2011 Airport Business Diversity Conference - AMAC

CONNECTIONS
AIRPORT MINORITY ADVISORY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
2011 SUMMER NEWSLETTER
Managing Editor, Jessica Covington
Exclusively for AMAC Members
2011 Airport Business
Diversity Conference
National Insurance
Consultants Incorporated
Acquisition
Student Scholarships
MEMBER PROFILES

CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
Message from the Chair
It is a pleasure
to welcome you once again to AMAC’s Annual
Diversity Conference and to the Lone Star State.
As Chair, I am pleased to report that despite the national economic challenges of
the past few years, AMAC is financially healthy and thriving during these difficult
economic times.
On the legislative front, AMAC is continuing to work with the new Congress on the
FAA Reauthorization Bill. The Senate version of the FAA bill contains many of the
provisions that the organization was successful in championing in the last Congress.
The pending legislation contains an annual adjustment to the personal net worth cap,
mandatory certification training and legislative findings that support the evidentiary
basis for the program. The AMAC lobbying team has been successful in building
a stronger relationship with the leadership of the new Republican majority in the
House.
On the regulatory front, AMAC is working with the FAA and our sister organizations
to provide comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Part 23. This
and other critical issues will be discussed during the AMAC General Session on
Monday, June 6.
AMAC is closer to achieving its goal of establishing a $1,000,000 scholarship fund to support the next generation of airport
management and entrepreneurs. As of the date of this article, AMAC has raised more than $500,000 and budgeted an additional
$150,000 toward the million dollar mark. Although I am very pleased with our progress, I am encouraging the membership
to contribute generously toward our scholarship fund and expedite the achievement of our one million dollar scholarship goal.
AMAC’s diverse membership base has grown by 20% from our membership level at last year’s annual conference in New Orleans.
I am hopeful that AMAC will for the second consecutive year achieve $1,000,000 in sponsorships for the Annual Diversity
Conference. The AMAC board is also in the process of completing our selection process for a new Executive Director and we
will be interviewing four strong candidates on the first day of the conference. I am hopeful that the new Executive Director will
provide the critical leadership to position the organization to move to the next level and enhance our services to the membership.
In this same vain, the AMAC board has selected two consultants to assist the organization in developing a strategic plan. The
aviation industry has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, and AMAC recognizes the need to take moment to evaluate
AMAC’s role and chart a strategic course for the future. A significant component of the strategic planning process will include
input from the membership and your honest evaluation of both AMAC’s strengths and weaknesses. I hope that you will provide
candid feedback if asked for an interview by the consultants. The importance of diversity and inclusion in airport contracting
and concessions has not waned and the problem of discrimination continues to persist. It is essential that AMAC remains a
major and strong advocate for diversity and inclusion relevant to our expanding membership base.
Finally, I want to thank the AMAC Board of Directors and staff for all of their hard work to make AMAC the industry leader
in aviation advocating for minority and women owned businesses.
Become an AMAC Member
The benefits of becoming a member of the Airport Minority Advisory
Council are widely expressed not only in the sense of financial
reward, but also the access received through resources, experience
and exposure to networking opportunities no other organization
can claim. As a member, you will receive regular publications and
announcements, access to the Web Site, the business resource
directory and member consultations.
To begin the process, simply submit your application for corporate,
business, government (local, state and federal), associate or student
memberships, along with the appropriate membership fee. This
information may be obtained at www.amac-org.com. Upon receipt
of your application and appropriate fee, you will receive access to
2
a wealth of information and begin enjoying all the membership
privileges.
Included in the membership privileges are certain voting rights.
Each category, except student and associate, is provided with voting
privileges. Currently, businesses and governments are allowed one
vote and corporations and airports are allowed two votes.
Members are also encouraged to join committees. Here you will see
dedicated members who are the work engines of the organization.
This is also an opportunity to meet AMAC board members and
staff. The AMAC headquarters is located at 2345 Crystal Drive
Suite 902, Arlington, VA 22202. Or you can call, 703-414-2622.
