George R. Brown Convention Center • Exhibit Hall C • 1001 Avenida de las Americas • Houston, TX 77010

September 21-22, 2011

2011 EXPO Corporate Chair
Mike Saint John
President

Mike Saint John is President of Coca-Cola North America’s Minute Maid Business Unit comprising a number of brands, including Minute Maid, Simply, and Hi-C. In a career that spans 28 years with Minute Maid, Mike has held a number of leadership positions from Territory Sales Manager to Senior Vice-President of Sales. Mike assumed his current role as President of the Minute Maid Business Unit in 2004.

Mike is very active in the grocery industry and has served on numerous boards and councils. He currently serves on The Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council, and has served on the company’s Global Customer Council, Global Supply Chain Council, and President’s Advisory Council. He is a past member of the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) President’s Advisory Council and the GMA Sales Advisory Council. Mike served as a Regional Coordinator for the National Frozen Food Association, and was appointed to the Association of Sales & Marketing Companies Principal Advisory Board and the A.C. Nielsen Sales Advisory Board. He also actively participates in several industry share groups.

2011 EXPO MBE Chair
Lupe Fraga
Chairman & CEO

Lupe Fraga is Chairman & CEO of Tejas Office Products, Inc.  He began his career in the office products industry in 1962 after serving as an officer in the United States Army.  Tejas is recognized as the largest independent office products dealer in the Houston area and one of the largest in Texas.

Mr. Fraga has led Tejas Office Products to be ranked in Hispanic Business Magazine’s Top 500 Hispanic Owned Companies in the Nation since 1982.  He has also been featured on the cover of DBA Houston Business Magazine and Hispanic Business Magazine.  In 2001, PBS aired a nationwide television presentation featuring Tejas for their education series, Small Business School.  Tejas has been named by the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council as its Supplier of the Year in 1991, 2001, 2006 & 2008 and was one of their Emerging Ten (E-10) Award winners in 2002.  In March 2009, Family Services of Greater Houston honored the Lupe & Irene Fraga Family as their Family of the Year.  In March 2011, the Center for Houston’s Future honored him and his brother, Felix, with the Eugene H. Vaughan Civic Leadership Award for their lifetime of creating a better community in Houston.

2011 The Rigel Awards Luncheon Speaker
Melvin J. Gravely II, Ph.D.
Founder

Dr. Melvin Gravely II, is the founder of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, the leading think tank focused on issues related to minority business entrepreneurship and improving the results of minority business development efforts.  The Institute is nationally known for providing thought leadership, and industry changing research on issues at the intersection of business and race.  The Institute is a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, Chambers of Commerce, major corporations and community leaders across the nation. 

Gravely is the author of eight books including When Black and White Make Green, The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship, Getting to the Next Level and his latest What Is The Color of Opportunity?  He is a frequent guest on radio stations from Los Angeles to New York and has been featured in many national publications including Black Enterprise, MBN USA, Entrepreneur Magazine, and American City Business Journals.