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Dear Friend,
Since 1983, every U.S. President —
Republican and Democrat alike — has recognized Minority
Enterprise Development (MED) Week to celebrate the vital role
minority-owned businesses play in strengthening our nation’s economy.
MED Week was established by President Ronald Reagan to highlight the
contributions of minority entrepreneurs and to promote policies that
expand opportunity, foster innovation, and strengthen our local
communities.
Today, that mission continues — and
it’s more important than ever.
A minority-owned
business is one that is at least 51% owned, operated,
and controlled by individuals who identify as part of a racial,
ethnic, or cultural minority group or others found to be
disadvantaged by the Small Business Administration. Across
Tennessee, these businesses not only provide jobs and drive
innovation, but they also serve as anchors in neighborhoods and small
towns alike, helping ensure our economic growth reaches every
community.
Despite recent conversations
suggesting that “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs are
ending, the truth is that supporting small and minority-owned
businesses has always been a bipartisan priority. It’s not
about ideology — it’s about investment, innovation, and inclusion.
It’s about ensuring that every entrepreneur, regardless of background,
has a fair shot to contribute to Tennessee’s prosperity.
That’s why I’m proud to host the
Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Tennessee 2025:
Contracting Summit — a day devoted to helping businesses move
from readiness to awards by connecting them with real
opportunities in contracting, capital, and workforce
development.
This statewide event brings
together partners from across sectors who share one goal: growing
opportunity for all Tennesseans.
Our 2025 Partners & Presenters include:
- Tennessee Governor’s Office of Business Initiatives and
Development (GO-BID, formerly Go-DBE)
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community
Development
- Tennessee Secretary of State
- Amazon
- Pathway
Lending
- Regions
Bank
- Urban
League of Middle Tennessee
- Darrell
S. Freeman Innovation & Incubation Center
- Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce
- Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
- Tennessee Pride Chamber
- Nashville Black Hospitality Group
Together, we’re demonstrating that
when we open doors for one, we open doors for all.
Supporting minority-owned businesses doesn’t divide Tennessee — it
strengthens it.
As we prepare for MED Week
Tennessee 2025, I invite you to stand with us in reaffirming our
shared commitment to equity, entrepreneurship, and economic
empowerment.
Let’s continue this important work
— not because it’s partisan, but because it’s right.
With purpose and
partnership,
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