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Aura McCracken, Supplier Development Administrator, AEG (L) and Tammy Dickerson, Principal, The Baker Group and SCMBDC Supplier of the Year (R)
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AEG Mentors Award Winning Minority Owned Event Management Firm
The Baker Group, Inc. Wins 2009 Southern California Minority Business Development Council's Supplier of the Year Award
Los Angeles, CA (BlackNews.com) - The Baker Group, Inc. (TBG), a woman and minority owned event production firm, was awarded the 2009 Supplier of the Year Award presented by the Southern California Minority Business Development Council (SCMBDC) on Thursday, July 9th at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. TBG was nominated for the award by AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. Also, AEG mentored The Baker Group through the 2008 Greater Los Angeles African-American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) Business Evolution Program.
"AEG was a wonderful corporate partner who helped take our firm to the next level from an infrastructure and business perspective. They mentored us for a year providing access to key influencers and valuable resources for our firm. We appreciate their nomination and are honored by the recognition from SCMBDC," said The Baker Group principal Tammy Dickerson, an African American entrepreneur. Dickerson, a former in-house event manager for The Coca-Cola Company, launched her firm in 2000, producing an event during the Democratic National Convention that honored former Vice President Al Gore.
The Supplier of the Year Award is a National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC) program that celebrates outstanding certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) partnerships with member corporations. MBEs are nominated by member corporations and compete in the local competition for the award in four major categories, determined by MBEs' gross annual revenues. Local winners receive prestigious business scholarships, special recognition, and compete in the regional and national competitions. TBG was one of more than 40 nominees and 6 women and minority owned companies in the Class I category; which include businesses that generate annual sales less than $1 million.
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Tammy Dickerson is founder and president of The Baker Group, Inc., a national full-service event production corporate, entertainment and nonprofit events. Dickerson manages the daily operations and marketing of the firm, and serves as senior account executive on the firm’s larger projects. She has attracted an impressive roster of international clients, including Disney. Nestle Major League Baseball and the los Angeles Urban League.
Dickerson has been recognized by Black Enterprise magazine, the Los Angles Business Journal, Minorities And Women In Business magazine and the U.S. Small Business Administration. She is an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council, the greater Los Angles African American Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Black Meeting Planners.
Dickerson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from The University of Southern Mississippi, and is a graduate of the UCLA Anderson School of Management Development for Entrepreneurs. A native of Mississippi, Tammy is the wife of Dwight and the proud mother of three daughters Brittany, Merryck and Kylie. |
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Some business owners shudder at the thought of cold calling. The idea of telephoning total strangers to persuade them to set up a meeting can be terrifying, but Tammy Dickerson thrives on that pressure. When the owner of The Baker Group, a boutique events management firm, followed up on a lead, her unsolicited contact led to a face-to-face appointment with an organization that became one of the biggest clients.
Last year, the Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank founded by philanthropist Michael Milken, was searching for an events manager that would service its 8th annual Global Conference. Dickerson decided to make the call to arrange a meeting.
“Based on the caliber of the client, I knew that I had only a few minutes to ’win’ their attention on the call and get them to agree to talk with me about the opportunity,” says Dickerson. During the conversation, Dickerson piqued the interest of the Milken Institute contact by pointing out her familiarity with the conference’s venue and her strong relationship with key managers at the hotel where the conference was being held.
Knowing that her potential client was under pressure to find an event planner quickly, Dickerson used the remaining 20 minutes of her call to point out The Baker Group’s experience in serving the needs of other clients who had a very short window to plan a major event. The contact invited Dickerson to come to his office for an interview.
Dickerson knew this presentation would be critical to her business and being prepared was essential to the success of her firm’s pitch. She pulled together members of her team and event consultants who worked with her agency on major projects similar to the Milken Institute conference.
