MILWAUKEE, WI. –On december 9th ,  Eight Wisconsin businesses received top honors in the 2021 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards competition, which recognizes outstanding businesses owned by minorities, women and service-disabled veterans. Three individuals were also honored with distinguished awards for their work supporting and leading diverse businesses as part of MARKETPLACE’s 40th anniversary celebration.

The awards were presented by Governor Tony Evers and Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), on Thursday, Dec. 9 at the 40th annual MARKETPLACE.

In celebration of the Marketplace conference’s 40th anniversary, Governor Evers presented three special awards.

Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter received the Distinguished Business Leader Award. She is the president and CEO of V&J Foods, Holding Companies Inc., a multi-brand multi-state operation recognized as the largest female-led franchise operations in the country. Daniels-Carter’s quick-service restaurant operations began with a single Burger King location in 1984 and have grown to include locations of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels, Coffee Beanery, Nino’s Southern Sides, MyYoMy Frozen Yogurt, Pizza Hut and Captain D’s Seafood along with numerous real estate ventures. Currently she is a board member of the Green Bay Packers and is a minority owner of the NBA 2021 Champions, the Milwaukee Bucks Basketball Team.

Floyd Rose, Ph.D., received the Distinguished Supplier Diversity Development Award. A longtime advocate for diversity in suppliers, Rose is now president of 100 Black Men of Madison Inc. Rose led for over two decades the Wisconsin Supplier Development Council (WSDC), a nonprofit affiliated with a national organization that supports and develops minority-owned businesses by facilitating important connections between corporations and minority suppliers of goods and services.  Rose was also involved in the creation of the Business Management Seminar (BMS), an executive management symposium that has been exclusively tailored for the owners and executives of minority-owned firms.

Joaquin Altoro received the Distinguished Diverse Business Development Award. Altoro, now the Rural Housing Service Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has been a champion of the MARKETPLACE conference, serving on the event’s Planning Committee. Throughout his career, Altoro has worked to help organizations increase the technical and financial assistance they can provide to business owners and entrepreneurs.  In 2019, he was appointed by Governor Evers to be CEO of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, where his team succeeded in surpassing the state’s goals for minority spending. Altoro was appointed to the Biden-Harris administration just last month.

The MARKETPLACE

Outstanding Business Awards recognize Wisconsin businesses that show overall business excellence in sales growth, product innovation, employment and management. Those awards have two categories, one for businesses with more than 25 employees and one for small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The Rising Star Awards recognizes the achievements of businesses operating less than five years that have demonstrated strong growth potential.

All winners are Wisconsin-based companies certified as being minority-owned (MBE), woman-owned (WBE) or service-disabled veteran (SDVB) business enterprises.

The 2021 Outstanding Business award winners are:

Large Business

MBE: Rinka, Inc. – Milwaukee

WBE:

The Dieringer Research Group Inc. –  Brookfield

SDVB:

Purple Mountain Solutions – Plover

Small Business

MBE:

Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute – Milwaukee

WBE:

Gerber Leisure Products – Mount Horeb

(No SDVB winner in this category this year.)

Rising Star

MBE:

The Ellevate Collective LLC – Glendale

WBE:

Alliere CPA LLC – Sun Prairie

SDVB:

Valor Technologies LLC– Milwaukee

Two businesses were honored with the Herb Miler Supplier Diversity Legacy Awards: K. Singh & Associates Inc., based in Wauwatosa, and Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, based in Milwaukee.

In addition, DI & Associates, dba Spherion Staffing Services, Madison, has been selected as the award winner for the Highest Certified Spend for Goods and Services with the State of Wisconsin in fiscal year 2021.  Greenfire Management Services LLC of Milwaukee has been selected as the award winner for the Highest Certified Spend for Construction/Architecture and Engineering with the State of Wisconsin in fiscal year 2021.

“MEI has many things to be grateful for this year. Yesterday, the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute received the Outstanding Small Business Award by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation during the 40th Governor’s Conference on Diverse Businesses.

We are proud of our 15 years of service to our community as advocates for entrepreneurs, facilitators of knowledge, and strategic connectors. We have over 4040 reasons to be thankful!

Alfredo Diaz, Tax & Bookkeeping Specialist, ASFP

Elizabeth Cruz, Bookkeeping Specialist

Pablo Novelli, Marketing Coordinator

Rocio Juarez, Bookkeeping Specialist

David Medina, Accounting Specialist

our Chief Solutions Officer, Nelson Soler, was also part of the firechat panel sharing his insights on diverse businesses.”