| 2. Kudos for John Harmon: We congratulate John Harmon for his brilliant testimony before the Public Service Electric and Gas Commission of New Jersey. This can be used as a model for Black Chambers who want to become relevant and important to their marketing area – just as John does throughout the state of New Jersey via the AACCNJ.
3. Meeting with the Governors: Next week the NBCC will be participating in a panel before the Southern States Governors Energy Board. We will be discussing the latest trends in energy generation – costs, exploration and regulations. The conference will take place in Biloxi, MS. From there we go to Jackson, MS and participate with the Mississippi Black Chamber of Commerce.
4. 55 African Billionaires: BBC reports that the African continent has 55 bona-fide billionaires which is far more than what Forbes magazine has recently reported. Hopefully, successful entrepreneurs like this will reinvest their profits back into the overall economy of the continent. This is a great start.
5. Chase has Grants for Small Businesses: Chase Bank is offering 12 $250,000 grants to winning applicants. The deadline is October 31, 2013. Go for it!
6. Governors in Kenya: Counties in Kenya, under the new constitution, now have governors as the chief executive officer. Each governor will control all procurement within the county. This brings the possibility of doing business in these locales exponentially better as opposed to everything controlled by federal bureaucrats in the capital city of Nairobi. This week our office was visited by H.E. Honorable Nderitu Gachagua, the Governor of Nyeri County (100 miles north of Nairobi). He is looking for African American business owners in the infrastructure, agri-business and horticulture industries. He will be sending us a list of RFP’s that will go out for the first part of next year. We will plan a Trade Mission to the scenic county in April of next year.
7. We are going to Chicago: Our 22nd Annual Convention will be held in Chicago next July. We are looking at the 3 best RFP responses and will decide on one by next week. Stay tuned! Chicago in July is most beautiful.
8. Networking is the Goal: The main mission of PanAfrican Entrepreneurs Conference is to provide a forum for networking between entrepreneurs from around the world. To that end, we invite you to join us in beautiful Punta Cana, Dominican Republic during November 28-December 1. We will also discuss US Corrupt Practices Act, Good Business Rating System for Nations, Best Practices in Foreign Business, Anatomy of an International Scam, DR-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Capital Access Programs Around the World, Implications of Whole Foods, General Electric and WalMart in Africa, Strategic Plan, Intellectual Property – Trade Secrets, Currency Exchange Issues and officials from Dominican Republic will be invited. There is no registration fee, just reserve your hotel room through our website—we have the best prices—and then you are all set! The Paradisus Palma Real is an all-inclusive resort! For additional info go to www.panafricanec.org. Make your reservation by October 26! |
