Message from Cincinnati Chapter President

Clarence Larcarte

It’s an exciting time to be a part of BDPA Cincinnati! Why? Because technology enables us to improve our lives in so many different facets and BDPA is all about technology. Whether you are a casual technology user or a hard-core developer, we have something for you.

So, what are some of the things you can expect to see from us in the coming months? Well, how about a workshop on 'Ethical Hacking'? Or a meeting where we just play video games ... so we can learn about 'Code Development'? I bet you’d find it interesting if we talk about the latest people to get rich from IT (and how you could do it too). These are just a few of the topics we’ll explore. All while keeping our focus on LEARN MORE, EARN MORE, DO MORE!

Our chapter is hosting a meetup of the 'Cincinnati Blacks In Technology' on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. Our topic this month is: "Gaming the System: The Gamification of Education, Entrepreneurship and the Economy"

My board of directors is actively working to make this the best year in the history of BDPA Cincinnati. There’s lots of room for you to participate. Please join us!

Best Regards,
Clarence Larcarte, President
BDPA Cincinnati

Message from BDPA Cincinnati President

It’s an exciting time to be a part of BDPA Cincinnati!  Why? When talent, passion and commitment collide, how can that NOT be exciting??!!!

Clarence Larcarte

The leadership of the organization is so full of energy it amazing! Let me introduce you to them:

• Clarence Larcarte - President
• Steve Gutter -VP, Finance
• Prince Ellis - VP, Strategy and Planning
• Dalric Webb - VP, Membership Management
• Open - VP, Membership Services
• Deborah Prince- Director, Outreach
• Open - Director, Recruiting and Retention
• Ernest Gause - Director, Marketing
• Braxton Washington - Director, Communication
• Frank Hill - Coordinator, Student IT Education & Scholarships (SITES)
• Brenda Hogan - Webmaster
• Wanda Gray - Immediate Past President

In 2013, we push forward with our mission of advancing Information Technology (IT) careers from the classroom to the boardroom. We live out this mission through youth-oriented programs such as SITES, High School Computer Competition, TECHie Club and IT Showcase as well as monthly professional program meetings and quarterly workshops.

If you’ve been around BDPA Cincinnati at all in the past this may sound familiar, but I can assure you that it is not business as usual. Any organization which hopes to remain vibrant and relevant must constantly adapt and BDPA is no exception. So, our leadership think tank has come up with creative new ideas as well as new spins on old ideas so that we can continue to provide value to our members. You can see some snip-its below, but if you really want to learn how you can benefit or how you can help, you really should join us.

Our efforts center around the creation of a vibrant pipeline of IT talent, with our events being centered around the concepts of LEARN MORE, EARN MORE, DO MORE!!

LEARN MORE: Build new skills and strengthen old ones - Get youth involved early in IT or learn a new professional and/or technical skill to apply towards your current career or to land a new position or promotion.

• SITES – HSCC, IT Showcase
• Techie Club
• Quarterly Technical Workshops
• Monthly Program Meetings - March 20th - Blacks In Technology

EARN MORE: Use your new skills and expanding network to improve your financial position - Translate your academic prowess into financial success

• J.O.B—Jobs Opportunities Board
• Yearly Career Fair
• Professional Networking (Spring/Summer Mixers)
• Entrepreneurship SIG
• BDPA Job Board, www.ITDiversityCareers.com

DO MORE: Use your talents to improve your community - Each one, teach one.

• Volunteerism - Mentor IT Professionals
• Volunteerism—Serve on the Board of BDPA
• Be a TECHie Club Volunteer

We are excited to partner with you to create a promising IT future!!

Best Regards,
Clarence Larcarte, President
BDPA Cincinnati Chapter

Grant Award: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America ($5,000)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to announce that we received a $5,000 grant award from Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). The funding will be used the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program operated by our BDPA Cincinnati chapter.

