Caption: Attendance at the Port Houston Business Equity Program Launch Event in July 2021. (From left to right) Harris County Commissioner Precinct #2 Adrian Garcia, Port Commissioner Cheryl Creuzot, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council President Ingrid Robinson, Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Dr. Laura Murillo, City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Port Commissioner Wendy Montoya Cloonan, Harris County Commissioner Precinct #1 Rodney Ellis, SBA-Houston District Director Tim Jeffcoat.  

Business Equity Program Anniversary

Approximately one year ago, Port Houston created a new Business Equity program to create greater equity for minority and woman-owned business enterprises participating in its procurement and contracting processes. In 2022, Port Houston is continuing to focus on promoting opportunity for all by increasing collaboration with community and industry stakeholders. We are increasing the number of S/MWBE enrollments and participation to support our goal of developing and strengthening external partnerships.

Port Houston’s Business Equity Program is a valuable resource for S/MWBEs looking to grow and expand their business. We host several business networking events to help businesses network as well as learn from one another. Port Houston’s Interagency Mentor Protégé Program (IMPP) helps businesses foster long-term relationships between contractors, Port Houston certified S/MWBEs and other partnering agencies. There are also safety programs and industry-specific forums to pinpoint opportunities.

Below are some S/MWBEs enrolled in Port Houston’s Business Equity program who are making a difference in the greater Houston community.

Visual AV LLC is a Port Houston certified small, minority-owned technology company and graduate of the 2021 OpPORTunity U training program. Visual AV specializes in providing innovative technology solutions that help customers collaborate more effectively. Visual AV sells A/V and IT Equipment that can be used in various settings across multiple industries. Their large interactive displays allow the user to create digital lessons and activities that can be easily reused and shared.

Sweet Dreams Gourmet was established in 2013 by Danielle Green. It is a Port Houston registered minority, woman-owned small business and graduate of the 2021 OpPORTunity U training program. Sweet Dreams Gourmet specializes in dessert and light bites catering offering affordable services for all occasions from children’s birthday parties to large scale corporate events. They strive to promote fresh ideas and innovative trends in catering.

Founded in 2019 by Aril Mejia, Jr., Elite Construction and Engineering Services, LLC (ECES) is a firm specializing in civil engineering services. ECES is a Port Houston registered minority-owned, small business and currently enrolled in the 2022 OpPORTunity U training program. Their objective is to exceed expectations by providing high-quality services to clients delivering products on time and within budget.

The Port Houston Business Equity team has the knowledge, skills, and resources to help your small, minority- or woman-owned business succeed. We have multiple pathways for your business to obtain the necessary tools to compete for procurements and grow your business. See how your business can work with Port Houston today by enrolling at https://porthouston.com/business-equity-enrollment/.

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For 20 years Diana Candelaria Reyes, Owner of Candelaria Reyes Consulting LLC (CRC), has worked hard to transform her dream into a thriving business. She brings her passion for developing people and helping organizations to her business every day.

Before opening CRC, Diana gained experience in academia through university career counseling and teaching. She then transitioned to the corporate world of talent development, serving as a Global Director at General Electric Company. While in this role, she led a team of 50 people, travelling internationally and serving customers all while gaining vast experience in organizational development at all levels.

In 2013, she seized the opportunity to launch her own small business Candelaria Reyes Consulting. This allowed her to have closer relationships with and better serve her clients. She has dedicated her firm to driving organizational effectiveness through innovative and knowledgeable training, consulting, and business improvement services customized to align people with business strategy.

Working in tandem with her clients, she maintains a relentless focus on measuring success. Diana states, “my clients feel certain that I am someone who gets it because I’ve walked in their shoes.”

Although Diana started the business by herself, she has grown to hire staff and become recognized as one of Houston’s Top 10 Businesswomen by Fortune and Forbes Magazine. In her eighth year of owning and operating CRC, Diana’s passion has pushed her to lead people and organizations into the 21st century.

Gilda Ramirez, the Senior Director of Business Equity at Port Houston says “We are fortunate to have a powerhouse such as Diana Candelaria Reyes enrolled as one of our small and woman-owned businesses. Diana Candelaria Reyes is a well-respected leadership coach, facilitator and organizational development consultant with over 20 years of experience in aligning people with organizational strategies. She seizes opportunities to execute corporate strategy through people and project management. We are proud to have her in our program.”

Diana and her team have worked tirelessly to transform executive leadership teams of all industries and sizes. Her hands-on coaching services focus on organizational performance improvements, strategic change and employee alignment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion training.

Carolyn Ashley, the Director of Employee Development & Engagement at Port Houston states “Candelaria Reyes Consulting, LLC. developed and delivered two quality and impactful development programs to Port Houston’s Administrative Support Team. Diana personally listened to input from senior admin professionals, designed and delivered programs that engaged employees and created personal growth opportunities. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We look forward to working with Diana and her team on future development opportunities.”

Diana’s firm is accepting clients into the 2022 year. Check out more on Diana and the Candeleria Reyes Consulting team https://candelariareyesconsulting.com/.

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Business Growth with Port Houston

In her journey of growth, Shanita connected with Port Houston staff to learn more about the Port Houston Small Business Program and how it could help her business when applying for contracts with the port. She attended training classes, workshops, events and networked as much as she could to spread the word about her venture.

“The port small business team helped me by first confirming the areas where I was ready, and the program gave me the tools to strengthen our responses to requests for proposals (RFPs),” Johnson said. “For example, the mentor-protegee program has a workshop on responding to RFPs. This helped me to better understand the importance of each RFP component.”

Shanita’s persistence and hard work would pay off in 2017 when she became a subcontractor, supporting the Port Houston information technology team to perform IT project management services. Then in 2019, she was awarded her first prime contract with Port Houston and in 2021 she again received a prime contract award for coordination services. Johnson states “We are currently handling the project coordination services for the NextGen ERP Phase II project. With this award we were able to hire a full-time employee to perform the services.”

Moving the Business Forward

Leveraging the connections made through the program, Shanita now holds certifications from the City of Houston, METRO, the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance, and the State of Texas HUB Program and is registered as a small, minority- and women-owned business with Port Houston.

Through the program, Shanita has expanded her network and reach to continue providing cutting edge information technology management solutions for growing businesses around the country. She has used her 20 years of information technology experience to lead multi-million-dollar projects for Fortune 500 clients and knows her team can deliver large scale IT projects thanks to their passion for excellence.

“Get involved with Port Houston’s Business Equity team and the Small, Minority- and Woman-Owned Business program because they are here to help us succeed,” Johnson avows. “They offer many opportunities like Port University and the Mentor Protegee program to help us better understand Port Houston’s procurement process, how to do business with the various departments within the Port and most importantly they help us get prepared. To the MBEs looking to win contracts with Port Houston, my advice to help you succeed is to prepare, persevere, show up and show out, understand the business culture, and prepare again!”

Learn more about BKJ Global Management Consulting, LLC by clicking here.

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