Enjoy a full hot & Continental breakfast after your Tai Chi class with Shirley Ha Chock. Network with people you have not met before, reconnect with old business acquaintances, check your emails, or quietly listen to the Tibetan Meditation Bowls with Health & Wellness Expert Tamar Draughn.

Terrence Harding will be the Keynote Speaker during breakfast. Terrence is a member of the Notorious B.I.G.’s rap group Jr. Mafia turned Real Estate Broker to the stars.

Anne Marie Knight, E.D., BBA, Opening Remarks
Howard K. Hill, Co-Chair MBI Opening Remarks, Howard K. Hill Funeral Services

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 9:15 a.m.

Entrepreneurship can be a strong catalyst for economic mobility and wealth building. The need for capital is critical for businesses to survive, sustain, thrive and grow. Before and since the pandemic minority businesses across the spectrum have experienced varying levels of challenge in securing financing to keep their businesses afloat. Funding still remains a stark challenge for businesses of color.

Come meet and listen to Moderator, Dr. Fred McKinney as he leads a panel discussion with top financial and investment senior executives, and decision-makers to discuss the status of supporting minority businesses.

The panelists will also share what their specific investment strategy is to reach and engage these communities to help your business secure investment, funding, and access to capital. The panelists will talk about their supplier diversity programs and what you need to do business with them.

The Internet and being online allows businesses of all sizes and from any location to reach new and larger markets and provides opportunities to work more efficiently by using computer-based tools.

Whether you are a company, adopting cloud computing, or using email, smartphone devices, or IPAD and maintaining a website, cybersecurity needs to be a part of your day-to-day business action plan. The theft of digital information is one of the most reported frauds, exceeding burglary, or physical theft. Every business that uses the Internet or any of the devices above is responsible for creating a culture of security that will primarily protect and enhance your own business and maintain consumer confidence. If your phone, desktop computer, laptop, or notebook has been hacked, or you’ve victim of a scam. This workshop is for you.

Carina Yorski of the Supplier Diversity department at Eversource will speak about its active supplier diversity program at Eversource.

Carina will speak to minority and women-owned businesses on what they need to know to be a part of Eversource's Supplier Diversity Program.

If you are interested in doing business with Eversource, this presentation is for you

Crypto can be a driver for equity for the minority business owner. Black, Latino, Native American, and Asian professionals and business owners are redefining money and wealth, “fueling a relatively new $3 trillion market, by creating a new financial system.

For those of you who may be locked out of the mainstream financial system, cryptocurrencies can offer you a new opportunity to build wealth and fully participate in the American economy.”

Speaker Manny Rivera will discuss blockchain 101 and the “3T’s of Crypto” – Training, Trading, and Transactions. Training and education are key in this space. Educating minority-owned businesses and professionals on what blockchain is, training on how to operate it, and trading one asset for another is power.  Manny will talk about transactions, how they are recorded and what you should know about them to build wealth

Minority businesses must have the social and economic tools to leverage to rebuild their community without leaving families behind. Revitalization without gentrification must include the Minority Business playing a pivotal role in how this gets done. Award-winning Business Columnist and noted journalist Dan Haar will talk with this panel of experts discussing economic revitalization from their unique perspectives as well as the role of minority businesses, and the importance of focusing on the injection of capital to redress the structural economic roadblocks we face in communities of color.

Women’s businesses continue to be the driver of the state and the National economy. MWBES were less likely to survive the great recession but ironically drove the recovery; they survived the pandemic with determination and resiliency. Many challenges still face woman-owned businesses when it comes to equity in entrepreneurship and opportunity.

Legendary Journalist and Host Jocelyn Maminta will lead an impressive panel of highly accomplished women business owners who will share their journey, the lessons, and advice women uniquely need for success. If you are a woman-owned business, this panel is for you. Come meet the Queens of Business!

If you are thinking about starting a business, have just started, or have been in business for some time, it is important to know there is a commitment to ongoing business development and learning for your growth. The business world is rapidly changing, and entrepreneurs must always be up to date with the latest tools and advancements for success.

Join us as our speaker presents you with especially important tips to help you provide and enhance exceptional service, practice good and responsible financial habits, and understand failures is what NBA G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan said….I’ve failed over and over and over in my life. And that is why I succeeded.” You will learn how to better “Mind Your Business” by identifying weaknesses early and making the necessary change for sustainability, growth, and success.

You had a full breakfast and a robust lunch, and after sitting for a few hours listening to these dynamic panelists and speakers, you may need a shot of energy. Sistah Anyango of the Flyy Movement will get your blood pumping and out of your seats with a fun dance from the African Diaspora to fuel you. Get Ready, Get Set & Dance!

Millennials are on the verge of becoming the overwhelming majority in the workforce and business. According to Forbes Magazine by 2025. Gen Z is less than a step behind this demographic in even greater numbers. The professional workforce and business will be revolutionized.

Join celebrity Host, Moderator, Motivational Speaker, and Author June Archer as he talks to the up-and-coming Power Generations of minority businesses who are staking their claim in the new economy, and what they are doing for success. If you are an Intrapreneur, Entrepreneur, Millennial, or Gen Z business this exciting panel is for you.

If you want to learn the secrets to marketing, promoting, and branding your business the right way, look no further than Ramon Peralta of Peralta Design. Ramon will help you accelerate your path to success by launching your Brand the correct way. You will learn the essential guide to creating and controlling your brand and its identity. This session is for all businesses that want to be an influencer and increase their brand and bottom line over time significantly.

Hosted and managed by Drew Angelo of Onyx Elite with Co-Host, Speaker, Model, Fitness, and Finance Expert Erika Porras invite all minority businesses, corporations, and entities in the public and private sectors to connect and meet one another at the Minority Business Unity Reception. Author and motivational speaker Tim Sanders said, “Your Network is Your Net Worth.” This is an opportunity for corporate, industry leaders, and government officials to meet and engage Minority and Women-owned businesses in a business card exchange.

Sitting in the Directors’ chairs are special guests such as the Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Rodney Butler, Former Rap Artist with the Notorious B.I.G.’s Jr. Mafia turned Real Estate Broker to the stars Terrance Harding, and Social Media Influencer and Celebrity Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), chef, registered dietitian, and artist Zoey Gong will chat with Moderator and Foreign Policy Television News Analyst Yvonne Renee Davis to talk about success, their personal journey, and what they did. They will share gems of truth you can employ to build your network and net worth for sustainable success.

This reception will be the most rewarding networking experience of 2022!