WEDC Awards Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute with 2021 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Award for Outstanding Small Business

MILWAUKEE, WI – December 22, 2021 – Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) awarded Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute (MEI) with their Outstanding Small Business Award at their recent 40th annual MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards event, the Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development.  The awards honored outstanding Wisconsin companies that are certified as a minority-owned business enterprise (MBE), woman-owned business enterprises (WBE), or service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVB)

More than 200 nominations were received this year, recognizing the achievements of Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and industries. Businesses were honored in three categories: the Outstanding Large and Small Business Awards, which recognize established businesses that have demonstrated the capacity to grow and have plans for continued expansion; and the Rising Star Award, which honors businesses established in 2017 or later that have demonstrated strong growth potential. The Outstanding Small Business Award recognizes Wisconsin-based certified business enterprises with 25 or fewer employees.

Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute (MEI), a bilingual consulting and technical assistance company, was founded in 2006 by Nelson Soler. MEI started small by answering calls from entrepreneurs who were asking for help. Over the past 15 years, the team at MEI has helped more than 4,000 entrepreneurs and visionaries reach their full potential, achieve their dreams, and improve their business skills through training and courses offered by MEI.

“Our staff at MEI has been working hard to assist entrepreneurs in reaching their business dreams,” says Soler. “The company was founded to provide business planning, training, courses, and support for our hard-working business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the areas of marketing, business development, and taxation,” Soler continued.

The Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development event was held at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee with the support of over 25 sponsors, including Keystone Sponsor U.S. Bank and Governor’s Award Sponsor Milwaukee Business Journal.

About Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation 

WEDC leads economic development efforts for the state by providing resources, operational support and financial assistance to companies, partners, and communities in Wisconsin. Working with more than 600 partners across the state, including regional economic development organizations, academic institutions, and industry clusters, WEDC develops and delivers solutions that help businesses, communities, and people maximize their potential in Wisconsin. For more information, please visit https://wedc.org/.

About MARKETPLACE presented by WEDC

MARKETPLACE runs a competitive awards program to recognize Wisconsin companies that exemplify business excellence, with dedicated award categories for larger and smaller, newer and more established businesses. In addition, the conference honors individuals and organizations that are providing leadership in the business communities served by MARKETPLACE. To learn more, please visit https://www.marketplacewisconsin.com/awards/.

About MEI

The mission of the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute, Incorporated (MEI) is to assist entrepreneurs in reaching their business dreams through culturally relevant education, bilingual consulting, and technical assistance in the areas of marketing, business development, and taxation. To learn more about the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute at https://multiculturalinstitute.com/.

About Nelson Soler

Nelson Soler is an innovative entrepreneur who has founded three for-profit and three non-profit organizations. Soler has utilized his educational and advocacy capacities to facilitate the formation of thousands of enterprises in the greater Milwaukee area. He is an active adjunct faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM).

Thousands of individuals have benefited from Soler’s expertise in entrepreneurship, accounting, nonprofit management, and marketing. Soler’s accomplishments received recognition from the national and local media. Soler has diverse professional experience in banking, international business, mining equipment manufacturing, academia, real estate, and the electric utility industry. He has lead teams in business development, international sales, and documentation, ERP systems upgrade, corporate communications, and training.

His education includes a BS in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Economics from the State University of New York of Buffalo; an MBA and a Masters in International Business and Marketing from UWM. Soler is also a graduate from Future Milwaukee Community Leadership Program and the Associates in Commercial Real Estate Program from Marquette University. Additionally, he holds a Wisconsin Real Estate Broker’s License, a Next Level Entrepreneurial Instructor Certification, an Economic Development Financial Professional designation, Enrolled Agent Designation by the US Department of Treasury, and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certification. In 2020, Soler was admitted to the Ph.D. program at Cardinal Stritch University.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.