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9 SOUTH FLORIDA: M EET MARIE Gill, founding president of the Jamaica USA Chamber of Commerce in Florida. Through her company’s consulting and contracting ser- vices, she has facilitated the procurement of billions of dollars in contracts and financing for small, minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses within the Caribbean diaspora, and throughout Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A federal contractor with the U.S. Department of Commerce, MBDA, her company has been awarded $4.8 million in contracts to continue developing and growing small and minority businesses for another five years. The company M. Gill & Associates has and continues to exceed expectations. This specialty consulting firmhas truly risen to the occasion to provide access to capital, access to contracts and access to new and global markets to an average of 300 clients each year for the past 30 years. The services and core competencies offered by the firm include management and economic development consulting; marketing research, planning and implementation; public relations; event planning; business-to-business matchmaker conferences; entrepreneurship training; export development and growth; community outreach; strategic planning; and grant-writing services. A highly sought-after motivational speaker and business coach, Gill leaned on her Jamaican edu- cational and business training, coupled with her Canadian and U.S. experiences, to launch her com- pany in 1990, with a mission to help businesses succeed and grow. She and her dynamic team of multi-cultural consultants have successfully devel- oped andmanaged strategic growth initiatives for small-medium-large businesses; government agencies, cor- porations, educational institutions, large nonprofit and international organiza- tions that operate i n the domestic and global econo- mies. A con- summate profes- sional, 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 pro- grams in Florida in 2001. She wears many hats! In addition to serving as the CEO of her own firm, she is also the executive director of the Florida MBDA Export Center, the Miami MBDA Business Center, and the MBDA CARES Act Relief Programs, serving the State of Florida, Puerto Rico and the USVI, where her performance continues to exceed expectations. Her Chamber’s MOU and partnerships with Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and with CAMACOL have led to many successful busi- ness connections between Jamaica andmembers of the Jamaican, Caribbean, and Latin American diasporas. As a result of its excellent performance and the stalwart leadership of its CEO, Ms. Marie Gill, effective July 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce – MBDA has awarded M. Gill & Associates over $4.85 million in contracts to op- erate a newMBDA Export Center, and a newMBDA Business Center in Florida, for the next five years to June 30, 2026. For more information on M. Gill & Associates and its Programs, call 305-576-7888; E-mail marie@ mgillonline.com or visit www.mgillonline.com Jamaican entrepreneur wins $4.8 million in federal grants to serve small and minority businesses M. Gill & Associates, Exceeding Expectations! Marie Gill, founder and CEO of M. Gill & Associates, Inc. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS WE APPRECIATE YOU, MARIE. The mayor of the city of Miami, Florida, Francis Suarez (left) presents Marie Gill (right), with a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the Miami Business Center, earlier this year. THE WEEKLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 3 - 28, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | ADVERTORIAL