Welcome to AMAC!

Highlights 2011 Airport Business
Diversity Conference
CONNECTIONS SUMMER 2011
2
IN THIS
ISSUE
Message From
The Chair
2 Join AMAC
3
4
Highlights
2011 Airport
Business
Diversity
Conference
Calendar of
Events
4 Summer Blurbs
5 AMAC
Scholarships
6 IN FOCUS
NICI
Acquisition
7 Member
Profiles
8
DevMar
Anderson Paint
Store
Regional News
Bites
Keynote Speaker:
Roland S. Martin, Nationally
award-winning and multifaceted
journalist
June 4 th
Bill Walker
Memorial Golf
Tournament – The event
is being held at Bear Creek Golf
Club, named among the “Top
50 Resort Courses in America”
by Golf Digest, and one of the
“10 Great Places to Golf ” by the
Wall Street Journal. Start time
for the AMAC Golf Tournament
is 8:00 am and will take place on
the West Course. Transportation
will be provided to Bear Creek
Golf Club from the Omni Fort
Worth Hotel.
DBELO Certification
Training Begins
June 5 th
Airport
Director’s Forum
– Vision 20/30
Airport Business
Diversity
Matchmaker Session
DBE/ACDBE
Certification:
Doorway to Business
Opportunity
Welcome to Fort
Worth Reception –
Held at Billy Bob’s, location in
the Stockyard’s National Historic
District, join us as we experience
real Texas Smoked Bar-B-Que.
The venue provides fun for
more than 6000+ people with a
concert stage, dance floor, arcade,
casino, live bull riding, and much
more. Hosted by Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport.
Transportation will be provided.
Attire is “cowboy chic”.
June 6 th
How to do Business
with USDOT – With
YOU – We CAN
Keynote Luncheon
Speaker/FAA Awards
Ceremony
New Member
Orientation
2012 St. Louis Preview
Reception – Come preview
the 2012 Airport Business
Diversity Conference, hosted by
Lambert-St. Louis International
Airport, June 9-12. Attire is
business casual.
AMAC After Dark
Scholarship
Fundraising Event –
Do you have what it takes to be
the next AMAC Idol This event
benefits the AMAC Educational
& Scholarship Program, Inc.,
which assists deserving students.
Not a singer Try your hand
in the Bid Whist Tournament.
Hosted by actor/comedian,
Joe Torry. Attire is casual.
June 7 th
Upcoming Airport
Opportunities
Workshop
Closing AMAC
Awards Dinner
and Scholarship
Program – AMAC’s
Annual Awards Program
recognizes members who have
made outstanding contributions
to furthering the goal of AMAC.
Through its scholarship program,
the AMAC Educational &
Scholarship Program, Inc.,
emphasizes education and
outreach to full-time college
students interested in pursuing
aviation related careers. Join us
for an exciting closing event as
we “Embrace the Past, Inspire the
Future”. Attire is cocktail.

CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
CALENDar
June
15-18
June
21-23
July
16-19
DATE EVENT DESCRIPTION VENUE
September
18-21
October
16-19
October
30- 2
November
7-9
NAMC Annual
Conference
WBENC Annual
Conference
COMTO Annual
Conference
USHCC Annual
Conference
ACI-NA Annual
Conference
NMSDC Annual
Conference
ACC Annual
Conference
Summer Blurbs
New Corporate Member: UNITED
Airlines
AMAC Welcomes New Corporate Member
United Airlines! Continental Airlines, Inc.
recently merged with United Airlines. They
carry passengers, cargo, and mail throughout
the world. The company serves more than
200 airports worldwide, with the majority of
them located in the United States, and has
extensive service to Latin America. Domestic
flight services are operated mainly through
its business hubs in Cleveland, Houston, and
Newark, from which the carrier has attained
a market leading position in the New York
area’s transatlantic traffic. They will be
attending the 27th Annual Business Diversity
Conference. Please take a moment to
welcome them to the AMAC family!
