Author Archives: Georgia Business Council

For most organizations, supply chain conversations begin and end with cost. What are we paying? Where can we reduce? How do we negotiate better terms? Those questions matter. But they are not the most important ones. The more significant risk, and the one that is often overlooked, is concentration. On paper, supplier consolidation looks smart. […]

For nearly three decades, Kanchana Raman has been building and reshaping her technology company in response to constant industry disruption. As founder of the Avion Networks, she has navigated the transition from traditional telecommunications infrastructure to advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence solutions, all while scaling a business that now operates across multiple industries.  Raman describes her entrepreneurial path as […]

Small businesses are the backbone of Georgia’s economy. Yet despite their impact, many businesses face financial challenges early on. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 20 percent of businesses fail within their first year and nearly 50 percent do not survive past five years.  The 2026 Financial Summit, taking place on April […]

Women’s History Month provides an opportunity to move beyond celebration and toward analysis. Georgia’s economy is strong and diversified. Long-term economic stability, however, depends on how broadly opportunity is translated into scalable business growth. Women-owned businesses play a central role in that equation. Nationally, women-owned firms generate approximately $2.1 trillion in annual receipts and employ […]

March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect not only on progress made, but on the economic opportunities that still require attention. In Georgia, women-owned businesses are a major force in the state’s economic landscape. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, Georgia is home to more than 44,000 women-owned employer firms, […]

Credentials can open doors. Capacity secures opportunity. In today’s supplier ecosystem, many small and diverse-owned businesses pursue nationally recognized credentials to enhance visibility and credibility in corporate procurement environments. These credentials often serve as an entry point into broader conversations. But credentials alone do not close contracts. Corporations are managing increasingly complex supply chains. They […]

Black History Month has long served as a time to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and leadership that shaped our nation. In Georgia, that history is inseparable from economic progress. While marches and legislation reshaped the social and political landscape, another transformation was unfolding quietly but powerfully: Black entrepreneurs were building institutions, creating jobs, and […]

Black History Month is often framed through culture, leadership, and social progress. In the business community, it also provides a practical opportunity to examine economic participation, small business growth, and market access. For Georgia’s economy, the conversation is not only about recognition. It is about expansion of opportunity through enterprise. Small businesses remain one of […]

As Georgia’s business community observes Black History Month, reflection turns to progress, legacy, and leadership. For business and civic leaders, reflection should also include measurable outcomes in economic participation and opportunity. That requires clarity about the difference between internal workforce access and opportunity practices and marketplace strategies such as supplier development and small business inclusion […]

By Stacey Key, CEO & President, Georgia Business Council As we commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that his vision extended far beyond civil rights. It encompassed economic justice, equity, and opportunity for all. Honoring that vision means continuing the work of removing barriers that prevent full […]

As we close the books on 2025, the economic outlook for Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) is equal parts promising and precarious. The newly released State of Minority Business Report by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) offers a comprehensive and sobering look at where we stand as a business community, as a state, and […]

The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) will close its milestone 50th anniversary year with its 2025 Annual Meeting & Year in Review on Thursday, December 11, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The event will bring together corporate leaders, small businesses, community partners, and long-time supporters […]

For 50 years, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) and its nonprofit partner, the Georgia Education Foundation (GEF), have stood beside small business owners across the state, helping them find opportunity, build connections, and strengthen their communities. Behind every contract, every partnership, and every milestone is an entrepreneur working tirelessly to build something meaningful. […]

The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) marked a major milestone Friday evening, celebrating its 50th anniversary during the annual Spirit of Alliance Awards at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The event honored companies and individuals who are advancing supplier inclusion and helping shape Georgia’s economy. “For fifty years, GMSDC has turned supplier inclusion into results […]

Rodney K. Strong has spent more than four decades shaping how public agencies and private companies open doors for small and minority-owned businesses. This fall, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) will honor him with its Blue Legend Award on September 19, 2025, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, recognizing a lifetime of work that […]

The Month of May is designated National Small Business Month across the nation. It is well documented how significant small businesses are to the overall economic health and well-being of any community, and the outsized impact they have on the global economy. In markets around the world, employers of just a handful of people are […]

The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), which has been serving Georgia’s business community for five decades, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2025. What originated as a supplier diversity initiative to give Atlanta’s minority business community a legitimate seat at the table in corporate supply chains, has evolved into so much more over the […]

The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2025…50 years of facilitating business partnerships and stimulating the economy of the Great State of Georgia. What began in 1975 as the Atlanta Regional Minority Purchasing Council – the brainchild of a bold handful of Georgia corporations who saw economic equity as […]

I recently addressed a room full of business owners and corporate decision-makers at a Welcome to Georgia reception to kick off the national supplier diversity conference in Atlanta. My challenge to the group was a simple question with broad implications for the future. When I first asked, “What Will You Do?”, it was a call […]