WASHINGTON – One of 10 small businesses from around the country will be selected as the National Minority Small Business Person of the Year at the 29th annual Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference, hosted jointly in September by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.

The MED Week conference will take place Sept. 27-30 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“We are happy to partner with MBDA on this year’s MED Week event to bring together accomplished minority small business owners, respected business leaders, federal agencies and top Fortune 100 companies to provide a lively, interactive framework for small businesses to learn critical tips on how to gain access to capital and federal contracts, how to expand their businesses and take their businesses global,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills.

The national winner will be chosen from 10 regional winners representing Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, South Carolina, Indiana, California, and Washington.

Regional award winners have businesses that offer services ranging from manufacturing of military and occupational uniforms and marketing and staffing services to the design and construction of office furniture and environmental services including wildlife habitats, wetlands development and naturalized landscaping.

MED Week celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding minority entrepreneurs and leaders and provides a platform for small, minority-owned businesses to learn about business growth strategies, receive premier training and networking opportunities.

“Minority businesses are a phenomenal asset to the U.S. economy in a variety of sectors, from manufacturing to hospitality services and everything in between,” said MBDA National Director David Hinson. “These firms create good paying jobs and boost economic growth in America’s communities. The businesses recognized through the MED Week awards program represent just a few of our nation’s brightest and most innovative minority enterprises.”

The conference will also include workshops on access to SBA’s lending programs, access to federal contracts through the Small Business Jobs Act, growing your business through social media and access to government contracts through federal Mentor-Protegé programs. The SBA will participate in a roundtable entitled, “Doing Business with the Government,” to discuss government contracting opportunities for small businesses. For more information on MED Week workshops, or to register for the conference, visit www.medweek.gov.

The theme for this year’s MED Week event is “Emerging Industries & Markets: A Blueprint for Success,” and will continue its focus on helping minority small businesses expand their operations and establish a presence in the global marketplace while helping them weather the

current economic climate in the U.S. There will also be a business expo and tradeshow and a Small Business Town Hall to discuss the Small Business Jobs Act.

In addition to announcing the national minority small business award winner, SBA will present the SBA Administrator’s Leadership award which recognizes the recipient’s tireless efforts and unwavering commitment on behalf of the nation’s minority small business community and the award for the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year.

The 10 Regional Minority Small Business Persons of the Year are:

REGION I REGION VI

Charran K. Fisher, President Armando A. “Rocky” Aranda Jr., President

Fisher Contracting Corporation MILCON Construction, LLC

Worcester, Mass. San Antonio, Texas

REGION II REGION VII

Oscar Quiles, President Elizabeth K. Harshfield, President

Pentaq Manufacturing Corporation Exhibit Arts, LLC

Sabana Grande, PR Wichita, Kan.

REGION III REGION VIII

Carlos Del Toro, President & CEO Jacqueline Nettleton, President

SBG Technology Solutions, Inc. Mountain Movers Construction, Inc.

Stafford, Va. Rapid City, S.D.
REGION IV REGION IX

Kenneth B. Canty, President & CEO Ricardo A. Lopez, President & CEO

Freeland Construction Company RAL Investment Corporation

Charleston, S.C. National City, Calif.

REGION V REGION X

Clyde D. Harris II, President Lorraine Kimberly Erion, President

Diverse Staffing Services, Inc. LKE Corporation

Indianapolis, Ind. Washougal, Wash.

For more details on this year’s MED Week conference, please visit www.medweek.gov.

The rate of HIV infection among African-American gay and bisexual men aged 18 to 29 increased 50
percent between 2006 and 2009, according to new data released by the US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS at the CDC, said this
segment of the population was the only group to experience a significant increase in new infections
during that period. Speaking at a press briefing at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta on
August 16, Dr. Fenton said the rise took place even as the overall number of new HIV infections in the US
held steady at 50,000 cases per year.

Furthermore, the CDC estimated that nearly half of infected African Americans may be unaware of their
HIV status. CDC researcher Dr. Alexandra Oster called infrequent testing and low awareness “a major
concern,” with data indicating only 55 percent of this high-risk group is receiving adequate care. To
increase rates of HIV testing and awareness among African American gay and bisexual men, the CDC is
rolling out a new campaign called Testing Makes Us Stronger, which will feature messages posted in ads
as well as on social media and in outreach programs.

“It is increasingly clear that rapid testing for HIV should play a larger role in the overall strategy to
alleviate the suffering of at-risk populations as well as the population-at-large,” says Lawrence Siebert,
CEO of Medford, NY-based Chembio Diagnostics, a New York-based developer and manufacturer of
point-of-care diagnostic tests. “These rapid tests are capable of producing a result in as little as 15
minutes.”

