David Robinson to Speak at Toyota's 14th Annual Opportunity Exchange

Annual Business Conference, Trade Fair Has Generated Over $75 million in Contracts for Minority Suppliers

ERLANGER, Ky., Oct. 14 -- David Robinson, the recently retired "Admiral" of the San Antonio Spurs, will serve as keynote speaker during Opportunity Exchange 2003, a minority business conference and trade fair hosted by Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TMMNA). The event will be held Tuesday, November 11th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

Toyota's Opportunity Exchange, now in its 14th year, is a forum designed to provide minority business enterprises (MBEs) across the nation the chance to network and develop relationships with over 250 of Toyota's suppliers. Toyota's Tier I suppliers, those who supply parts directly to Toyota, attend the event as exhibitors for the purpose of doing more business with minority- owned companies. Toyota expects representatives from more than 700 MBEs to attend this year's event.

"Throughout his career in basketball and philanthropy, David Robinson has been a leader by developing a game plan and executing it flawlessly," said T. Williams, manager of supplier diversity for TMMNA. "Opportunity Exchange is designed to help minority suppliers develop their own game plans ... and succeed."

David Robinson, known by fans as "The Admiral," was selected as the number one draft pick in 1987 by the San Antonio Spurs, but did not play until he completed his military commitments in the Navy. In 1992, David and his wife Valerie created the David Robinson Foundation, a Christian organization with a mission to support programs that address the physical and spiritual needs of the family. In 1997, the Robinsons announced a $5 million gift to create the Carver Academy, a new independent school that serves primarily low-income African-American and Hispanic families on San Antonio's culturally diverse East Side.

Since the first Opportunity Exchange in 1990, the event has grown from 100 participants and $350,000 in resulting MBE contracts to more than 1,500 participants and over $75 million in new contracts through last year.

In addition to the trade fair and keynote address, there will be an educational session at this year's Opportunity Exchange focusing on building and maintaining successful joint ventures and strategic alliances.

  There will be two presenters at the session:
   - Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh, Professor of Management at the Amos Tuck School
     of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, where he is also
     director of programs for both minority- and women-owned entrepreneurial
     businesses.
   - Dr. Robert L. Wallace, founder and Chairman of the BiTH Group, Inc., an
     information technology consulting firm that provides services in
     management consulting, PC support, telecommunications and integration
     and document imaging.  He is the author of four books, including the
     soon-to-be published Breaking Bread and Boundaries: Building Successful
     Joint Ventures in the Customer Economy.