Corporate Buyers of the Yearmbnusa.biz/clients/mbnusa/2016CorpBuyers.pdfbeen instrumental in the...

C o r p o r a t e Buyers of the

Y e a r honored for driving supply chain diversity

MBN USa is pleased to recognize its 2016 Corporate Buyers of the Year honorees. they are the best-of-the-best among corporate buyers.

the listing showcases top purchasing agents from corporations who help to develop and drive supply chain diversity. these individuals evaluate and buy services and products of women- and minority-owned businesses to put on store shelves, in catalogs and warehouses, online, etc., to either resell or use in their everyday operations.

“these master dealmakers work with minority business enterprises to foster development and expansion of supply chain diversity,” said Jarilyn Fox, publisher, MBN USa. “they play a key role in ensuring the success of supplier diversity.”

Don McKneely, MBN USa chairman and Ceo, added: “Without these buyers’ careful consideration and decision-making skills, many MBes wouldn’t have the opportunity to get their feet in the door with corporate diversity stakeholders. their support and dedication to driving minority business development are helping to change the face of supply chain diversity.”

to ensure the best and the brightest were represented among corporate buyers, MBN USa asked the supplier diversity managers of its Corporate 101 list to nominate up to five individuals they thought were most deserving of this honor. the magazine carefully reviewed the nominations to determine the final list.

MBn usa salutes and congratulates the 2016 corporate Buyers of the year!

36 MBN USA Vol. 1, 2016 www.mbnusa.biz

MBN usA 2016 Corporate BUYerS oF the Year

AllstateMarie colbySourcing Lead Consultant

Marie Colby has been a leader in Allstate’s annual Supplier Diversity Exchange since its inception in 2008. She

is part of the planning process from the very first meeting to the final debrief, but it does not end there. She continues her commitment throughout the year. Colby coaches suppliers and is a tireless champion if they are the right fit for a project. She is relentless in getting suppliers in front of the staff to give them a chance to compete. Her track record is stellar; a large number of Allstate’s largest diverse suppliers were introduced by Colby.

Tom JoyceProcurement Sourcing Manager

Tom Joyce consistently pursues opportunities for diverse suppliers in every

bidding opportunity he leads. Throughout the year, he meets with diverse suppliers in an effort to find the best in goods and services for Allstate. His broad background in sourcing is of great value. He speaks with authority, and when he identifies a strong candidate, he makes sure they are introduced to Allstate decision-makers. He engages his clients, and they listen. Joyce is a trusted adviser, consistently bringing innovation and value to the diversity conversation.

carlos SanchezSenior Sourcing Consultant

With extensive experience in claim-handling, Carlos Sanchez brings expertise to the sourcing discipline. His

background provides an industry view, enabling him to identify the best business partners to serve our customers. He knows that finding the best means including diverse businesses. In supporting the needs of Allstate’s claims department, Sanchez works with the various restoration networks that assist customers in their times of need. He works with those networks to ensure there is diversity in the supplier solutions offered to our customers. He is a respected champion of supplier diversity within Allstate and in the business community at large.

AltriaLena BarfieldManager, Asset Management and Business Systems

At Altria, we believe diversity and inclusion are essential elements of our business

strategy and drives creative and innovative thinking. As a champion of the supplier diversity development program, Lena Barfield took the opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of having a diverse supply chain within her function. Over the past year, she was responsible for developing new infrastructure to elevate her function’s supplier diversity metrics to the executive vice president. These metrics not only reflected her function’s overall progress against targets for the year, but they also reflected where diverse suppliers are supporting our innovation focus areas. Barfield also provided detail reporting to area vice presidents and directors that identifies diverse suppliers utilized within their respective areas and highlighted where new opportunities might exist. This effort resulted in an increase in diverse suppliers and helped Altria exceed our 2015 utilization goals.

Lisa BlakeLead Analyst Purchasing

Lisa Blake has been a supplier diversity champion since 2010 and supports all of Altria’s SDD [supplier diversity development]

programs and initiatives. She was the recipient of the first Supplier Diversity Champion of the Year Award and has served as a role model for peers to follow on how to identify diverse suppliers for competitive activities. During 2015, she successfully introduced new diverse suppliers in the areas of consumer research, event marketing, customer service and merchandising and has been instrumental in the training of prime suppliers in an effort to increase second-tier spend.

