Toyota's 16th Annual Opportunity Exchange

Mae C. Jemison, the first woman of color in space and renowned scientist and physician, will serve as keynote speaker at Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.'s (TMMNA) Opportunity Exchange 2005, its annual minority business conference and trade fair. The event will be held on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.TMMNA's Opportunity Exchange, now in its 16th year, is a forum designed to provide minority business enterprises (MBEs) across the nation the chance to network and develop relationships with more than 275 of Toyota's suppliers. Toyota's Tier I suppliers, those who supply parts directly to Toyota, attend the event as exhibitors for the purpose of doing more business with minority-owned companies. Toyota expects more than 700 MBEs to attend this year's event.
And as a result of TMMNA's Opportunity Exchange, MBEs have reached a significant milestone of earning more than $100 million worth of contracts with Toyota's Tier I suppliers since 1990.
"Opportunity Exchange is a platform where MBEs can develop positive relationships and long-term business alliances," said Adrienne Trimble, manager of supplier diversity for TMMNA. "We look forward to hosting Ms. Jemison as keynote speaker at this year's conference. She encompasses outstanding characteristics including leadership, confidence and the ability to make a meaningful impact on society."
Mae C. Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, September 12, 1992, the first woman of color to go into space. She is the founder and president of two technology companies and is currently building a new business, BioSentient Corporation, a medical technology company.
Elected into the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine in 2001, Ms. Jemison has received numerous awards and honors including induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame; Johnson Publications Black Achievement Trailblazers Award; the Kilby Science Award; National Medical Association Hall of Fame and a number of other awards and honorary doctorates including one from Princeton University. She is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and in 1999, she was selected as one of the top seven women leaders in a Presidential Ballot national straw poll conducted by The White House Project.
In addition to the trade fair and keynote address, there will be two educational seminars at this year's Opportunity Exchange:
• Conversations with the Billion Dollar Roundtable
The Billion Dollar Roundtable is a group of corporations that each spends
$1 billion or more with MBEs. Representatives from select companies within this group will identify factors that have helped MBEs achieve true success. In the second half of their seminar, presenters will discuss ways to make supplier diversity work within any organization.
• Providing the Financial Fuel for Your Journey
A panel of experts including Harvey Butler, Vice President of Supplier Diversity for J.P. Morgan Chase, will review proven strategies for MBEs interested in obtaining capital for growth without diluting their status as legitimate and certifiable minority-owned businesses.
Since the first Opportunity Exchange in 1990, the event has grown from 100 participants and $350,000 in resulting MBE contracts to more than 1,700 participants and more than $100 million in new contracts through last year. In 2005, Toyota was inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR) in recognition of over $1 billion in annual spending with ethnic and diverse suppliers.