TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY BUSINESS GROUP (TIMBG)
INVITES YOU TO ATTEND
A NASHVILLE MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM
ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY BUSINESSES

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Tuesday May 19, 2015
6:30 -8:30 PM
Global Event Center, Global Mall
5252 Hickory Hollow Pkwy, Nashville (Antioch)

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TIMBG was founded by Drs. Ming Wang and Galen Hull in September 2013 to promote communication and interaction among immigrant and minority business owners through a series of monthly seminars. For further information see www.timbg.org and www.diversecutluralevents.com.
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Moderator:                             Mr. Steven Hale, Nashville Scene Staff Writer

Panelists:

Charles Robert Bone – Attorney with Bone McAlister Norton; Democratic Party fundraiser; businessman, helped start over 20 small businesses, mostly in health care, technology and manufacturing.

David Fox – Former Metro School Board Chair; represented District 8 from 2006 to 2010; former Tennessean business reporter; until recently worked at Titan Advisors, New York-based hedge fund.

Bill Freeman – Co-founder of Freeman Webb management and real estate investment company, a billion dollar business with 500 employees and 15,000 apartment units nationwide; a top bundler for President Obama’s 2012 e-election campaign.    

Howard Gentry – Has served as Davidson County Criminal Clerk since 2011; served as Vice Mayor from 2002 to 2007;  longtime advocate for the homeless; ran for Mayor in 2007, coming up just 405 votes short of making the run-off.

Jeremy Kane  - Founded LEAD Public Schools, Nashville’s largest school network, in 2004 and served as CEO; Executive Director of Tennessee Charter School Association; speech writer for Sen. John Kerry; taught American Literature, Government, and Economics in public and private schools in Nashville.

Issues to be addressed

• Mayor’s Office of New Americans

Mayor Dean recently established an office on New Americans (MONA). Are you familiar with the objectives and initiatives of this office?  Would you continue support for this initiative? If so, do How you have ideas about how to expand upon MONA?

• Pathway for New Americans 

Under a new initiative known as Pathway for New Americans the Mayor’s Office has establishedNew Americans Corners at library and parks locations throughout the city. Have you visited any of these?  What are the services that these centers provide new Americans?

• Cities for Citizenship

At a recent National Immigrant Integration Conference Mayor Dean announced Nashville’s participation in Cities for Citizenship which seeks to increase citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents by sharing best practices and programs. Are you familiar with this initiative?  The Cities for Citizenship website provides an extensive list of initiatives that American cities can initiate to serve new Americans. Would you commit Nashville to actively participate in any of these?

• Community Organizations that Support Immigrants

There are numerous organizations in the Nashville area that provide support to immigrants. Are you involved in any of them?  If so, in what capacity?

• Nashville Police Department

USA Today recently reported that the Nashville Police Department was pushing the state legislature to change a law that bars non-citizens from becoming law enforcement officers. Immigrants who have been honorably discharged from the military would be eligible for service. Would you support such a move?

• In-state tuition for undocumented Tennesseeans - (SB0612/HB0675)

Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) have introduced legislation to exempt certain students from payment of out-of-state tuition rates at public universities regardless of immigration status. If passed, this legislation would make college a possibility for thousands of undocumented youth across Tennessee. Do you support this proposed legislation?

TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY BUSINESS GROUP (TIMBG)

Invites you to attend a health fair and panel discussion on

NAVIGATING HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

IN THE UNITED STATES

Thursday, April 16^th 6:30-8:00 at the Global Mall Events Center

5252 Hickory Hollow Pkwy, Antioch, TN 37013

Hosted by Julie Dunlap, MSPH, Public Health Promotion, Education and Research

Please join us for a critical discussion on these topics and a

health fair with vendors from providers across the Greater Nashville Area.

Food will be served!!

Free and Open to the Public!!!

TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY BUSINESS GROUP (TIMBG)

Minority and immigrant populations in the U.S. face a wide array of health disparities resulting from interacting individual, societal and structural factors. Many immigrant and refugee families coming into the United States are drastically underserved in needed areas of mental health and preventive care. Further disparities manifest as these groups adopt American habits, including high-processed diets and more sedentary lifestyles. Furthermore, American-born minority groups in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, women, and other disenfranchised groups face various socioeconomic barriers, resulting in suboptimal health education, access & utilization of healthcare services, and ultimately poorer health outcomes. Addressing these disparities in immigrants and minorities will require collaborative efforts from community members, healthcare providers and community stakeholders and a critical look at strategi es to help communities effectively navigate healthcare systems in the United States. 

Our panel of experts will discuss these critical issues and how they affect the diverse populations in the Greater Nashville area. This event aims to provide useful strategies on Navigating Healthcare Systems in the United Statesand to connect attendees with useful information on health services in Tennessee. All attendees will also have the opportunity to introduce themselves and promote the work they do.

