10:45-11:30am Certification: What Is It & Why Do I Need It?
Certification is not just for government contracts. It is also not just for manufacturers or contractors. Find out just what certification is and why it can be valuable to you as you grow your business. Figure out which one might be best for you and what it takes to become certified from 4 of the certifying agencies.
A panel facilitated by Susan Hogan, Supplier Diversity Manager for the Supply Chain Management Organization, Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. Panelists:

• Amy Blais, Program Director, Women Presidents’ Educational Organization
• Lynda Ireland, President/CEO, New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.
• Richard (Rich) Zilg, Assistant District Director for 8(a) Business Development, U.S. Small Business Administration, New Jersey District Office (not pictured) 
• NJ Commerce Representative

                                
      Sue Hogan        Lynda Ireland        Amy Blais

11:00-11:45am  Savvy Web Marketing to Boost Your Bottom Line 
Learn about Online Marketing Strategies to Increase Web Site Effectiveness from a panel of experts who will share their knowledge through search engine ranking factors, pay per click campaigns and Web tools such as MySpace, YouTube, and Blogs.  
A panel facilitated by Barbara Zaccone, President, BZA, LLC. Panelists:

• Pattie Simone, President, Write-Communications.com
• Noelle Kehrley, Creative Director at BZA LLC
• Wilma Olivier-Walden, Creative Partner, WOW Design Communications, LLC

                                                        
                      Barbara Zaccone                   Pattie Simone        Wilma Olivier-Walden

11:00-11:45am  How Making Contacts Gets You THE Contracts: Leveraging Your Certification   
So, you are certified! Now what? Having certification is not enough to move your business to the next level. What you do with it and the contacts you make are what really matter. The panelists will share perspectives on what companies or large organizations do to get women and minorities into their supply chain, which leads to large contracts and other expanded procurement opportunities. Second tier and subcontracting opportunities are great starting points. Learn what you can do through the experiences of others to help you find the right contacts to target--the right primes.
A panel facilitated by Bernice P. Venable, Ed.D., Vice President/Sales, AlphaGraphics #321 of Edison. Panelists:

• Marilyn Grabowski, President of Atlantic Infrared, Inc
• Charlie H. Jernigan, Jr., C.P.M., Manager, Supplier Diversity, UMDNJ
• Robyn Odita, Affirmative Action Manager, Tishman Construction Corp. of New York (not pictured)
• Jennifer Schiavoni, Outreach Coordinator, Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc.
• Andrea Strong, Director of Supplier Diversity, Turtle & Hughes (not pictured)  

                               
 Bernice Venable    Marilyn Grabowski         Jenifer Schiavioni             Charlie Jernigan