Blake actively supported the SDD department at NMSDC events and eagerly supported Altria at events sponsored by local and regional supplier diversity advocacy groups like the Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council, Metropolitan Business League and Women Presidents’ Educational Organization.

Blake’s contributions and suggestions for improvement have helped Altria exceed our 2015 SDD utilization goals.

anita BaconSenior Accounting Assistant

At Altria, we rely on a network of champions across the enterprise to assist and support the supplier diversity

development department. During 2015, Anita Bacon attended all SDD quarterly meetings and supported the program by responding to inquiries referred to her by the SDD department. She eagerly volunteered for SDD-related events — both internal and external — and frequently shared her learnings about the SDD program with her department to keep them informed. Her passion and enthusiasm for the program was contagious and helped Altria exceed its 2015 supplier diversity utilization goals.

American AirlinesLaura adamsManager of Contingent Labor - Senior Talent Scout

I am passionate that building a strong foundation by collaboratively working

with minority-owned businesses celebrates diversity and inclusion and vastly enriches our staffing augmentation. I have built the MBE supplier base community to over 50 percent of American’s Tier I vendors. Partnering, sharing ideas and learning from one another betters our employees and increases the economic vitality of our community.

Our newest supplier, Epitec, believes that human connection is as important as technology. Its approach is placing people. Its philosophy is placing people first. It embraces the differences in one another, which mirrors my objectives and corporate mission. Together, we capitalize on our collective strengths to provide added value to American’s supplier diversity program.

AonDevan FarrenManager, Strategic Sourcing (IT)

According to Leatha King, manager of supplier diversity, Devan Farren has been

instrumental with supporting her by ensuring (continued on page 38)

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(continued from page 36)that minority and women business owners are included in RFPs. He is extremely fair with his evaluation and decision-making process. Farren has supported King at every trade show and even made time to travel with her to the NMSDC trade show to meet with suppliers that responded to an inquiry that was sent out regarding a business opportunity available in his category. He is considered a champion in King’s book, and she considers it a great honor and extreme pleasure to nominate Devan Farren as Aon’s Corporate Buyer of the Year.

Julie StastnySenior Buyer

According to Letha King, manager of supplier diversity, Julie Stastny is a great supporter. She and

King work as a team when suppliers are identified to be included in RFPs. She travels two hours to Chicago to support King at the local trade shows. Stastny ensures that King is updated every step of the way of the RFP process, where minority and women business owners have been chosen to be a part of the process. She was instrumental with working with King to include an MBE in the RFP process, where the spend awarded for this contract was in the millions. She considers it an honor and extreme pleasure to nominate Julie Stastny as Aon’s Corporate Buyer of the Year.

AT&TJenna MattinglySenior Contract Manager

Jenna Mattingly is very engaged with the AT&T supplier diversity team. Not only does she support

the team by attending supplier diversity events as an ambassador, but also she is very engaged with sourcing for diverse suppliers within emerging technologies at our Plano Foundry™ innovation center. Several of the positive connections she has made with diverse companies were submitted for consideration, and a small contract was subsequently awarded to the diverse supplier.

chris reedSenior Contract Manager

Year over year, Chris Reed consistently steps up to the plate in support of supplier diversity. In 2015, he initiated

a program within the fleet organization that helped ensure diversity suppliers were considered for fleet RFPs. The program he developed also analyzes fleet’s current diversity spend in specific categories enabling business unit leaders to uncover opportunity areas for diversity spend growth. Reed has truly demonstrated what it takes to be a supplier diversity champion.

