A Message from the Executive Director

In a recent conversation with the President/CEO of the Greater New England Minority Development Council, Dr. Fred, SOMWBA has gained a greater understanding of the effects of the most recent Health Care Reform on Small Businesses and their employees.

Some of bill's main points include:
•  Firms with fewer than 20 employees account
    for 18 percent of all private sector jobs;
•  Only 49 percent of firms with 3 to 9 employees
    offer any type of health insurance for their
    employees;
•  Firms with fewer than 50 employees account for
    96 percent of all firms;
•  High premiums are the number one reason why small firms have dropped
    health insurance coverage;
•  It is estimated that without health care reform the numbers of uninsured
     Americans would grow from 46 million today to 72 million by 2040.

The monumental health care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama will impact all business, including minority businesses. In an effort to establish a baseline on health insurance issues facing MBE’s, a number of MBE’s were polled from the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council. Here are a few things they found:

•  61.2 percent of our MBE’s offer health insurance for their employees;
•  26 percent of MBE’s have between 2 and 5 employees and 90 percent of
    MBE’s have fewer than 51 employees;
•  61.2 percent of MBE’s reported that the high cost of health insurance
    impacted their ability to attract talented employees;
•  71.4 percent of MBE’s reported that the high cost of health insurance
    negatively impacted their competitiveness;

But what does this health reform legislation mean for MBE’s? Dr. Fred indicated he did not read the approximately 2,500 pages of the bill or what will likely be three times as many pages of regulations and interpretations, but some of the highlights of the bill that will impact MBE’s are:

•  The bill will cover an additional 32 million Americans who are currently
    uninsured;
•  The bill eliminates the ability of insurers to not cover Americans with
    "pre-existing" conditions;
•  Businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than
    $50,000 will be eligible for a tax credit of up to 35 percent of their health
    insurance premiums;
•  Students will be able to remain on their parents health insurance coverage
    until the age of 26

In coming weeks the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council will announce a minority business health care summit and information session where they will look more closely at the legislation and its impact on MBE’s throughout the region.

SOMWBA thanks the New England Minority Supplier Development Council and Dr. Fred for their contribution to this focus.

"Get Connected" is a series of events geared towards providing technical assistance, access to resources, and networking opportunities for SOMWBA's portfolio of clients. For more information contact Brian Ross at (617) 973-8574 or by email.

Get Connected: Access to MassDOT & DCAM This session will explain the process for becoming DCAM Certified and the requirements for MassDOT prequalification. Participants will include representatives from; U.S. DOT, MassDOT, DCAM, the SBA, First Commons Bank, Interise, Next Street, and MassHousing among others. Light refreshments will be served.
April 7, 2010, Conference Room 2 & 3 at the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza 2nd Fl, Boston, MA.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM - Registration/Networking
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM - Presentations/ one-on-one opportunities

Get Connected: Access to the DBE Supportive Services Program This is an informational session about the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Program developed by SOMWBA. The Program comes in three phases and is designed to support DBEs with increasing capacity, better understanding their finances and the flow of capital, human resources, marketing, and more. Light refreshments will be served.
April 13, 2010, Conference Room 5 & 6 at the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza 2nd Fl, Boston, MA.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM - Registration/Networking
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Presentation

Get Connected: Access to Capital This event is designed to provide business owners with a better understanding of their options and the multiple sources of capital potentially available to them. Light refreshments will be served.
April 30, 2010, Conference Room 2 & 3 at the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza 2nd Fl, Boston, MA.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM - Registration/Networking
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM - Presentations/ one-on-one opportunities

Bevco Associates, Inc.
(MBE/WBE and DBE)

Sixteen years ago Beverley Johnson founded Bevco Associates , (MBE/WBE and DBE), during the real estate downturn in 1994 believing she could create a niche with the company’s land-use planning and public involvement services by initially focusing on neighborhood-based community economic development and transportation planning projects until the real estate market began to turn around. Today, Bevco continues to thrive in Boston and is strategically focused on broadening its reach by penetrating untapped markets in Massachusetts and the Federal government.

Beverley was the Assistant Director for Institutional Planning and Development at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Beverley indicates she is asked by numerous associates how she manages to get so much done as a sole practitioner. She credits her conservative approach to business development. She says "her passion for all aspects of entrepreneurship, including business development, client management, and project management keep her energy flowing."

The firm also played a key role in the successful project planning, permitting/zoning, and community support for Crosstown Center at Massachusetts Avenue. The bulk of Bevco’s public involvement work is with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Bevco’s projects include The Urban Ring, Silver Line Phase III, and renovation of the Ashmont, Fields Corner and Shawmut, Red Line stations just to name a few.

Ms. Johnson, “thanks SOMWBA for opening doors at the State level that put her firm in a position to be involved in the exciting re-development of the Boston State Hospital site, it’s relationship with MHFA, their continuing work with resident groups, and business relationship with the MBTA.”

With new growth opportunities on the horizon for Bevco, Beverley concedes that "it is time to develop a staffing plan."