“Our team developed a list of potential interview questions; we agreed an how we would answer; what role each team member would play in the interview; and, most importantly, how we would close the deal,” explains Dickerson. During the presentation, each team member discussed the strengths of The Baker Group, while focusing on how its service portfolio could meet the client’s needs. By the end of the day, the firm had landed the job.
Today, The Baker Group is in the second year of a three-year contract to serve as the logistics coordinator, hotel manager and vendor manager for Milken Institute’s annual conference.
Dickerson, 40 launched the Culver City, California-based Baker Group in 2000. The firm, which specializes in total-event management, service corporate, political, nonprofit and celebrity clients. It posted $ 400,000 in 2006. Dickerson, who serves as president and CEO, says she’s proud that her firm handles a wide range of event-planning services, including logistics, site selection, catering, theme, dcor, entertainment, lighting, sound, and collateral materials.
The Baker Group has planned more than 200 events for high profile clients, including the Coca-Cola Co., Tavis Smiley Foundation, the National Basketball Wives Association, and Morehouse College.
Among the firm’s satisfied clients is john Bryant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE Inc. in Los Angles. “it’s was the most important event Opertaions HOPE had done in its existence, and we turned our credibility over to Tammy,” Bryant says. “We could have gone with a range of established professionals firms, but I had confidence in her character, honesty, and integrity. She has a high level of excellence in everything that she does.” |
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The Los Angeles Business Journal Celebrates L.A.'s Inspirational Women Business Leaders
Over the course of five years, The Baker Group, established by entrepreneur Tammy Baker-Dickerson, has expanded from a home-based
business with one employee to a national, full-service event management firm generating over a quarter million dollars annually. Since
launching TBG in 2000, her company has produced more than 200 events with over 100 international and domestic clients, serving more
than 50,000 guests.
Dickerson has successfully demonstrated expeditious growth while combining her corporate experience with unrelenting drive. She produces
events for corporate, political, non-profit and entertainment entities with a mission to transform ordinary events into extraordinary affairs. |
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Dickerson Recognized as of the 2005 "Women Who Make
a Difference"
Minorities and Women in Business Magazine recognized forty women from across the country from various backgrounds and industries whose indomitable
spirit and willingness to give to others have led to their success. Dickerson is one of these powerful women!
Tammy Dickerson is an event specialist and founder of The Baker Group, Inc.. Before launching TBG, Ms. Dickerson enjoyed over 13 successful years with
The Coca-Cola Company and Xerox Corporation. Her vast experience in Marketing and Event / Project management allowed her to excel in this field and enjoy
her enthusiasm for excellence.
Pursuing her passion for entrepreneurship, Dickerson resigned from her position at Coca-Cola to manage her first event under The Baker Group -- The
Inner City Economic Summit hosted by Operation HOPE, Inc., featuring special guest speaker the Honorable Al Gore, former Vice President of the United
States. This high profile event gave Dickerson an opportunity to fully launch her company and gain extraordinary experience in this competitive industry. Tammy has guided TBG's steady growth, attracting a varied roster of national clientele. Dickerson maintains close supervision of the agency's
accounts and acts as senior account executive on the firm's larger projects. Dickerson is a graduate of The Anderson School at UCLA Management
Development for Entrepreneurs Program (MDE) and a certified Women and Minority Business Enterprise supplier (WMBE). |
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THE BAKER GROUP EXPANDS BUSINESS OPERATIONS WHILE WINNING SBA'S "HOME-BASED BUSINESS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES - February 6, 2003 - The Baker Group, a fast-growing boutique events management company, recently won the Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year Award from the U.S Small Business Administration (SBA). Owned by event specialist, Tammy Baker Dickerson, The Baker Group received the SBA's newly created award for their demonstrated commitment to mentoring and advocating the growing presence of home-based business owners. Nominated by the National Association of Women Business Owners of Los Angeles, The Baker Group also won the award for their incredible growth as a home-based business in the competitive events management industry - an exceptional achievement, given the recent challenges in the nation's economy and business climate. |
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