Create a Dream Team: Connect with MEDC for a New Way to Network

Author: Teresa Zumwald

September 2008

One way Dayton’s Minority Economic Development Council (MEDC) supports IT businesses is by facilitating relationships between companies that complement each other.

Consider Lamar Pacley, CEO and president of Accelerated Solutions Group in Dayton, a small minority business that does a lot of work for the Department of Defense. Pacley’s company – which provides knowledge management, software engineering and information engineering and is certified for IBM Rational software – needed to partner with a new prime contractor.

Then there’s Bobby Cameron, a business development representative for Blackwell Consulting Services of Ohio. BCSO is an IT and management consultancy with 45 employees that has worked primarily for the state government and commercial sectors. An affiliate of the largest minority-owned IT firm in the Midwest, BCSO is woman-owned plus HUBZone and 8(a) certified and is seeking more work with the DoD.

Potentially, a good fit – if these two ever had occasion to meet.

And that’s where MEDC came in.

MEDC helps IT firms make connections

Housed in The Entrepreneurs Center in downtown Dayton, MEDC is a community-based partnership between the Dayton Business Committee and The Dayton Foundation that accelerates the growth of minority-owned businesses. One of MEDC’s jobs is identifying successful entrepreneurs like Pacley and corporations like BCSO and encouraging partnerships, teaming and mentor protégé relationships.

Said Channon Lemon, MEDC’s director: “We listened and learned about the unique strengths of each company, saw opportunity, identified a potential match and arranged a meeting by inviting Lamar and Bobby to a local business networking event.”

Pacley and Cameron took it from there.

In two months, both have attended joint meetings and made at least five joint presentations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Both feel that they have a good shot at a DoD contract this fall.

“Lamar’s company has experience with Wright-Patt, and they’ve put a lot of IBM Rational and project management processes in place there,” explained Cameron. “We have all the certifications and contracting vehicles that the federal government looks for when they do business. So together, we are strong.”

Pacley was drawn to BCSO’s great breadth of IT resources his company didn’t have access to before, as well as Cameron’s state of Ohio contacts. And he had confidence in MEDC’s recommendation that BCSO would be a trusted partner to present to his long-time contacts at Wright-Patt.

“Blackwell has become my prime contractor of choice for DoD work,” Pacley said. “They’re helping me develop knowledge and relationships to get my foot in the door for commercial and state work. Going forward, I see us partnering to get state, commercial and DoD work as one entity.”

Besides facilitating relationships like this one, MEDC supports minority businesses and encourages supply chain diversity. Lemon is working with the Dayton region’s CEOs, economic development leaders and community champions to foster collaboration, cooperation and a commitment to create demand for minority businesses.

“Together, we’re making minority economic development a regional priority,” she said.

Getting involved

How can GDITA members participate in these business initiatives?

For companies focused on minority inclusion, Lemon says to contact her at 937-531-6606 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Right now she’s talking to and meeting with IT firms to build a master list and profiles of minority and majority IT companies in the region interested in partnerships and teaming. As a result, MEDC will be able to facilitate more relationships like the one between Accelerated Solutions Group and BCSO.

MEDC focuses particularly on African American-owned companies, the largest minority demographic in the Dayton region, and majority companies that want to partner with them for mutual benefit. “Companies that partner with minority firms can get more exposure in the public and private sectors,” she said.

By working together with GDITA, The Entrepreneurs Center and other members of the Entrepreneurial Development Network on these and other MEDC initiatives that facilitate minority business growth, what can be expected?

“More business for IT companies. More sizable, scalable minority-owned IT businesses in the Dayton area. And enhanced regional economic health,” said Lemon.

Contact Channon Lemon, MEDC, at 937-531-6606 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Contact Lamar Pacley, Accelerated Solutions Group, at 937-531-6617 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Contact Bobby Cameron at 614-882-4302, ext. 7402, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .