The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council’s annual supplier diversity and small business development conference – the Business Opportunity Exchange– will convene on April 25^thand 26^that the Headquarters of Cox Enterprises in Atlanta. The BOE is the largest and oldest conference of its kind in the Southeast, bringing together business development advocates, small business owners, corporate procurement executives and supplier diversity experts for two power-packed days of workshops, panels and networking opportunities. Featuring a dynamic panel on innovation and high-impact guest facilitators, the 2019 BOE is poised to be a significant catalyst of business opportunity for Georgia corporations and minority small businesses.

The theme for the 2019 BOE is Seize the NOW – No Opportunity Wasted. The Council is managing a thriving community with hundreds of business opportunities on the table in a healthy Georgia economy. Always focused on Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) growth, the GMSDC’s major emphasis in 2019 is fostering growth through innovation. Seize the NOWis a call to action challenging every member of the GMSDC community to be intentional and laser-focused on getting to the next level in this robust marketplace. The conference will feature two prominent guest facilitators – Melissa Baker, the Senior Manager, Supplier Citizenship and Innovation at Procter & Gamble, and author, branding expert and entrepreneur Steve Canal.

The highlight of Day 2 is a Corporate Innovation Panel comprised of experts on innovation – Robert Long, Chief Innovation Officer at The Coca-Cola Company, Michael Britt, VP of the Innovation Center at the Southern Company, and Jennifer Sherer, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at Georgia State University. The moderator for the panel is Farad Ali, the VP Network Delivery Services at the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Innovation is the ‘secret sauce’ that propels small business into long-term profitability and sustainability – this group will deliver a world-class perspective on how a small business can drive its end game outcomes through an innovative approach.