Total Mechanical Service Corp.  (MBE and DBE)

Darin Yee uses the same principles he acquired at age 9 from Uechi-ryu Karate training to steer Total Mechanical Service Corp, which he founded 26 years ago. Those principles are honesty, respect, integrity, and loyalty. Mr. Yee says, "If you don't use this philosophy in business you risk your business."

Back in 1984, Darin's business endeavor was born out of daring and necessity to support his family. His entrepreneurial opening worked out and now his children are helping him with the business. His daughter currently works with him and so do his sons. One day, Darin hopes to add his son's skills as a master electrician to the portfolio of services his firm offers. Currently, Total Mechanical offers the services of a master piper, plumber, and master refrigerator plumber. Mr. Yee's vision for his firm is to be able to offer everything which relates to mechanical service.

Mr. Yee believes the reason his firm stands apart from the competition is because they are upfront with their customers, know when to delegate, have an ability to execute ideas and are responsible for their actions,. Yee feels, "you can control what you do." This has allowed them to receive call backs from general contractors based on the fact they've received no complaints.

SOMWBA certification has opened numerous doors that otherwise people wouldn't talk with him. Earlier in his career as a foreman, he recalls being a sought after foreman. After setting up his business, those calls virtually stopped.

Darin has diversified interests. He holds a 7th degree black belt with hopes of receiving his 8th later this year. He teaches martial arts internationally. He also owns an indoor/outdoor sports facility, Jungleplex in Plymouth.

As the healthcare debate continues on the front and back pages of newspapers, we had the opportunity to speak with our 2009 sponsor of our Human Resources forum, Fallon Community Health Plan’s Karrie Loiselle. She is the Sr. Consumer Sales Executive for Fallon Community Health Plan.

Karrie outline FCHP’s health coverage, which is tailored to the many diverse needs of small business owners and their employees. FCHP main types of network coverage are, the Triple Option strategy, FCHP Direct Care, FCHP Select Care, PPO, and Fallon Preferred Care. Preferred Care allows employers the chance to offer their workers multiple products in different networks to ensure their employees plans meet their individual or family requirements. Owners and employees can choose from lower premium options to provider selectivity which offers plans with more flexibility for their employees.

FCHP has an option allowing workers the chance to pay for only what they choose. At FCHP, a $0 co-pay exists for routine physical exams. CVS Caremark is teamed up with FCHP offering a mail at home prescription benefit for its members.

Health insurance is not all FCHP offers, they also offer something most HMO’s don’t, preventive dental benefits and discounts for the whole family, as a part of their standard HMO benefits package. FCHP offers a Wellness Works program providing on-site seminars and classes. This program is designed to keep workers their healthiest and most efficient by targeting their health concerns. At FCHP, a $0 co-pay exists for routine physical exams. CVS Caremark is teamed up with FCHP offering a mail at home prescription benefit for its members. Their networks range from cost-efficient local HMO and PPO networks to more expansive multi-state 21,000 provider networks to a national and regional network of up to 600,000 providers.

Many employers believe the enrolling process is intimidating and complicated. You can receive an easy plan administration for billing, which gives small business a simple process from enrolling to premium billing through FCHP. Employees can choose different benefit plans, but the enrollment process stays the same

For additional information about FHCP’s healthcare options for small businesses employees, owners are encouraged to access FCHP online at fchp.org or contact Karrie directly, at (508) 368-9419, email.

Jeff DiCiaccio, Senior Director of Purchasing UMASS Medical School

SOMWBA works with purchasing & procurement directors who are committed to expanding their spending with SOMWBA certified businesses. Senior Director of Purchasing for the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Jeff DiCiaccio, is a prime example of the type of supporter and advocate. SOMWBA strives to connect businesses with. Jeff DiCiaccio has been with UMass Medical School for 6 years, and has over 22 years of diverse purchasing experience in both the public and private sectors.

Jeff and UMass Medical School are partnering once again with Brian Ross, SOMWBA's Regional Director of Business Development and Client Management, in an effort to provide procurement opportunities to SOWMBA certified vendors by hosting a Diverse Vendor trade show. The event will be held in the "old" student lobby at UMass' Medical School in Worcester, MA, Wednesday May 12, 2010, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM. It's free for participants and a tables and chairs are provided. For information, call Brian Ross at (617) 973-8574, or email.

Jeff and Brian are also working together to present SOMWBA and its portfolio at the National Association of Educational Procurement's Diversity Conference (NAEP), August 1-4, 2010, in Providence, RI, which will explain SOMWBA/DBE certifications, the rigorous review process that SOMWBA enforces to ensure the businesses they certify are viable, and how end users can access SOMWBA's portfolio.

Annually, Jeff's department administers over 14,000 purchase orders valued at of over $250 million. He oversees a procurement card program with annual numbers reaching over 100,000 transactions and $28 million in spending. The chart below illustrates how the ongoing relationship between UMass Medical School and SOMWBA has positively impacted UMass Medical School's spending with diverse providers and increased opportunities for SOMWBA certified businesses:

BID OPPORTUNITIES

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT