19-May-09 11:00 AM CST

Alex López Negrete Recognized for Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to Minority Business Development

Hispanic marketing pioneer, Alex López Negrete, president and chief executive officer of Lopez Negrete Communications, was honored for his significant long-term achievements in minority business development at the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) Leadership Awards in New York. López Negrete, co-owner of the second largest independent Hispanic owned and operated marketing agency in the country, received the distinguished NMSDC Leadership Award.

“Receiving this recognition from the NMSDC is extraordinarily meaningful to us, primarily because our status as a privately held, Hispanic owned and operated company is something we take very seriously, and because it is core to the values and vision which have driven our enterprise for the past 24 years: to bridge the gap between corporate and Hispanic America with communications that empower each of them to achieve their goals,” said Alex López Negrete. “As a Corporate Plus member of the NMSDC, we have experienced first-hand and are appreciative of what the organization and its leadership do, every day, to highlight the added value that minority-owned business bring to the table. We are grateful for this and the honor they have bestowed upon us with this award.”

López Negrete founded the Houston-based agency with his wife and partner, Cathy, with the conviction that the Hispanic market is a viable and powerful consumer segment and that thoughtful, relevant, fully integrated, in-language and in-culture communications are the best way to reach this important market. His approach has produced results. López Negrete is intricately involved in providing strategic counsel and creative direction to all of the agency’s clients. The company is an NMSDC Corporate Plus® member.

Other honorees of the evening included David B. Dillon, chairman and chief executive officer of The Kroger Company and Kenneth M. Ricketts, president and chief executive officer of Quality Packaging Specialists International.

Harriet R. Michel, president of NMSDC said, “High achievement and decades of commitment to the power of solid alliances between minority businesses and their corporate partners are what distinguish this year's honorees. As individuals they are recognized as leaders in America's business community. Collectively they represent strength, perseverance, vision, forthrightness and commitment to our mutual goal that all Americans deserve a chance to take full part in our nation's economic progress.”

More than 1,250 guests attended the event, including CEOs and executives of Fortune 500 corporations and minority business owners from across the nation. Business owner Earvin "Magic" Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, served as master of ceremonies.

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. The NMSDC Network includes a national office in New York and 38 Regional Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including America’s top publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. The Regional Councils certify and match more than 15,000 minority-owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their goods and services.