Every month, Global Paint for Charity recognizes outstanding individuals and corporations from every section of our organization. Whether it be volunteers, donors, recipients, interns, or corporate partners, we like to recognize the people who help make our mission possible. This month, we have chosen to recognize an amazing advocate of diversity, inclusion, and hard work. Her name is Donna Ennis, and she is the Project Director of the Atlanta MBDA Business & Advanced Manufacturing Centers located at the Enterprise Innovation Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Funded by the Department of Commerce, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Centers’ mission is to grow and strengthen Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs).

Global Paint has been a loyal client of the Atlanta MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center for roughly 4 years now, and due to this relationship, our organization has been able to grow in numerous ways. Opening new doors, building network relationships, and introducing new opportunities to our organization are all examples of how the MBDA Center has helped Global Paint grow. Ennis has been crucial in this growth, as she is a fantastic friend to Global Paint’s CEO Rony Delgarde. Delgarde was recently presented with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, and Ennis was a reference and advocated for him during this process. Global Paint for Charity sincerely thanks Donna Ennis for being a great partner and for guiding us in the direction of growth.

With a Masters in Public Administration from Georgia State University, a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Boston University, and naturally having a way with people, Ennis has a strong background in meeting clients’ needs and listening to their desires. She says it is important to form relationships with your clients or else you will never be able to truly understand and meet their goals. To name a few of her accomplishments, Ennis has been named one of Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Alliance. She has also been the director of the Atlanta MBDA Business Center for over 15 years, launched the Atlanta MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center in 2016, and has helped thousands of MBEs achieve their goals. As an influential member of Atlanta, she cares about her community immensely.

Ennis shared that her favorite part about working at Georgia Tech was the commitment to service that the environment holds. Working with the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) has allowed her to carry out her passion of working with people through service. Through EI2, the MBDA Business Center recently secured funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to aid small and minority businesses, helping them to “survive and thrive” in this new era of COVID-19. Among these projects, the Business Center will launch a webinar series at the end of June to assist and give advice to clients about pivot strategies, cybersecurity, health and safety in the workforce. On November 16th and 17th of this year, the Atlanta MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center will host its 5th National MBE Manufacturers Summit, a national manufacturing event that Delgarde has attended in the past. Ennis says she is excited about this event because this year it will be held virtually.

Ennis describes Global Paint as an organization that is great to work with because they are open to implementing new opportunities, mentorship, and know-how to maintain a great customer-client relationship. Global Paint recognizes Donna Ennis as not only hardworking but also someone who understands people. Our mission as a company is to help people, and in many ways, she has helped us achieve this mission.
Learn more about Donna Ennis and follow her events on www.mbdabusinesscenter-atlanta.org

Author: Caroline Embleau
cembleau@globalpaints.org