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November 25, 2024
We as human species have evolved to adapt to everything that came our way. Prior to the dot.com boom, companies were struggling to adapt to the constantly changing business environment across the globe. Both the internal and external environments of businesses cannot be controlled by an entrepreneur. To understand the environment, it takes years of experience and a team of expert advisors to act in response to each situation. With the dot.com boom and the financial crisis of 2008, several companies shifted in order to adapt to this new change and to meet the fast-growing competition. Companies hired consultants to adapt and gain advice. As a result, the professional consulting industry has seen rapid growth. The demand for companies like M. Gill & Associates increased, as it could foresee the changes happening and adapted quickly, in comparison to others in this industry.
Consulting as an industry mainly revolved around utilizing experience to assist clients in any given situation. Over the years, the consulting industry has undergone significant transformation. The two major transformations that have allowed businesses to globalize include; advancement in communications and advancement in technology and automation. Businesses of all sizes utilized the advanced mode of communications to trade across the global marketplace. Also, it further helped them to include advanced technology and automation which ignited their growth. Eventually, it resulted in globalizing—requiring multi-office operations, remote workforce, and multi-cultural teams.
While these transformations were happening, Marie R. Gill, Founder, and CEO of M. Gill & Associates, witnessed how the advancement of technology has been responsible for significant changes in business industry-wide. Utilizing her experience, she founded M. Gill & Associates in 1990. Since then, and particularly since the Covid pandemic, the company has been contributing to the process of transformation by leveraging technological changes, planning, and hosting virtual events, facilitating online training for small and minority businesses, tapping into the expertise of industry experts, and worked to help businesses gain financing and contracts, along with her committed, multicultural consulting team.
Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, M. Gill & Associates, Inc. is a recognized leader among small and minority businesses in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a proven track record of domestic and global success. Before launching, Marie identified an underserved niche, and she had a yearning for the freedom to develop and grow small and minority businesses, “Marie Gill-style” in various targeted areas throughout South Florida.
Today, the company offers a wide range of management and economic development services including other services; marketing and public relations; event planning and business-to-business conferences; small/minority/women business development and growth; international trade and export services; public involvement and community outreach; entrepreneurship training, strategic planning; grant writing; hand-holding, and management coaching. The services and core competencies offered by M. Gill & Associates, Inc. are specialized and are provided with a passion for giving, serving, helping, and seeing others succeed. The vision of the company includes being recognized as a leader among small, minority, and women businesses in Florida, and elsewhere in the U.S.
True to its mission, the company has been consistently providing its services to a wide range of businesses throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. This has also helped it to surpass its competitors in all applicable areas of performance, especially in the government contracting space. Moreover, the diversification of its geographic markets, clientele, and service offerings makes it a “one-stop-shop” for any small, minority, woman, or veteran-owned business, and for any government agency or corporation, domestic or foreign, that is seeking to legally engage and grow within the enormous U.S. economy, and in global markets.
Meanwhile, the advancement in technology created ample opportunities for the marketing of the company’s services to businesses in both the U.S. and overseas, resulting in significant growth. Aligned with the opportunities, M. Gill & Associates also experienced challenges that significantly reduced its market share in the professional services industry, since people and businesses were able to connect from anywhere in the world. Notwithstanding, Marie as an ideal and experienced leader, chose to remain consistent and true to her passion. This ensured M. Gill & Associates would continue to have that same “hands-on” approach with its service offerings to every client of the company. “My response to change has been to remain evergreen in innovation, efficiency, customer care, and service excellence,” states Marie.
Over the span of 30 years, M. Gill & Associates has created numerous successful partnerships. The secret recipe for success is in its mission. The company has been focusing on its strengths, being a leader in its industry, achieving high marks from funding sources, treating its internal and external customers with the ultimate respect, and receiving the same in return, maintaining a reputation of high integrity and excellence in service, and extending its MBDA Export Center programs to a global audience. Another approach that adds to its success, is the ability to stay abreast of industry trends and act appropriately. The company’s excellent customer service and performance reputation with the federal government is a win-win opportunity for getting new federal contracts and for attracting new customers who are seeking to be in a similar industry space.