The National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) is a nonprofit trade association,
established in 1969 to address the needs and concerns of minority contractors.
While membership is open to people of all races and ethnic backgrounds,
the organization’s mandate, “Building Bridges - Crossing Barriers,” focuses on
construction industry concerns common to African Americans, Asian Americans,
Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. http://www.namcnational.org/
WBENC’s National Conference & Business Fair is the largest conference and
business fair in the U.S. of its kind for women’s business enterprises (WBEs) and
the corporations that they serve. Conference attendees will foster business
opportunities by participating in an agenda that includes workshops, general
sessions, WBENC’s Business Fair, MatchMaker Meetings, and networking events.
Learn more at: www.wbenc.org/wbencconf
COMTO has thirty-nine (39) chapters throughout the United States. Members
include individuals, transportation agencies, academic institutions, industry nonprofits
and Historically Under utilized Businesses (HUBs). From highways and roads
to mass transit systems; from subways to rail systems; and from port authorities to
airports. www.comto.org
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) has the largest
gathering of Hispanic business leaders at their annual conference. Over the
span of four days, the USHCC will host a variety of workshops, chamber training
and business sessions focused on building business relationships and creating
procurement opportunities for participants from all industries.
The Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) represents local,
regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in
the United States and Canada. www.aci-na.org
Providing a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses
is the primary objective of the National Minority Supplier Development Council,
one of the country’s leading business membership organizations. It was chartered
in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority
businesses of all sizes. www.nmsdc.org
The Airport Consultants Council (ACC) is the international trade association that
represents the unique interests of consultant firms and related businesses that
provide airport development and operations expertise.. www.acconline.org
Southeast Regional Outreach
Event
While attending the AAAE Conference in
Atlanta, Georgia, in May, AMAC hosted
their second Membership Outreach Event
for the year at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center.
The event was well attended with over 50
guests from all different industries.
The speakers included: Louis Miller, the
General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport; Don O’Bannon,
Chairman of the Board of the AMAC; and
Bill Swift, President of Business Travelers
Services and Southeast Regional Director.
Our next Membership Outreach Event
will take place in August of 2011 in St.
Louis, MO. If you are interested in attending,
please contact Alexandra Haynes at
Alexandra.Haynes@amac-org.com.
4
Washington, DC
Mandalay Bay
Resort and
Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
Loews Hotel
Philadelphia, PA
Miami Beach, FL
San Diego, CA
Georgia World
Convention,
Atlanta, GA
Palms Springs, CA

Student Corner Get to Know Some of Our Past
Scholarship Recipients
CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
Alexandra Boggs
Ali Boggs is nineteen years old and is from
Plant City, Florida. She is currently studying
Civil Engineering at the Florida Institute of
Technology in Melbourne, FL. Not only
is Ali working hard on her degree, but she
also plays intercollegiate volleyball and is an
active member of the American Society of
Civil Engineering. She also spends her time
tutoring elementary school students. Her
freshman year of college, she was inducted
into the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and
was awarded the Sunshine State Conference
Commissioner’s Award. Once she obtains
her bachelor’s degree, she plans on getting
her master’s and would like to take over the
family civil engineering company where
she wants to design airports and highways.
She also plans on coaching volleyball and
helping out with the Special Olympics
volleyball team.
Margaret David
Margaret David is twenty-one years old and
is from Ocala, Florida. She studied at Embry-
Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona
Beach, majoring in Air Traffic Management,
and minoring in Aviation Safety and
Applied Meteorology. She graduated with
her bachelor’s degree this past May. Margaret
hopes to receive a job offer from the FAA,
so that she can go to Oklahoma City, train
at the FAA academy, and become a certified
air traffic controller. Ideally, she would like to
have an opportunity to work at an air traffic
facility in Florida, but no matter what, she is
looking forward to working in the field. Air
traffic control truly is her dream job.
