cash flow.

Vice President of Global Banking & Markets Brian Barrow and his colleague, Vice President of Small Business Banking Doris Leal, began their presentation by asking questions about each attendee’s work industry and job title. The presentation was a part of the Workshop Wednesday series hosted by HISD’s Business Assistance Supplier Diversity department. Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday promotes financial freedom

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Certified Financial Educator Lijoy Thomas and his team educated local business owners and vendors on Wednesday about the concept of building a strong financial foundation.

During Thomas’ presentation, part of HISD’s Business Assistance Workshop Wednesday series, attendees were given clarity on compound interest and debt management, as well as a better understanding of the meaning of the terms asset, liability, and net worth.

“How is it that the richest country in the world is in so much debt?” asked Thomas as he presented information on the nation’s consumer debt level. “An average family owes $15,950 in credit card debt.” Continue reading →

Tips on effective communication presented at Workshop Wednesday

(Hernandez, Mariauna L)Is communication an art or a science? That was the question posed to attendees at this month’s Workshop Wednesday, which focused on the importance of communicating effectively during sales pitches.

Professional Presentation Coach & Workforce Development Expert Ellis Hubbard spoke to an eclectic crowd of attendees during his Listen2WIN workshop about the importance of listening to and noting the body language of the subject of their sales pitch. Those two things can help a salesman identify the type of person with whom they are dealing.

“You have to get to know folks in order to sell,” said Hubbard, who reiterated that listening is the key to communication. “The more you know about someone, the easier it is to sell to them.”

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Business representatives get tips on tweaking sales styles to fit different personalities

Representatives from local businesses came together last week to get tips from Houston-area business builder and coach Ted Hair on how to increase their sales by tapping into a buyer’s personality.

Since the early 1900s, Hair said, a personality-based sales model has been used to teach salespeople how to identify and speak to different buyers by classifying them into one of four different categories —dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance (DiSC).

“You’re not a salesperson,” Hair said, stressing the importance of identifying your buyer. “You’re a problem-solver.”

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Local vendors receive tips on creating HISD proposals

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Founder and President of Keystone Resources Julie Irvin taught a crowd of local vendors the tips and tricks to creating a successful proposal for HISD.

Irvin said most businesses are unaware of the great resources available to them via the HISD website or the subscriber emails sent by the HISD Business Assistance department.

“HISD has all of these golden opportunities for small businesses, but they’re not able to meet the goals simply because businesses don’t put in a proposal because they don’t know what to do,” said Irvin.

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