Celebrating EMSDC Certified MBEs in the News
The past few months have been a whirlwind of exciting events and accomplishments for the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC), our Corporate Members and Partners, and our certified MBEs. Connections were forged at the MBEIC Changing the Narrative Summit and the Youth & Entrepreneur Scholarship Golf Invitational in September, as well as at the ROAR Conference, the NMSDC Annual Conference & Exchange, and MED Week in October. Now, everyone is looking forward to the 2024 Choice Awards in December, and the New Year to come, bringing more ways to advance economic equity, growth, and opportunity through Supplier Diversity channels.
Circling back to accomplishments, several of our certified MBEs have been pretty newsworthy lately, including Mustafa Shakur of Pure Fuel Sport, Karla Trotman of Electro Soft, and Lynette Sutton of Girl Concrete! Join us in celebrating and congratulating them, and read on to learn more about these EMSDC MBEs in the news!
Mustafa Shakur
This September, Mustafa Shakur, co-founder of Pure Fuel Sport, was inducted into the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024! Shakur played for the Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder before launching what is now the official drink of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023, with a mission to “fuel the dreams and ambitions of the people, communities and culture we love.” Earlier this year, he was interviewed by Forbes senior writer Jabari Young at the Nasdaq MarketSite about his success as an entrepreneur (found here on YouTube). The company was also featured in the Sports Business Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other notable publications.
Karla Trotman
Karla Trotman is the President and CEO of Electro Soft Inc., a thriving Black-owned manufacturing company founded by her parents in 1986 and located just outside Philadelphia. This September, Trotman released her first book, “Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: Building the Vibrant Future of Manufacturing,” a personal “collection of stories and experiences” that can be passed down to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Per the overview via Barnes and Noble, “Manufacturing’s workforce for decades has been male-dominated, with specific demographics creating its majority. However, the future of this barrier industry is looking brighter because a new diversified workforce is emerging.”
Lynette Sutton
Lynette Sutton is Managing Partner of Girl Concrete Inc., an MBE headquartered in the Philadelphia area that is “changing the face of a site, one build at a time.” Before starting her company in 2022, Sutton noticed there was an untapped niche for women, and in particular, women of color, in the union concrete contracting space. Specializing in both residential and commercial builds, Sutton was recently featured by TD Bank and Philly Live on NBC10 as the prime contractor for the Bellwether District. Within the segment, Sutton says her work showcases “our diversity as well as our inclusivity in our workforce.”
Are you a certified MBE in the Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, or Delaware region with exciting news and achievements to share? Fill out and submit our MBE Spotlight form, and stay connected with the EMSDC on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads!
The mission of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC) is to stimulate and support economic development with minority-owned businesses throughout Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware, in an effort to initiate growth and opportunity through Supplier Diversity channels. As an affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), we certify and connect MBEs with member corporations that are committed to supplier development and want to purchase their products, services, and solutions.