Amanda DeYoung
Amanda DeYoung is twenty years old and
is from San Antonio, Texas. She is currently
pursuing an associate’s degree in Applied
Science in Aviation for the Professional Pilot
at Palo Alto College in San Antonio. She is
working on her instrument rating right now
and will begin work for her commercial
license in August. Amanda also plans on
transferring to Texas A&M, Central Texas
in the fall to finish a degree in Aviation as
well as a degree in Business Management.
Ultimately, she would love to be a corporate
pilot one day.
AIRPORT MINORITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
Educational and Scholarship Program, Inc.
About Our Scholarships!
AMAC Member Scholarship
Awards are offered to Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC)
members, their spouses, and their children. Scholarship recipients
can be enrolled in any approved higher education institution pursuing
aviation or non-aviation related degrees. Four (4) or more scholarship
awards in the amount of $2,000 each will be available each
semester to eligible students.
AMAC Aviation and Professional Development Scholarship
AMAC Aviation & Professional Development Committee grant
four (4) or more $2,000 scholarships each year to a number of students
who are enrolled in an aviation related program and have a
grade point average 3.0 or higher. Eligibility is unrelated to membership
in AMAC. Applicants for these scholarships must be endorsed
by an active AMAC member in order to be considered.
Application Deadline is August 5th, 2011!
5

CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
IN FOCUS
National Insurance
Consultants Incorporated
Acquires Vantage Risk
Management LLC
The new company will provide better service,
more services, and cover more area
Fort Worth, TX – In a move that will
strengthen National Insurance Consultants
Incorporated’s (NICI) position in the marketplace,
Herman Ross, CFO and Chairman
of the Board of NICI, recently inked a deal
to acquire Vantage Risk Management LLC
(VRM), an independent risk management
and insurance services firm based in Northern
Virginia. The merged companies will
retain the name National Insurance Consultants
Incorporated and the company headquarters
in Las Vegas. Principal and founder
of VRM, Katrina L. Simkins, will become
Senior Vice President of the new company.
The NICI Board of Directors voted to
approve the acquisition on March 25, 2011.
Mr. Ross, Ms. Simkins, and Antoinette
Modrok, president of NICI self-completed
the merger / acquisition. They were ably
guided and assisted in legal matters by attorney
Lewis I. Askew, Jr., LEED AP, partner
at the Washington, DC law firm of Graves,
Horton, Askew & Johns, LLC; and in financial
matters by CPA Bruce A. Phillips, partner
at Harshman, Phillips and Company,
LLC, located in Atlanta, GA.
An award winning, certified minority enterprise
(MBE) company, NICI is fully licensed
and compliant with respective state regulations.
With offices located in Las Vegas,
NV; Astoria, Oregon; Upper Marlborough,
Maryland; and Dallas, Fort Worth, and
Austin, Texas, the company is fully capable
of providing services in all 50 states. VRM
is a minority, woman-owned firm servicing
clients in the areas of commercial insurance
lines, risk management and financial services.
Combined, NICI and VRM provide a vast
array of insurance, risk management, and
financial services, as well as bonding and
surety programs to their broadly diverse client
portfolio. VRM brings the added value of
retirement and pension planning services to
the organization.
With this move, NICI will change the basis
of competition in the industry: Expanded
capabilities in insurance brokerage, risk management,
bonds, employee benefits, major
construction, affinity relationships, and public
sector businesses; Significant expansion of
NICI’s risk management, insurance, benefits
consultancy, and advisory services; Increased
access to a wide range of retail clients from
large corporations to private individuals;
Solid brand name recognition within the
transportation industry and strong insurance
market relationships; An expanded multinational
client base throughout the U.S.; and
award-winning service.
National Insurance Consultants received the
2011 Nevada Minority Supplier Development
Council’s (NMSDC) Business of the
Year Award and in 2004 was inducted into
the NMSDC’s Hall of Fame as the first
Minority Business Enterprise of the Decade.