This is an especially rewarding grant award because BETF executive director Wayne Hicks, BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Clarence Larcarte and BDPA Cincinnati chapter corporate advisory council chair Patrick Nelson met jointly with representatives from the TEMA funding team as part of this process. The people we met with were Northern Kentucky university graduate students who were learning about philanthropy at the same time that they were helping TEMA evaluate a number of grant proposals. That face-to-face meeting is a great equalizer for nonprofits that aren't as well-known as some others ... and we are very grateful to TEMA for giving us that opportunity.

The notification for the award came by e-mail and stated in part:

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Dear Wayne,

Your grant application to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) for support of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation's SITES Program was reviewed at TEMA's November Contributions Committee meeting. The committee has approved your grant request in the amount of $5,000. Before we will be able to process your request for payment, we will need a completed, signed W9.

The Northern Kentucky University Mayerson Project graduate students did a good job of presenting your grant application to our Contributions Committee. Dollar amounts awarded are strictly at the discretion of the Committee and are based on other requests received and the amount of funding dollars available. Because you were so kind to participate with the Mayerson Project students, they would like to invite your organization to attend the Mayerson Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 29th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at NKU's Student Union.

Thank you for the important work you do in the community and for your support of Toyota.

Sincerely,
Nila Wells
TEMA Contributions Program
25 Atlantic Avenue
Erlanger, KY 41018

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BDPA Cincinnati chapter plans to use the funding in support of its upcoming 2013 Computer Camp. That program is now 'co-sponsored by TEMA' for the next calendar year!

We still need support to provide college scholarships to the seniors on next year's High School Computer Competition team in Cincinnati. Won't you consider joining TEMA as a supporter? You can 'make it so' by visiting our Brandon Berry Memorial Scholarship Fund.

BDPA Cincinnati Shares a Road Map to Success: An Entrepreneur's Story w/ ConnXus CEO Rod Robinson

Our community continues to march into a brave new world. The idea of working for a large employer for 40 years to get the ‘gold watch’ at retirement seems like a nostalgic memory. The influence of entrepreneurs in the marketplace is more prevalent today than ever. Jobs continue to shift overseas and the workforce for Fortune 100 companies continues to shrink. All of these trends position the entrepreneur as a major factor in filling the gaps that now exist in the job market.

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom, wants to assist BDPA entrepreneurs with programs that allow them to grown in knowledge and influence.

The education and networking process continues on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at the Procter and Gamble Winton Hills Business Center (6105 Center Hill Drive, Cincinnati 45224), when BDPA shares the entrepreneurial story of ConnXus chief executive officer Rod Robinson. As the founder and managing partner of consulting firm Accell Advisors, Rod has worked with Fortune 100 companies to improve or create strategic sourcing and supplier diversity programs. He previously served as Chief Procurement Officer for Cincinnati Bell, where he drove more than $14 million in annual purchasing cost reductions while increasing spending with minority business enterprises by 42%.

Come hear how Rod has taken his expertise and background in corporate America to create profitable businesses as an entrepreneur. His company, ConnXus, is an online service that seeks to revolutionize supplier diversity by making it easy for minority- and woman-owned businesses to connect with corporations looking for diverse suppliers and offering real contract opportunities. Since launching in December 2010, corporate buyer members have posted more than $75 million in contract opportunities for diverse supplier members on the site.

BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Clarence Larcarte said, “There has never been more of a need for what BDPA offers; an opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge and relationships that will enable you to prosper in this and any other economic climate.”

BDPA stays on the leading edge from innovations in technology, to influencing how businesses are managed, to mentoring a new generation of "would be" entrepreneurs. The chapter meeting on February 16th is free and open to the public. Please RSVP - http://cincy-2012feb.eventbrite.com/ and you are encouraged to bring colleagues, co-workers or friends with you as well!

For more information you can reach BDPA by email (cincinnati@bdpa.org) or phone (513.956-0636).

