Minority Business Accelerator Vision Meeting

Your Chamber has respectfully invited minority business owners to attend a visioning meeting to support minority-owned businesses in our community at 6:30 pm on November 9, 2020, at the Inn at Virginia Tech & Skelton Conference Center.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is committed to leveraging our knowledge and resources to strengthen minority-owned businesses in our community. We are creating a Minority-Owned Business Accelerator. We are asking for your input to ensure your voice is heard and needs will be met. Our sponsors, Lewis Gale Hospital – Montgomery and The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, will provide light snacks and beverages.

Lawrence Wooten, Corporate Supplier Diversity Senior Manager of American Water Works, Inc., who has over 30 years of supply chain and supplier diversity experience working in various industries for Fortune 500 companies, will facilitate our program. Larry has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Central Region for the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council and former Chair of The Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council Board of Directors. Larry is currently responsible for managing all aspects of the supplier diversity strategy for American Water.
 
The pandemic has shown us how fragile our small business community can be.
 
We have built a strong network of women business owners since 2014, and today we serve over 220+ women annually. However, we need to expand our engagement with our Black, Asian, and Hispanic owned businesses to understand better the minority business community and how we as a chamber can best support the growth strategy of minority business. 
 
The chamber is committed to listening to our minority business partners to support you better. The chamber believes we are positioned to provide the support and programming needed to assist you in meeting your business goals. 
 
On November 9, the chamber wants to hear your thoughts, and this is your opportunity to share where you see areas of opportunity for the chamber and you to partner. This is the first meeting of many to begin to build the right programming for you and your business. What business issues keep you up at night? What challenges do you face regularly? What support could you have used during the pandemic shutdown? What do you need?

We believe that programming and networking around the following subjects would be beneficial but we want your input.
- Business plan development or enhancement
- Financial management
- Proposal writing
- Marketing
- Certifications

Please plan to join us on November 9 at 6:30 pm at the Inn at Virginia Tech to allow your business voice to be heard. Please wear your normal work clothing; what is most important is your voice. We will be offering Chamber membership scholarships for those who need them. We will have snacks and beverages. 

*RSVP Required* Please call Sharon Scott or Leo Priddy at 540.382.3020 or email at marketing@montgomerycc.org to RSVP by November 5 at noon.