Supporting Supplier Diversity and the Northwest Mountain MSDC
Trio Group received the President's Award at the 2016 Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council's (MSDC) annual Awards Gala & Silent Auction. In this video, Trio principals Dennis Brooks and Jeff Quint and Northwest Mountain MSDC President and CEO Fernando Martinez speak to what the President's Award signifies, as well as Trio's contributions to supporting supplier diversity and minority business enterprises.
“...Trio Group has been so good to the community. They’re good with the corporate members, they’re good with the public agencies, they’re good to other MBEs. They’re always trying to help the MBEs improve their position.”
— Fernando Martinez
Dennis Brooks: We as Trio have been involved with the [Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development] Council for the last six years. They represent everything we stand for as a certified minority business enterprise. We have tremendous relationships with the local Council, Fernando Martinez is a terrific leader and he's someone that we really have a lot of respect for.
Jeff Quint: One of the things that I think I enjoy working with the Council on is helping them determine effectively what their message is, helping to craft that, and then to get it into the hands of the right people. It provides such an important role in our community that so many corporations, and more importantly, minority business enterprises, need a venue to help them raise their game, to make them more effective in communicating the value of what they do, and how they can be a benefit to the corporate members.
Fernando Martinez: The President's Award is an award that we started about five years ago and the reason we started that award here at the Council, in addition to the Advocacy Awards, the Leadership Awards, the Supplier of the Year Awards. We wanted to do something for someone that provided what I consider contributions to the MBE community, to the corporate member community, the community at large, the Council above and beyond what people normally do.
Dennis Brooks: This year we were surprised and elated to get the President's Award, which was something that we were shocked but certainly blessed to get. This is an award given to minority enterprises that are giving back to the community regarding inclusion and trying to give back as an organization, which we have been doing for the last six years.
Jeff Quint: As you might imagine, we at Trio Group, were stunned by the award, the President's Award. We think it's a testament not only to our support, but perhaps more importantly the work that we do for, not just the Council, but the corporate members and many of the MBEs. We work hard at making certain we carry the message of diversity and its importance in the community at large.
Fernando Martinez: This year I awarded it to the Trio Group and again, that's simply because for some reason... The Trio Group has been so good to the community. They're good with the corporate members, they're good with the public agencies, they're good to other MBEs. They're always trying to help the MBEs improve their position. They're always trying to help the Council improve the Council's position and be better positioned to help MBEs, and help our corporate members, and our public agency members. They do things for the Council that some things we don't even ask for and it's that anticipatory needs assessment that Trio is really, really good at. Many times they anticipate things that we at the Council need that we don't even know we need. When I look at those types of contributions consistently, I just couldn't think of anybody better than the Trio Group to award the President's Award to this year.