A cornerstone that allowed the company to acquire a more diverse clientele was expanding its reach through federal contracting and engaging Florida’s Caribbean Diaspora. Utilizing its MBDA Export Center programs, the company has expanded its international trade connections, and export B2B activities. As a result, M. Gill & Associates has grown to become a global brand. It has established MOUs with various national and international organizations that have resulted in new and more diverse clientele. As President of the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce, Marie Gill has engaged the Jamaican and other Caribbean business owners to take advantage of the free services that are available to help in the international trade and exporting process. M. Gill & Associates has amassed a clientele of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, small/minority-owned businesses, educational institutions, and international firms that benefit from its services. “I am thankful to the many partners, clients, staff, and contractors who have supported our company on this great journey,” says Marie.
The dynamic nature of business creates both success and challenges for today’s entrepreneurs. Alongside constant success and expansion, M. Gill & Associates had its share of challenges throughout its 30-year journey. To begin with, Marie started the company with her own funds that served the company for a couple of years.
Obtaining financing and government contracts for its target clients still remains two constant challenges. Moreover, matching small/minority businesses with federal procurement representatives and obtaining loans and equity investments from banks and angel investors were extremely difficult.
In addressing these challenges, M. Gill & Associates has aligned with alternate resources such as Community Reinvestment Agencies (CRAs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Micro Lenders, and Angel Investors who were targeting minority businesses and small start-ups.
With the support of the City of Miami, as its Cost-Share Strategic Partner since 2008, M. Gill & Associates delved deeper within the marginalized neighborhoods, connected with many small companies and major developers in the construction sector, and got those financial and government partners to refocus their energies, their dollars, and their contracts toward its targeted clientele. At the same time, the company was helping small/minority firms to position themselves by getting certified; identifying special projects and writing more winning bid proposals; revising their marketing strategies, pricing their products and services more competitively; rethinking their service option/delivery; hiring, managing and training staff more efficiently; better budgeting and cash flow management; seeking out, supporting, and advocating to hold their elected officials more accountable for their success and the economic growth of their communities.
As a result of its diverse service menu, and in collaboration with various partners and the CRAs throughout Miami-Dade County; and the Cities of Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Miramar, and Ft. Lauderdale in Broward County, hundreds of small businesses have received technical assistance and entrepreneurship coaching; purchased, and refurbished properties; obtained loans and equity investments; gained more contracting opportunities; expanded market share; and created thousands of jobs over the years.
M. Gill & Associates is the brainchild of Marie R. Gill who is currently serving as CEO of the company. A consummate professional, Marie Gill is the first woman, the first Black, and the first of Caribbean descent to have won the U.S. Department of Commerce contract to operate the MBDA Business Center in 2001 in Florida. She has acquired extensive knowledge and expertise in small/minority business development and growth, international marketing and public relations, and economic development, as a result of her many years of service with governments and economic growth agencies throughout Jamaica, the Bahamas, Canada, and the U.S. For more than 30 years, Marie has continued servicing businesses and communities in Colorado, New Jersey, and since 1989 in Florida. She is the official coordinator of Florida’s Annual MEDWeek—the largest federally sponsored business conference for small and minority businesses, held in South Florida during the Fall.
As a CEO, Marie works alongside her team to assist small and minority businesses, and to help revitalize inner-city communities, with a special focus on Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs). She oversees the provision of community outreach, quality assurance and compliance, project monitoring, and economic development services to developers, corporations, and government agencies throughout Florida and the U.S. Territories. Also, she takes a much more personal interest and hands-on approach in helping minority and women businesses to start, grow, and to engage in exports.
As a veteran in the industry, Marie shares her wisdom for the aspiring leaders of tomorrow,
“There will always be challenges, new opportunities, and new market niches. Through it all, one of my most important mantras is “to know your job, know your customers, and always serve and respond with the highest degree of integrity when faced with both opportunities and challenges.” This mantra and attitude has taken my company into the 21st Century and helped in our strategic positioning and growth. I should like to think that I have grown, personally, over the years as well. I am a forever student—always trying to be of greater value to my company, my team, my grantor, my clients, and to family and friends. In more recent years, I have learned not to take life so seriously (competition, naysayers); I have learned to forgive and to be mindful that there is a higher-order that governs the universe, that I am here for a great purpose, and that this great and important work that we are engaged in, is way bigger than Marie Gill. This thought process has guided my direction as I try to provide leadership. I believe that this attitude continues to have a positive effect on the growth of my company and of those around me.”
