At Thursday’s WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo Keynote Lunch, Natalie English highlighted the growth this area is seeing. One of her examples? Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week, taking place Monday through Friday of this week.
 
The growth of MED Week, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce president and CEO said, not only demonstrates increasing business community support for woman- and minority-owned businesses, but also the appeal to an ever-broadening mix of participants of its five-day lineup of 30-plus seminars, presentations and networking events.
 
Minority Enterprise Development Week was created by presidential proclamation in 1983. It launched in Wilmington in 2015, hosted by the University of North Carolina Wilmington with the help of community partners. In 2021, the chamber took over as the primary host.
 
This week’s event has drawn remote attendees from around the state and from as far away as California, English said. It also attracted a sizeable list of area business sponsors.
 
The addition of virtual sessions, made necessary starting two years ago because of the pandemic, has turned out to be a boon, said chamber spokeswoman Megan Mullins, because more small business owners can attend.
 
“It’s hard for people to leave their businesses, especially retail businesses, to learn to do their business better,” she said earlier this week. “Being able to listen to the program on YouTube, following the events, allows them to be involved.”  
 
MED Week 2022 consists of eight in-person and 22 virtual offerings. The virtual sessions have an average attendance of 25, Mullins said. As of Thursday, 355 business owners were registered to attend the week’s in-person events; the virtual sessions had a total of 155 attendees.
 
“About half the registrants are women; another 30% identify as African American; another 30% or so as Hispanic. Of course, some of the women business owners are also minority business owners. We’re definitely reaching the audience we were hoping to,” she added.
 
Three of this year’s MED Week sessions are presented in Spanish. Organizers are surveying this year’s attendees to see if sessions and events are being delivered in an optimal way, and what they’d like to see in the future.
 
Topics featured at last year’s MED Week clearly reflected issues resulting from COVID-19.
 
“In 2021, we offered over 35 events, many of which were focused on post-pandemic recovery,” Mullins added. “This year it seems more of the programs we’re offering are focused on supplier diversity programs and certifications, access to capital, and mental health for small business owners. We also have programs this year that are focused around diversity for some of our anchor institutions, and around government contracting.”
 
Stephanie Adams, the owner of WNY People Development, has evolved from attendee to presenter at MED Week.
 
“When I started my own company, one of the first things I did was to apply to be part of MED Week,” she said Wednesday. “As a woman-owned business, I found it a great opportunity to build brand recognition and connect with other businesses and potential clients – to help myself and my company.”
 
Adams said she is committed to working with other woman-owned businesses and minority-owned businesses. At MED Week, she meets business owners she may not know, thereby expanding her sphere.
 
This year, she gets to share her expertise as a human resource developer: earlier this week she presented a session on managing the multi-generational workplace.
 
For the second consecutive year, MED Week has incorporated the WilmingtonBiz Conference & Expo, combined with UNCW’s annual Economic Outlook, into its schedule. Thanks to community sponsors, all MED Week participants can attend the daylong event at no charge.