BLACK ENTERPRISE And Walmart Host Supplier Diversity Forum On Tuesday, April 23, In Columbus, Ohio

Invitation-only Event Aims to Explore How Entrepreneurs Can Raise Capital, Get Their Products On The Shelves of Major Retail Stores

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BLACK ENTERPRISE

Apr 22, 2013, 06:00 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

WHO:	BLACK ENTERPRISE, the premier business, investment, and wealth building resource for African Americans, along with Walmart, the nation's leading retailer and one of the nation's largest private employers of African Americans.


WHAT:	*20/20 Vision: Getting On The Shelf,* a forum designed to explore how entrepreneurs can get their products on the shelves of major retail stores, how to make sure they have what buyers want, and how to gain the capacity to meet demand.


WHERE:	Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel
	50 North 3^rd Street
	Columbus, Ohio 43215


WHEN:	Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Speaker and Event Highlights

8:00 a.m.	Registration/Networking/Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m.	Remarks
	• Earl "Butch" Graves Jr., President & CEO, BLACK ENTERPRISE • Billy Link Jr., Director/Focus Store Manager, Walmart Stores, Inc.

9:15 a.m.	Case Study: How I Found A Manufacturer & Got My Product Into Sam's Club
	• Walter Nash Jr., CEO of Lefty's Spices

9:45 a.m.	Session 1: How To Get Shelf Space On The Floors Of Large Retailers
	This session will explore how to go from selling a product online or at local shops to gaining major distribution by mass retailers. A panel of successful entrepreneurs will share their success stories and offer tips on pitching products to top national retail chains.
	• Nyema Tubman, President, Sundial Brands • Martin Ekechukwu, CEO & Founder, Village Tea Company • Vera Moore, President & CEO, Vera Moore Cosmetics

Moderator:	Derek T. Dingle, SVP/Editor-in-Chief, BLACK ENTERPRISE
11:05 a.m.	Case Study: Getting Scale Through the Franchise Model
	• Nancy Dillard, Vice President, Controller, JAN-PRO of Greater Cleveland

11:35 p.m.	Session 2: Attracting Investors to Fund Your Dream
	This session will explore how entrepreneurs can raise capital to grow their enterprise and scale their business, identifying investment sources ranging from microloans to crowd funding to private equity. A top-level panel of experts will share where to find investment dollars and how to match the right capital sources to the optimum stage of business growth.
	• Valerie Gaydos, President, Capital Growth Inc. • William Michael Cunningham, Social Investing Advisor & Author • Lauren Maillian Bias, Founding Partner, Gen Y Capital Partners/CEO, Luxury Marketing Branding

Moderator:	Alfred Edmond Jr., SVP/Multimedia Editor-at-Large, BLACK ENTERPRISE

Noon – 2:00 p.m.	Lunch/Networking

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.	Black Enterprise Networking Reception/Entrepreneurs Conference Registration Drive

EDITOR'S NOTE: This invitation-only forum is not open to the public. Interested press should contact Alfred Edmond Jr. at 212-886-9585 or via e-mail at [email protected].

SOCIAL MEDIA NOTE: For information and updates shared from this event on Twitter, follow @blackenterprise or search the hash tag #BESUPPDIV

black enterprise, your ultimate source of Wealth For Life, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, be has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Every month, black enterprise magazine provides 4 million readers with information on entrepreneurship, careers, and financial management. A multimedia company, be also produces radio and television programming, business and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. black enterprise is the definitive source of information for and about African American business markets and leaders, and the authority on black business news and trends.

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