Minority Business Hall of Fame & Museum Inducts Diversity Pioneers
Los Angeles, CA – May 25, 2010 – UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies hosted the 6th Annual Minority Business Hall of Fame & Museum inductee ceremony and award dinner on May 11, 2010 at UCLA’s organ Center Hall of Fame
This year’s ceremony sponsored by PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, Sempra Energy, Toyota and Union Bank, honored six new inductees to the Minority Business Hall of Fame & Museum (MBHF&M)
“We are delighted to have hosted this event. It was both inspiring and timely to recognize these individuals and to hear them tell their motivational stories” said Dr. Alfred E. Osborne, Jr., Ph.D., UCLA Anderson School of Management’s senior associate dean, professor of global economics and management, and founder and faculty director of the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, who was a 2008 MBHF&M inductee.
“We are here for a special evening to celebrate the accomplishments of five outstanding individuals and an institution that made great strides on behalf o strengthening economic development in minority communities” said Carol Foster, program moderator and founding member of the Minority Business Hall of Fame.
The Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 2004, through the collaborative labors of John F. Robinson, president of the National Minority Business Council Inc. in New York; Don McKneely, president and publisher of the Business News Group; and Carol Daugherty Foster, the former editor of MBN USA. Since its conception the Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum has shed light onto the achievements of pioneering individuals and institutions that have contributed to the global development of minority owned businesses.
The award ceremony commence with a reading of recognition and commendations for the inductees from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ office of Mr. Mark Ridley-Thomas, Second District.
The inductions began with Joe Arriola, a native of Havana, Cuba, grew Avanti Press Hoyt-Case Corp from a $10,000 small business loan to a $140 million company with over 1,500 employees. At one point it was one of the most successful printing and graphic arts firms in the country receiving numerous awards and recognition as the largest Hispanic printing company.
Also recognized was Dr. Timothy M. Bates former Distinguished Professor of Economics and Labor and Urban Affairs at Wayne State University, widely recognized and respected for his numerous scholarly articles on the state of minority business and small business economics and author of several books on the subject including Race, Upward Mobility, and Self-Employment: An Illusive American Dream in 1997.
The next inductee, Ginger Conrad, founded MBE (Minority Business Entrepreneur) Magazine and is a recognized expert on business development issues and highly regarded as a dedicated media advocate for minority and women’s enterprise development. The Los Angeles-based bimonthly magazine has more than quadrupled it circulation since its inception in 1984.
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, was honored for promoting entrepreneurship, and launching the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership with the specific goal of fostering minority entrepreneurship in urban-core communities. Following the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the UEP added a specially tailored version of its program—the UEP Gulf Coast Inc.—to help revitalize economies and rebuild communities affected by the storms.
Robert Ontiveros, founder and chairman of Group O was also inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame. Based in Milan, Ill. Bob’ company has a global reach that has allowed Group O to grow three separate divisions, Group O’s Packaging Solutions, Supply Chain Solutions and Marketing Solution employing over 1,300 employees.
Pat Tobin, founder and president of Tobin and Associates, was also honored (posthumous). Ms Tobin passed away in 2008 after having built one of the most prominent, minority, female-owned public relations firms in the nation. She wielded a unique brand of public relations that forged outstanding relationships with the community, corporations and Hollywood celebrities. She was also a co-founder of the National Black Public Relations Society. Lauren Tobin Accepted the award on behalf of her mother.
In attendance and helping to present these awards was Ms. Carmen Herrera, Director of Diverse Business Enterprises, Southern California Gas Company; Mr. Richard Chacon, Vice President & Supplier Diversity Manager for Union Bank; Vicky Harper-Hall, Sector Manager, Socio-Economic Business Programs and Government Relations, Northrop Grumman Corporation; Daryl Williams, Executive Director, the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Monetta Stephens, Supplier Diversity Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc; and Christopher Knox, Director of Supplier Diversity, PepsiCo.
The Awardees- from (l-r) Darryl Williams, Joe Arriola, Dr. Timothy M. Bates. Robert Ontiveros,
Ginger Conrad, John Robinson, Lauren Tobin and son and Don Mckneely
Click here to see honorees list |