Katrina L. Simkins
Herman Ross
Antoinette Modrok
6

CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
Member profile
Sharon Reynolds and DevMar: Going Green
DevMar Products, LLC offers a diverse product line with a focus on
a safer and healthier workplace. Based in Nashville, TN, they provide
commercial and industrial
janitorial products ( Jan/
San), as well as medical
and office supplies ranging
from furnishings and
uniforms to promotional
products and LED lighting
retrofits.
Before launching DevMar
in 2007, Sharon Reynolds
worked as a mortgage
banker for 14 years, and
then went into real estate
brokerage. Eventually, she
saw a need not only for
Jan/San products, but for
environmentally safe practices
and products. Since its start, DevMar has implemented the Tennessee
State “TSU Goes Green” campaign, and worked with airport
authorities, churches, colleges, universities, building service providers,
and Fortune 500 companies to provide them with environmentally
safe products. They are currently contracted with Metro Nashville
Public Schools, serving 139 schools in the district, and were recently
awarded the Tissue and Paper Towel contract for the Metropolitan
Nashville Airport Authority. They strive to work with other companies
that are the “real deal”, or companies that are actually working
to help the environment, instead of just saying that they are “green”.
“Eventually, those companies who are not green will miss out,” says
Reynolds, “They will be left behind.”
To DevMar, the quality of their service is just as important as the
quality of their product. They strive to exceed expectations. “We run
our company like it is a Fortune 500 company because that is what
our customers expect,” says Reynolds.
Not only does this company believe that they we all have an environmental
responsibility, but that we have a social responsibility as well.
Good stewardship is very important to DevMar. “It is very important
for us, as a company to protect the environment and give back to
the community,” says Reynolds. As Chair of Christian Community
Services, Inc., she has helped over 100 families who have lived in subquality
homes move into new homes. She also mentors and offers
financial advising for these families. DevMar also helps by matching
$2 for every $1 that each family deposits into their individual development
accounts.
Eventually, DevMar would like to own their own green product line
of paper and cleaning products. They would also like to grow and
become a global company, providing environmentally safe products
to people all over the world. They are certified MBE, GODBE,
WBENC, and TDOT pending.
Anderson Paint Store: Your One -Stop Paint
Shop
When Marcus Anderson started Anderson Paint Store, LLC in
2008, he had already been a part of the painting industry for years.
He had been operating Soft Touch Painting since 1989, specializing
in commercial, industrial, and residential painting in the Detroit area.
He realized that running a painting service and a paint store in the
same location made sense because it allows the customer to not only
purchase the product, but also the service all in the same place.
Anderson Paint Store is a full-service sundries supply store for industrial,
commercial, and residential applications. Having been in the
field for years, the staff is knowledgeable and provides the excellent
service, quality product, and affordable prices that set the standard for
what a top-of-the-line paint store should be.
Currently, the store carries three different quality levels of paint: premium,
contractor, and builders grade. They offer thousands of colors,
and are even able to match colors from other companies. There is also
a section devoted entirely to exterior colors often used in historical
neighborhoods. They carry greener, more environmental-friendly
paint options as well.
Anderson Paint Store is also the only Benjamin Moore outlet in the
city of Detroit, and it is the only minority-owned Benjamin Moore
retailer out of 178 in the state of Michigan. The store also carries
other paint industry name brands such as Wooster brushes and rollers,
and Hyde scrapers and joint knives. Offering knowledge beyond
painting, they also stock tools for wall-patching, wallpaper removal,
and interior staining.
Anderson Paint Store is certified DBE in ten states, and is the certified
DBE supplier of traffic marking paint to USDOT. It is also
contracted with the Michigan Gaming Control to provide paint
and accessories, and is a current member of the African Caribbean
Chamber of Commerce.
7

CONNECTIONS
SUMMER 2011
amac regional news bites
COMTO 40 th National Meeting and Training Conference
Loews Hotel | Philadelphia, PA
July 16-19, 2011
CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS
40 Years
Are We There Yet
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF
TRANSPORTATION LEGACY
For hotel and travel information,
and to register online, please visit
www.COMTO.org/meeting
COMTO_0300311_ConfAD_4.indd 1
4/1/11 3:07 PM
8