ConnXus Provides Opportunity for Black Technology Entrepeneurs to Connect with Corporate Decision-Makers

BDPA Cincinnati chapter president Clarence Larcarte and I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this month with ConnXus CEO Rod Robinson. Rod participated in the showcase at the CincyTech Annual Meeting last month.

You may recall that this blog expressed concern about the dearth of diversity at the event.  However, one of the pleasant discoveries for us was ConnXus (shown in above photo) ... a Black-owned online service that seeks to revolutionize supplier diversity by making it easy for minority- and woman-owned businesses to connect with corporations looking for diverse suppliers and offering real contract opportunities.

Here’s how it works:

• Corporations register as buyer members and indicate in which of the more than 100 product or service categories they have purchasing needs.
• Small, minority- or woman-owned businesses register as supplier members, indicating the product or service categories they provide, as well as creating a company profile highlighting their size, areas of expertise and representative customers.
• Suppliers request performance ratings from prior customers, and just like many consumer-focused websites, more and better ratings translate into better search results.
• Buyers can conduct searches for specific suppliers or post contract opportunities for suppliers to submit bids.

ConnXus co-founder Rod Robinson is a Fortune 1000 procurement expert and supplier diversity who created this company out of his own personal frustration trying to match his clients purchasing needs with diverse businesses who could supply them. Knowing all the ways technology is being leveraged in today’s business environment, he just knew there had to be a better way to connect buyers with diverse suppliers. He partnered with Chris Downie, founder and CEO of America’s #1 diet and fitness site SparkPeople, to develop ConnXus.

Since launching in December 2010, corporate buyer members have posted more than $75 million in contract opportunities for diverse supplier members on the site. All the supplier members who have won new business through ConnXus.com have said that they never would have known about the opportunities without it. Some have even been invited to bid on additional, larger contracts. Registered ConnXus members number close to 1,000, including small, woman- and minority-owned businesses representing hundreds of categories, along with corporate buyers responsible for more than $20 billion in annual spending.


ConnXus recently announced a partnership with LexisNexis to offer their members a discounted price on sales and marketing information and are in the process of developing other partnerships that will offer value to their members.

My hope is that all BDPA entrepreneurs, BDPA business owners and BDPA corporate sponsors will take a hard look at ConnXus. Now is the time for us to leverage our own networks to build our businesses on a local, regional and national basis. The next step is yours -- visit ConnXus and let us know what you think!

Election Results: BDPA Cincinnati (2012-2013)

BDPA Cincinnati recently concluded its election for leadership in the next two years. Prince Ellis (Information Technology Department Chair, Brown Mackie College) was re-elected to a second 2-year term as the chapter's vice president of finance.

The election turned on Prince's past BDPA achievements. He helped organize the annual awards banquet, served as an instructor during the chapter's computer camp and worked closely with the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to generate a record-breaking amount of revenue for the Cincinnati chapter. He attended most of the chapter events and successfully managed the chapter's funding.

Prince said, "I will continue to ensure zero-based budgeting and ensure that the chapter has funding for our events and programs."

The BDPA Cincinnati chapter leadership for 2012-2013 is:

• President - Clarence Larcarte (Procter & Gamble)
• President-Elect - Vacant
• Immediate Past President - Wanda Gray (Nielsen)
• VP-Finance - Prince Ellis (Brown Mackie College)
• VP-Member Services - Joseph Parker (Procter & Gamble)
• VP-Membership Management - Dalric Webb (General Electric)
• VP-Strategy & Planning - Steve Gutter (The Kroger Company
• Chair, Corporate Advisory Council - Patrick Nelson (Procter & Gamble)

Dalric Webb, Wanda Gray, Prince Ellis and Clarence Larcarte

BDPA Cincinnati has been around since 1989. It is a 4-time winner of the 'Chapter of the Year' honors on a national level and remains a powerhouse on both a regional and national level. The eyes of the nation will be watching Clarence as he takes the chapter to higher levels in the coming months and years.