Chembio’s two FDA PMA-approved, CLIA-waived, rapid HIV tests are marketed in the U.S. by Alere,
Inc. The company markets its HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK® and SURE CHECK HIV 1/2 line of rapid HIV tests
internationally to government and donor-funded programs directly and through distributors. Chembio
has developed a patented point-of-care test platform technology, the Dual Path Platform (DPP®)
technology, which has significant advantages over lateral-flow technologies. This technology is
providing the company with a significant pipeline of business opportunities for the development and
manufacture of new products based on DPP®. Specifically, Chembio has developed a rapid oral fluid HIV
test and also a Syphilis test which are now in clinical evaluation as part of the FDA approval process.

Additionally, Chembio is working on making its unique SURE CHECK HIV over-the-counter test available
for consumer self-testing, and foresees submitting it to the FDA for approval for this use. The privacy
and convenience of self-testing could encourage more individuals to determine their HIV status, and to
pursue treatment if it turns out that they are indeed infected.

For more information, please visit: www.chembio.com

August is African American Business month and The Houston Sun went to the only financial institution established for African Americans for an interview. Unity National Bank has made a name for itself as not only being the only African American owned bank in Texas but for being dedicated to serving the community for the last 48 years.

Existing in one form or another since 1963 when it received its charter as Riverside National Bank, the institution was started by a group of Houston’s elite professions of African descent who wanted something in their own community.

“They wanted to give access to capitol to small businesses and personal loans to those who qualified and otherwise wouldn’t have access to funds,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer John Scroggins.

The 1980s came along and Riverside National Bank went into recievership, was sold to a group of white businessmen and became Peoples Bank for a brief period. The African American community was in shock and worked to regain ownership of the bank. In 1989 was sold again to another group of African American businessmen, headed by Limas Jefferson. This is when Riverside National Bank would change to the now current Unity National Bank.

Unity National Bank would hit its new milestone in 2005 when businessman Kase Lawal would become majority shareholder of the bank. With the change in ownership came a new management team. The new chairman would become former mayor of Houston Lee P. Brown and Lawal became the vice chairman. Scroggins would be recruited from a high paying career at Wells Fargo to his position.

The reason Scroggins moved from an almost trillion dollar bank to a small community bank was simply to make a difference.

“It’s because I knew I could make a difference at Unity, more than what I could make at Wells Fargo,” said Scroggins. “I could really see the difference it would make in advising small businesses; especially African American, Latino, and woman owned businesses.”

When Scroggins came to Unity National Bank in January of 2006, the total assets of the bank were about $50 million. Now, the total assets stand at around $70 million along with an overly strong balance sheet. Scoggins also helped push for online banking, bill pay, credit card services, mortgage banking and merchant card services.

Along with City National Bank in New Jersey, Unity National Bank is the only black owned National Charter banks in America. With that ability, Unity National Bank has the ability to bank outside of the state of Texas and join the ranks of bigger banks like Chase and Bank of America which will help the bank accomplish its goal of being the biggest African American owned bank in the nation. Currently outside of the location of Blodgett Street, there’s a location in Missouri City area and one in the Pavilion shopping center in downtown Houston.

Unity National Bank serves the community through niche banking. This means that because they cannot compete with bigger banks due to size and numbers, the bank lends mainly to local businesses such as churches (along with other religious organizations), locally owned restaurants, and small government entities. In an effort to grow, the bank also has not ruled out acquisitions of other banks to coincide with its organic growth throughout the community said Scroggins.

According to Scroggins, local community businesses that have thrived while banking through Unity National Bank include Holman Street Baptist Church, Frenchy’s Chicken, Acute Machines, and Womack Development Company.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood has a new grocery store.

On Wednesday, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market became the first grocery store to open in the neighborhood in more than two decades.

Supporters tell the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/nXoMoV) more residents will now have the option of buying fresh food. The historically African American neighborhood has previously been considered a food desert _ an area with limited access to affordable produce and other nutritious foods.

Community leaders say some residents would have to drive for miles for those items, making it easier to turn to fast food.

Fresh & Easy is a unit of United Kingdom-based retailing giant Tesco.

ATLANTA (AP) _ Morris Brown College has settled a nearly $10 million debt with the U.S. Education Department.

The college announced Tuesday that it had transferred money to the federal government to pay off the long-standing debt. The historically black college in Atlanta reached a settlement with the Education Department in April that $9.4 million in debt would be forgiven if Morris Brown paid off the remaining $500,000.

Education Department spokesman Justin Hamilton confirmed the department had received the payment but declined further comment.

The debt represents years’ worth of unused federal aid that the school was supposed to return to the government, financial abuse uncovered in a federal audit of the college’s finances between 1999 and 2004.

Morris Brown lost accreditation in 2003 over the financial problems and other issues.