How to Support Minority-Owned Business By Creating a Supplier Diversity Program
How to support Minority-owned business by creating a Supplier Diversity Program
From 1997 to 2002, 50% of the growth for all U.S. business came from Minority Business Enterprises (MBE’s). Minority-owned businesses contributed to jobs for 2.2 million people, and women-owned businesses contribute 7.9 million jobs. The remarkable growth shows that MBE’s and women-owned businesses are going to continue to play a vital role in the health of our economy for years to come, yet many companies have not established proactive Supplier Diversity programs for their purchasing and sourcing.
Supplier Diversity programs encourage the use of minority-owned, women-owned and other historically disadvantaged communities as suppliers. Most Fortune 1000 companies have successful Supplier Diversity Programs, so it’s time to make sure your company does too.
Join us for a unique event with a nationally acclaimed speaker Kathey Porter, who will share with us a broad overview of Supplier Diversity, advantages to your business, how to successfully launch a Supplier Diversity Program to gain competitive advantage for your business and tangible takeaways to help you get started.
Kathey Porter: Kathey is a nationally recognized small business strategist and award winning supplier diversity expert. With a career spanning nearly two decades in marketing, small business development, supplier diversity and entrepreneurship, she has assisted numerous minority and women-owned businesses to receive millions of dollars in contract opportunities and was recognized as Advocate of the Year by the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council. She was appointed to the State of Florida Advisory Council on Small and Minority Business Development.
An adjunct business instructor for over 10 years, she is the author of 50 Billion Dollar Boss (Palgrave Macmillan), which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and Implementing Supplier Diversity (Palgrave Macmillan).
This event is sponsored by Iowa Economic Development Authority.
