When my wife Maria and I started ATR International 25 years ago, we had no idea of the crazy, wonderful journey we were embarking on. I think few entrepreneurs really do, and I often joke that if they did, they might not actually start a business at all! Most of the time your focus as […]
A few weeks ago I was on a conference call planning for an upcoming panel at a diversity event that we were all a part of. On the call were people from the corporate diversity office of a large global company, their procurement department, and several other MBEs, such as ourselves. One of the procurement […]
Recently, I attended the Western Region Minority Supplier Development Council’s (MSDC) Annual Holiday Luncheon for a very special reason: I was there to see our Corporate Diversity Manager, Angelique Solorio, receive their Volunteer of the Year award. I may be biased, but it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person!
They sometimes say that in the business world “your network is your net worth.” There’s a lot of truth in that idea and it’s been that way since, well, probably since commerce was invented centuries ago. What is different now is how we network and the countless ways that we connect. Technology has changed everything: […]
Next week is the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Conference and Opportunity Fair in San Antonio, Texas. Angelique Solorio, our Corporate Outreach Diversity Manager, will be attending along with Fran Garfinkel, one of our Account Executives. We’ve been a member of the NMSDC for over 20 years and our pending attendance at the conference got […]
Last month ATR was proud to be the MBE presenting sponsor for the Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council Awards Luncheon and Business Exchange held in Tempe, AZ. This is the second year that we’ve been sponsoring the luncheon. The event is held each year to honor and award exemplary performance by minority businesses and […]
The Walt Disney Company is known for creating magical moments that bring joy and happiness to families, but they should also be known for their commitment to ensuring Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs) are included as an important part of their sourcing. They make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to share in […]
Last month I attended DiversityBusiness.com’s 13th Annual Multicultural Business Conference in Las Vegas, NV. It was a wonderful opportunity to network and establish new relationships! That’s really the point of this conference, networking – meeting people that work to foster greater inclusion in the business community. It’s also about recognizing all sorts of accomplishments and […]
You may find yourself wondering why a company would become a certified Minority Business Enterprise. The truth is, there are many benefits including a wide range of business partnering opportunities. Certification offers minority suppliers the opportunity to connect with many Fortune 1000 companies. These large companies typically have a database where only MBE’s can register […]