The ongoing pandemic has affected several businesses, posing the majority of shutdowns across the globe. The remaining businesses are still struggling with numerous issues of remote working, insufficient funds, adaptation to the new norms, etc. Expressing her views on the pandemic, Marie states, “I can only hope that the post-COVID-19 world will provide a wealth of opportunities for new business growth and development – opportunities for direct contact, in-person meetings and team collaboration.” However, the challenges are part and parcel of any business, companies have to adapt to these changes. Currently, there is a lot more apprehension among business owners, resulting in an uptick in mental health issues. “I am proud to report that M. Gill & Associates is a CARES Act Grantee with the Minority Business Development Agency,” says Marie. For the past year, Marie and her team have used those grant funds to help in the COVID-19 Recovery process for small and minority firms throughout the state of Florida.
As we prepare this issue, the company has just been informed that it is the recipient of an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, MBDA to continue its work in stemming the tide of small business closures, and helping to put Florida’s small and minority businesses back on track in winning government and commercial contracts, obtaining disaster financing, rebuilding their businesses, and creating jobs.
M. Gill & Associates will continue to provide free services to help Florida’s small, minority and women businesses that have suffered as a result of COVID-19. This is in addition to the ongoing FREE services that it is providing Florida businesses to develop and grow their businesses throughout the U.S. and in markets all over the world.
Similar to other prominent businesses in the marketplace, M. Gill & Associates had to adapt to the numerous changes with this ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The most prominent being the switch to virtual engagement. Times like these require professionals who have good communication skills to interpret and be responsive to clients’ needs. Placing the right people in the right positions is what makes M. Gill & Associates so successful in these times. The internal and external management, supervising, delegating, budgeting, and monitoring the performance of staff, contractors and clients—simultaneously, have caused the company to swiftly adapt to these new changes.
COVID-19 has pushed industries across the world to shift towards the virtual world. Virtual is the new normal for a majority of businesses worldwide. With the expansion of virtual services from the use of cloud-based technology to online conferences and meetings, technology and how it works in our daily lifestyles, have all been elevated to the next level. It is expected that this trend will continue even after the pandemic. M. Gill & Associates is equipping its team and the customers to be ready for a more long-term, if not permanent remote working strategy, utilizing the new virtual reality services and experiences as they continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
There are several initiatives that the company is pursuing under the M. Gill & Associates umbrella, and as part of its legacy. Among them:
i) The Women Mean Business International (WMBI) is an initiative that will place a greater emphasis on businesswomen making a greater impact in the government contracting arena, and on the economy. The federal government is the largest procurer of goods and services ($800+ billion annually) and 5% of that must be spent with certified women-owned firms ($40B). That goal is not currently being met! Our strategy is to help women-owned businesses and the federal government achieve that goal.
ii) The M. Gill*Her Foundation – In celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2020, the company has launched the M. Gill Her Foundation, which is a nonprofit that will be building a financial portfolio so that forgivable loans can be provided to early-stage, women-owned businesses, especially women of color, and those that are located in, and that serve marginalized communities.
These two initiatives are specifically focused on women business owners. The difference is that they provide specific services, financing, and support initiatives for up-and-coming women businesses as well as those looking to rejoin the workforce.
iii) GillPreneur – M. Gill & Associates will launch the GillPreneur Program as a Youth Training and Internship Initiative for High School and College-Bound Students. This is another Legacy Initiative – to assist with Scholarships, Internship Placement, Job Development, Job Placement, and Entrepreneurship Development with a focus on Exporting. The company will be helping to build a strong entrepreneurial culture among minority youth while encouraging more mature business owners to engage with Generation Z to incorporate new technologies and current trends in their business practices.
“With a proven track record of success and an untarnished reputation in the industry, we are proud to be the full-service management and economic development consulting firm you can rely on for all your company’s development and growth needs.”