With Panel Representatives from:

Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group (TIMBG)

Invites you to attend a special session 

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TIMBG was founded by Drs. Ming Wang and Galen Hull in September 2013 to promote communication and interaction among immigrant and minority business owners through a series of monthly seminars. For further information see www.diversecutluralevents.comand www.TIMBG.org.

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Thursday, March 19, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
30 Burton Hill Blvd., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37215

Hosted by Ms. Jana Truman,Principal Broker at Middle Tennessee Business Brokers & Commercial Real Estate Affiliate Broker with Keller Williams (KW) Commercial

Nearly 30% of businesses bought or sold in the last year with Middle Tennessee Business Brokers included at least one party that was either an immigrant or a minority.

At our special session we will address topics like these:

1. You see a need in your community, maybe you are thinking about starting a business but want don't have the equipment or expertise to do it. Have you thought about buying an existing business? How and where can you find one that will fit your needs?

2. Maybe you have a family member who wants to come to America and is thinking about applying for either the E2 Visa or L1 Visa. How can you find a business that qualifies? How can you negotiate and compete with other investors to be successful?

3. As a business owner, you have worked hard to build your business. You have created something of value, but now you need to sell. What do you do? Who can you trust?

This TIMBG event aims helping minorities and immigrants break the barriers to business ownership and maximizing the value of their businesses when they are ready to sell. Members of the Middle Tennessee Business Brokers team will talk about business buying, selling and investing.

Middle Tennessee Business Brokers has the largest amount of business listings in the Nashville region. Their goal is to sell your business while allowing you to run your business, selling it in the least amount of time and with the least amount of inconvenience to you. Using their very large database of potential buyers and state-of-the-art techniques, they discretely help find qualified buyers, negotiate and structure the transaction, manage due diligence and coordinate the closing. When you are buying, They help you hone your objectives, find businesses that may be a good fit, negotiate, help you write and present the offer, and guide you until the deal closes. Whether buying or selling, they help keep the gears of the transaction running as smoothly as possible.

In the second part, members of TIMBG will be given time to talk about their businesses and ask questions. Now into its second year, the Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group maintains a database of over 350 persons, engaged in businesses and non-profit organizations.

Jana Truman—615.260.2807

Principal Business Broker
Jana is a business broker, intermediary and licensed Realtor® with KW Commercial Real Estate. She is an entrepreneur herself and has owned several businesses and understands the challenges that business owners can face having been on all sides of the table. She has extensive skills in business valuations, commercial and residential real estate valuation, and negotiations. She has 17 years of business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing expertise. Jana graduated from Brigham Young University. Jana is a member of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors and subscribes to their code of ethics.

Chuck Paetz—615.593.3847

Business Broker
Chuck is a business broker and has been a commercial real estate agent since 2007. He has prior work experience as a general contractor and insurance agent over the last 25 years. He is a graduate in business administration from Middle Tennessee State University in 1990. Chuck has been a resident of Middle Tennessee for 31 years. Services offered: Listings, Commercial Real Estate, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group (TIMBG)
Invites you to attend a Panel Presentation on the theme of 

Social Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
6:30 – 8:00 PM

Venue:  Casa Azafran Community Center
2195 Nolensville Pk., Nashville (just north of the I-440 corridor)
(Parking available in front of the building and across Nolensville Pk.) 

Hosted by Jose Gonzalez
Conexion Americas, Financial Director

Corporate Sponsor: 
Transamerica:  One of the world's leading financial services companies
Catered by King Tut's: offering a mix of Egyptian and Mediterranean style cuisine

PROGRAM
Panelists/presenters consisting of a sampling of the resident partners in Casa Azafran
as well as a selection of TIMBG members who have embarked on a social enterprise or aspire to do so.

Funded by public and private donations and grants, Casa Azafran was opened in December 2012 and is now home to Conexion Americas as well as nine non-profit resident partners. These include the American Muslim Advisory Council, Global Education Center and Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. The Casa Azafran facility reflects a combination of Moorish and Spanish design. It includes 2,200 sq. ft. of meeting space, a commercial kitchen, business venues, an art gallery, and a large outdoor patio. The mission of Casa Azafran is reflected in its multi-dimensional mosaic mural titled “Migration”. The spotlight was shined on Casa Azafran on December 9, 2014, during President Obama’s visit to Nashville. In a major national speech advocating for his recent actions on immigration reform the President lauded the work of the city of Nashville and community members in welcoming immigrants.

Now into its second year, the Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group maintains a database of over 350 persons, engaged in businesses and non-profit organizations. This TIMBG event aims at presenting those that share the attributes of a social enterprise. The first part of the program will consist of an introduction to Casa Azafran and several of its resident partners. In the second part representative members of TIMBG will describe how their mission – or business plan – conforms to the attributes of a social enterprise.

Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group (TIMBG)
invites you for a glimpse into the 
US Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC)

Susan Au Allen, Esq. USPAACC President/CEO	Neera Bahl, Esq. Southeast Region President	Ms. Jackie Lajoie Diversity Supplier, Ingersoll Rand