In this panel discussion, digital media experts will dive into how brands can position themselves for success with a diversified strategy.
06/06/2023
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Digitas
Join us as we hear from Corey Thomas, Chairman & CEO of Rapid7, and Andrew Farrington, an advisory board member City Awake.
06/22/2023
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Rapid7
Join us to celebrate the history, culture, food, and local businesses of Nubian Square, the heart of Black culture in Boston.
06/28/2023
3:45pm - 6:00pm
Tropical Foods - Roxbury
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.
The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.
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.
PITTSFIELD, MA – Greylock Federal Credit Union and Elegant Stitches of Pittsfield have entered into a unique and industry-leading supplier contract aimed at providing minority-owned businesses an opportunity to grow and compete in the business-to-business marketplace.
“Greylock’s innovative contractual agreement with Elegant Stitches highlights how institutions can approach spending practices with minority business enterprises to be more intentional and inclusive through purchasing,” said Elegant Stitches founder Alfred Enchill. “This blueprint should serve as a model for businesses who are looking for ways to connect with the BIPOC business community.”
Founded in 1997, Elegant Stitches is a family-owned custom embroidery and screen-printing company that supplies branded apparel and promotional products for public and private sector employees, teams, and community groups. As a small business and certified minority business enterprise, Elegant Stitches is proud of their contribution to the local economy, which generate jobs that help enrich their community.
Greylock and Elegant Stitches have entered into a multi-year guaranteed minimum purchase agreement. The agreement will allow Elegant Stitches to forecast its sales and make appropriate investments to meet contract obligations. This financial security will give them the ability to focus on growth. In return, Greylock is guaranteed that their preferred vendor has the capacity and stability to meet their demands for years to come.
One of the ground-breaking provisions of this agreement is the guaranteed minimum spend. While minimum purchase amounts are not unique per se, Greylock added a clause guaranteeing Elegant Stitches income, regardless of whether Greylock’s purchase orders meet the agreed upon amount. Any unmet contractual spend is converted to a grant.
“It’s a win-win,” said Greylock’s Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, JamieEllen Moncecchi. “Elegant Stitches has been our go-to supplier for many years. This long-standing relationship with an immigrant founded enterprise, has sparked an innovative solution built on trust and mutual community-focused goals.”
The agreement is part of Greylock’s long-term commitment to supplier diversity and inclusive purchasing practices, further developed when they joined the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pacesetters initiative, after introduction by the Massachusetts Business Roundtable. The Pacesetters initiative advocates for and supports an increase in the number of partnerships and spend with MBEs by mid to large sized corporations. While the Pacesetters initiative focuses on increasing spend with MBEs, it is part of a broader ecosystem of organizations, including Foundation for Business Equity, The Boston Foundation, and the Eastern Bank Foundation, which are dedicated to increasing capital and technical assistance for MBE success.
Tom Browne, Director of Economic Inclusion at the Chamber and lead for the Pacesetters initiative said of the Greylock – Elegant Stitches partnership, “increasing spend with minority business enterprises plays a role in developing the wealth of communities from which those minority business enterprises are born and operate. This commitment by Greylock is a fantastic example of the purposeful and innovative investments that the Chamber encourages all mid and large sized corporations to make with businesses of color, not only for the benefit of the supplier but also for their own competitiveness and impact in the regional economy.”
“For many of our Black and Latinx small business owners, access to larger corporate and government contracts is the next critical tool for growth,” said Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director at the Foundation for Business Equity. “Greylock working in partnership with Elegant Stiches is important modeling and learning for others.”
About Greylock:
Greylock Federal Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative that offers full-service branches in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, North Adams, Williamstown, Lanesborough, and Lenox, Massachusetts and Greenport/Hudson, New York. More information is available at www.greylock.org.
About Elegant Stitches:
Founded in 1997, Elegant Stitches is a family-owned custom embroidery and screen-printing company that supplies branded apparel and promotional products for public and private sector employees, teams, and community groups. Learn more at https://elegantstitchesinc.com/.
About the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce:
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce is the convener, voice, and advocate of our region’s business community, committed to making Greater Boston the best place for all businesses and all people to thrive. Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce helps its members and Greater Boston succeed by convening and connecting the business community; researching, developing, and advocating for public policies that contribute to the region’s economic success; and providing comprehensive leadership development programs designed to grow strong business and civic leaders. Learn more at BostonChamber.com.
About the Foundation for Business Equity:
The Foundation for Business Equity (FBE) helps to close the racial wealth gap by scaling businesses of color and building thriving communities. Black and Latinx entrepreneurs face barriers to three critical growth tools: access to advice, access to capital and access to contracts. FBE helps businesses by providing them access to these tools and lending resources plus high-touch strategic advisory services to plan for and drive sustainable growth for their organizations. Learn more at fbequity.org and follow FBE on LinkedIn and Twitter.
This type of innovative and strategic partnership is key to closing the racial wealth gap. From left to right: John Bissell, President & CEO, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Alfred Enchill, Founder & CEO, Elegant Stitches, Auric Enchill, Sales Manager, Elegant Stitches, and JamieEllen Moncecchi, SVP & Chief Administration Officer, Greylock Federal Credit Union
Popular Resources