Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman is proud to celebrate Black History Month by recognizing the achievements of our Black professional clients who are shaping industries, expanding economic opportunities, and championing diversity in business. This month, we’re excited to spotlight Beatrice Louissaint, a leader in minority business development and advancing diversity in contracting opportunities.
As President & CEO of the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council (FSMSDC), Beatrice has spent over two decades creating pathways for minority-owned businesses to succeed. Under her leadership, the FSMSDC has facilitated more than $11 billion in corporate procurement sales, providing essential resources and opportunities for Black and minority entrepreneurs. She has worked directly with executives from leading companies such as Office Depot, AutoNation, and AT&T to advance supplier diversity and strengthen business inclusion efforts.
Beatrice’s commitment to economic empowerment began in Miami’s Haitian community, where she developed programs to help immigrants transition from agricultural work to skilled trades and business ownership. She founded the Haitian American Women’s Coalition and spearheaded the region’s first Haitian Conference in English focusing on issues of acculturation. In 1990, she launched the first organized effort to build a Haitian community center. In 1992, she founded and produced Miami’s first Haitian TV show in English, on WLRN. As the first Executive Director of the Black Business Association, she took Black businesses on trade missions to Brazil, Mexico, Haiti, and Ghana, generating $1.7 million in new sales in the program’s first year.
She has earned awards and recognitions including induction to Miami Dade College’s Hall of Fame, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Salute to Miami’s Leaders Award, Business Leader Magazine Women Extraordinaire, “BusinessWoman of the Year Award” finalist (South Florida Business Journal), listing as one of “The 100 Most Influential Black People in Miami” (Miami Times), and the Women’s Leadership Award from the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. She is a member of the Orange Bowl Committee, International Women’s Forum, Economic Club of Miami and the Miami-Biscayne Bay Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Ms. Louissaint currently serves on Truist’s Community Advisory Board and is a board member of the Little Haiti Optimist Club. She was on the South Florida Super Bowl XLIV Host Committee and served on the Board of the Miami Dade College Foundation for 14 years.
Her leadership continues to shape the future of minority business success. We are honored to highlight Beatrice’s contributions and celebrate her impact during Black History Month.
