Join the Massachusetts Apprentice Network for the one-year anniversary of its launch.
03/27/2023
9:30am - 11:00am
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
This event will explore why in-game advertising is becoming the next big advertising channel and how companies can tap into the gaming ad space.
03/28/2023
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Mediahub
Thank you for joining us for our second Government Affairs forum of the year that featured Ronald J. Mariano, Massachusetts Speaker of the House.
03/30/2023
9:45am - 11:00am
Colonnade Hotel
Designed for mid-level managers and supervisors, this new certificate program addresses workplace well-being through unique, innovative, and actionable methods.
Join our Transformational DEI Certificate! Our comprehensive learning & development offerings are designed to connect and grow strong leaders who lead both inside and out of the office.
Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.
Expand your DEI professional development with a virtual workshop focused specifically on LGBTQIA+ identities and inclusion.
Our Economic Inclusion Committee provides strategic support around research, policies, and programs that are focused on building equal opportunity.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
The Fierce Urgency of Now Festival brings Boston’s diverse young professionals together with business leaders, organizations and their peers to build connection, advance careers and ignite positive change.
09/12/2023 -
09/15/2023
Greater Boston
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.
For more than 25 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.
Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.
We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
The last week of June, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pacesetters Program hosted its inaugural Pacesetters Awards, a celebration of the successes and learnings from the network’s recent supplier diversity efforts and accomplishments. Guests attended from across the ecosystem of corporate buyers, minority business enterprises (MBEs), business support organizations and funders, with a panel discussion delivered by 2022’s Pacesetters award winners:
Champion of the Year – Meredith Whalen, Chief Purchasing Agent, Gilbane Building Company Company of the Year – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Deal of the Year – Gilbane Building Company and Janey Construction
Meredith Whalen, Chief Purchasing Agent at Gilbane Building Company, Daylana Ervin-Parker, Director of Budget and Supplier Diversity at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Eurick Dorsett, Project Executive at Janey Construction, discussed some of the changes they’ve seen in vendor diversity over the careers and how to address some of the challenges that they still face. The Pacesetters award honorees all agreed that it takes a team effort to increase vendor diversity. While it’s critical to have top-down support from leadership, it’s also important that everyone in the company is bought in and understand the purpose of having diverse suppliers.
“Leadership understands and leadership gets it. And then the process goes down to the selection committee. And then we realize we don’t win. So what we’ve realized is that many times that message doesn’t make it down to the selection committee. It’s one thing for management and ownership to buy into it, it’s another things to have that message come down through the process that allows fair and equitable discharge of the ask.” – Eurick Dorsett
Building relationships between the Pacesetters and MBEs are just as important as building relationships within a company. Panelists reiterated that patience and having a strong relationships will lead to partnerships and contracts in the long term.
“A lot of it has to do with patience on both sides. You don’t get your first job right off the bat and you don’t win your first contract or buy from procurement. So it’s a matter of continuing the process and believing in the process. And even when you’re faced with all of the adversities, don’t give up. It’s the law of averages. Eventually something will happen.” – Eurick Dorsett
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our Pacesetters sponsor, Eastern Bank, for their continued support. We would also like to thank our event vendors,
Darryl’s Kitchen and Corner Bar catered the Awards ceremony. Darryl’s, a restaurant in Boston’s South End, is owned by Nia Grace, a Chamber Pinnacle honoree. Nicole Chan Photography, founded and owned by Nicole Chan, captured on-site photographs of the program and audience. Good Life Productions, owned by Julia Cruz, recorded the event and will be creating the video replay. The Urban Grape, co-owned by TJ Douglas and Hadley Douglas, provided wine for the event. The Centerpiece Flower Shop arranged flowers for the event. Ángel Diaz is the owner and principal floral designer. Minuteman Press Natick, owned by Pramita Chowrira, created new, engraved awards for the Pacesetters honorees.
To learn more about the Pacesetters Program, email Tom Browne and Amber Haskell and sign up for our monthly newsletter!
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