On July 8, the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council hosted our Annual Business Conference at U.S. Bank Centre in Seattle, bringing together minority business owners, corporate partners, and community leaders under this year’s theme, “The Future of Business Is Human.”
The day opened with welcome remarks from President and CEO Karla Malacon, along with our hosts at U.S. Bank, Tiffany Fritchman and Hector Martinez. A powerful keynote from James Jackson III of J3 Motivation followed, tracing thirteen years of building supplier diversity infrastructure from the ground up and offering a clear-eyed look at how AI is compressing timelines, without replacing the human expertise, relationships, and vision at the center of the work.
That theme carried into our AI-focused panel, moderated by Ricardo Ibarra of Trio Group, with panelists Christopher Carpenter of WWT, Tanya Popova of Google, and Rohit Mahajan of BigRio. Together they explored how businesses can adopt new technology while staying grounded in the relationships that drive real success. The panelists agreed there is real reason for hope, with AI serving as an asset that streamlines tasks and supports the work rather than replacing the people behind it. We also got to hear from William Ochoa of U.S. Banks on small business resources and programs, which excited many busy owners in the room and resulted in many follow up questions.
The future of business is still human.
Our pitch competitors brought incredible energy and preparation to the stage: Vanessa Zamy of LiberationX Solutions, Komal Kashiramka of Poshan, Inc., and Stephon Jones of Turnstone Compliance Consulting. Judges Katrina Scott of World Wide Technology, Brooklyn Dicent of the Happiness Consulting Company, and Kate Kleyman of McKinstry had a tough decision, and we’re proud to congratulate Stephon Jones, this year’s winner, who takes home a scholarship to the Minority Business Executive Program at the UW Foster School of Business.
None of this happens without support. A huge thank you to U.S. Bank for hosting us in their beautiful space and supporting us throughout the day, and to Brooklyn and Katrina for coaching our pitch competitors and helping them shine. We’re also grateful to Amores y Sabores, whose catering brought vibrant flavor and warmth to the room, to Mike Nakamura for capturing every moment of the day through his lens, and to our amazing marketing partners: Trio Group and Red Door Collaborative. We would also like to take a moment to thank all of our volunteers who supported us throughout the day.
The afternoon closed with structured networking and matchmaking, giving corporate members and MBEs the opportunity to meet one-on-one and build the kind of connections that lead to lasting partnerships.
Thank you to everyone who filled the room with energy and possibility. We’re already looking forward to seeing you at the Golf Tournament on August 26 at Washington National.