The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council has been named the 2018 Council of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council at the recent NMSDC National Conference in Austin, Texas. The GMSDC – Georgia's leading advocacy organization for small business development and supplier diversity – was selected as the top affiliate council from among the 23 regional councils nationwide in the NMSDC network. The Council of the Year award recognizes the local affiliate that sets the standard for operational excellence and demonstrated commitment to the organization's mission, vision and values. The NMSDC is focused on developing minority owned suppliers and facilitating mutually beneficial business partnerships with corporations and governmental entities nationwide.

In addition to being recognized for peak performance in 2018, the GMSDC has been selected by the NMSDC as the host Council for the NMSDC National Conference and Business Opportunity Exchange in 2019. The NMSDC conference is the largest of its kind in the nation, drawing some 8,000 attendees annually. The conference consists of four full days of workshops, keynotes, panels, seminars and networking opportunities, culminating in an awards ceremony where the organization will present its 2019 honors. Attendees will include business owners, corporate executives, procurement professionals and industry experts who will come together to share best practices and discuss ways to create and expand supply chain relationships. NMSDC business partnerships impact millions of jobs and generate $400 billion in revenues each year, a major source of economic impact in all sectors of the American economy.

Stacey Key, the President and CEO of the GMSDC, is looking forward to welcoming the nation to Georgia in October of 2019. "We pleased that our national organization has chosen to recognize the great work that goes on in the state of Georgia," says Key. "For our council to be named Council of the Year and be designated to host next year's conference speaks volumes about the quality of the small businesses and corporations that make up the GMSDC family. We are so proud of our constituents and look forward to sharing with the nation why Georgia is THE place to do business." The GMSDC was last recognized as Council of the Year in 2009 and hosted the NMSDC National Conference in 2011.