FIRST NBLC SUMMIT IN PUERTO RICO ATTRACTS TOP COMPANIES, OPENS DOOR FOR BUSINESS GROWTH, ECONOMIC REVIVAL IN REGION

 Business   Fri, July 25, 2014 07:44 AM

Atlanta, GA - The National Black Latino Council (NBLC), will be holding its first Black, Brown and Green Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Summit in San Juan, Puerto Rico, attracting major multinational corporations and potentially creating pathways for much needed economic stimulation for the island in the near future.

The NBLC Black, Brown and Green Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Summit will be the first of its kind, as the focus is to bring together top tier African American and Latino businesses as potential Tier 1 and Tier 2 corporate mentor program participants.  In addition to sharing information on supply chain and purchasing sustainability, the Summit will also share information on the viability of doing business in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

“We are extremely pleased by the overwhelming support and participation of major companies in the U.S. and Virgin Islands that will be a part of the first NBLC Black, Brown and Green Summit,” says Lance Robertson, executive director and founder of the NBLC.  “Our goal is to build bridges between  these companies and minority business owners, professionals and activists who are also committed to sustainability and the fact that these companies want to share key insights about doing business with them, while connecting with Black and Latino business owners who are “green certified,”  presents a win-win for all concerned,” he said.

Robertson says the primary goal of the Summit is to encourage Black and Brown business owners to apply sustainable best practices in doing business, so when they enter government agencies and corporate America’s supply chains, they have a direct effect on what he calls the triple bottom line.

“The triple bottom line is recognizing that by greening the supply chain, businesses can impact people, the planet, and realize real profit,” explained Robertson.  “Another key factor is it gives corporate attendees a chance to look at the many opportunities of doing business in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with fresh eyes, moving towards helping to grow those economies,” he said.

NBLC Summit

To that end, the NBLC has formed an alliance with the National Puerto Rico Chamber, which is based in Washington, D.C., to help create new synergy in the Puerto Rico business community.  Justin Velez-Hagan, executive director of the National Puerto Rico Chamber says that by bringing its Summit to Puerto Rico, the NBLC could have significant impact on the revitalization of the region.

“The first NBLC Black, Brown and Green Summit, has far- reaching potential for the growth of our region,” says Velez-Hagan. “Puerto Rico has been in a recession for nearly eight-years and is struggling to reduce over $70 billion in public debt. The caliber of companies that will be present at the Summit not only highlights the significance of the event, it gives Puerto Rico a prime  opportunity to showcase its many assets, which we believe will be a key to stimulating needed business development and investment in our region,” he said.

Among the companies sponsoring the conference or that will have top supplier diversity or environmental and sustainability executives participating as speakers, are Coca-Cola Bottling Co. PR. In fact, Coca-Cola is well represented at the NBLC Summit.  It’s Vice President of Latin Affairs, Rudy Beserra and President of Coca-Cola Puerto Rico, Alberto de la Cruz, both serve as co-chairs of the conference.  Other top companies include The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Walmart, UPS, Turner Broadcasting, Goya Foods, Federal Reserve Bank, Turner Broadcasting, Worldwide Hilton, St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce, Hartsfield Jackson Airport, Virgin Island Waste Management, Rolling Out Magazine, etc.

The NBLC Black, Brown and Green Summit will be held August 25-27 at the El San Juan Resort and Casino and expects between 300-500 attendees comprised of multicultural professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners.  Included in the two-day conference will be interactive workshops and training sessions, networking, an author’s row, a social media lounge, entertainment, a golf outing, a vendor village and supplier expo with local businesses from Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

Headquartered in Atlanta, with chapters in New York, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the NBLC is a 501c3, non-profit organization established to unite Hispanic, Latino, and African American small business owners, entrepreneurs, corporate professionals, government representatives and multimedia industry leaders, to cultivate long-lasting professional relationships with each other.  It does this by combining the number one and number two consumer markets as one voice, creating a monetary pathway to do business with corporate America and the global market.

For more information about the NBLC Black, Brown and Green Summit or to register, go to www.NBLCSummit.com. For more information about NBLC, go to www.blacklatinocouncil.org.  

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