Tatum connorSenior Contract Sourcing Specialist

Ms. Connor is a passionate advocate for diverse suppliers. She works with the

supplier diversity organization to uncover opportunities for diverse-certified suppliers and advocates for them throughout the AT&T meeting planner community. She was instrumental in the RFP process to add diversity suppliers to AT&T’s meeting management program, and she continues to develop and integrate those companies into the program. Diversity suppliers have been awarded multiple projects and have seen their revenue from AT&T continue to grow through her advocacy. Ms. Connor is recognized for not only giving diversity suppliers a chance to compete, but truly advocating and mentoring to ensure their success.

robert Langhorne Jr .Senior Contract Manager

Robert Langhorne is keenly aware of and very supportive of AT&T’s commitment to supplier

diversity. He provides detailed information for opportunities in his area of supply chain, and he invariably researches potential diversity suppliers for these opportunities. In Atlanta, he is recognized as an invaluable resource. Langhorne is the go-to person for information regarding opportunities and a highly respected point of contact when expert advice is needed regarding the sourcing process, as well as a true ambassador to various supplier diversity meetings and events.

The Boeing Co. Tiffany MasonProcurement Agent

Tiffany Mason has positively improved The Boeing Co. supplier management diversity initiatives by developing

a commodity-specific strategy as a set-aside for diverse suppliers only. She has provided contracting opportunities to 11 diverse suppliers that are woman-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned and small disadvantaged. Mason actively pursued these suppliers and counseled them on how they can be a part of her strategy and successfully grow their businesses. She is actively involved with providing advice and counsel to diverse business owners who operate companies across the nation. Her goal is to deploy the same strategy in other commodities to advance Boeing’s diversity objectives.

anjie chapmanProcurement Agent and IT Supplier Diversity Advocate

Ms. Chapman has continually sought innovative ways and means to bring the

spotlight to small diverse businesses. As the shared services group, supplier management information technology supplier diversity advocate, she routinely provides input and data driven by specific commodity to management, procurement agents and other small businesses. In order to sustain diversity throughout the supply chain and get companies in front of the decision-makers, she utilizes diverse supplier showcases. By utilizing this method, she looks to transform, extend the leverage and provide knowledge to others which, hopefully, results in the further development and growth of The Boeing Co. supply chain.

BPcatherine McElhanyProcurement Service Director

Catherine McElhany has experienced a rich and distinctive career at BP with expertise in process efficiency,

operational performance and project (continued on page 40)



(continued from page 38)management. Her work sits primarily in procurement with a signature for improving organizational performance through underlying process improvement. She has been instrumental in building a process standardization to increase upstream business supply chain. Her efforts will allow MBE suppliers to have an opportunity to help BP reset its cost base during this oil and gas economic downturn, while increasing competition in the marketplace. Her process design aligns increased participation in MBE buying within a new functional model. Additionally, the process helps unify solutions for BP’s central and regional ways of working with supplier-diversity inclusion best practices.

ronika curtis (not pictured)Strategic Sourcing Specialist, Indirect Procurement

Ronika Curtis has a distinguished procurement career with Fortune 500 corporations within the oil and gas, automotive and transportation industries. Her strategic expertise in leading cross-functional teams, negotiating complex agreements and effectively managing supplier performances across multiple spend categories has been effective in providing minority business entrepreneurs opportunities to showcase their core capabilities within BP.

Her alignment with indirect procurement resulted in strategic data analysis to provide the greatest value in procurement supply chain management for MBEs. This alignment has led to implementing an Indirect Procurement Summit with category managers and MBEs at BP across the business consulting, facilities management, environmental remediation and engineering services commodities. This effort has validated supply chain diversity with current suppliers and the need to continue these efforts with supplier diversity at BP.

CargillBrian LansingSenior Director, Global Packaging and Ingredients

My strategic sourcing team and I have focused on providing diverse suppliers

opportunities in the packaging category for the past 10 years and in my new added category — food ingredients — for the past year. My team will carve out these opportunities as part of our category strategy. We have been able to increase our certified diverse spend by 10 percent each year over the past 10 years in packaging! We are currently over 28 percent in diverse spend for the packaging category and 8 percent for the ingredient category. A critical factor of our success is participation in almost all supplier diversity fairs, meetings and conferences at the national, regional and local levels. We strive to have a representative from our categories at every event where Cargill is a participant. My team and I make it a point to mentor diverse suppliers and work with them to improve and grow their businesses.

Kate Westermeyer, c .p .M .North America Corporate Materials and Services Leader

My team and I have helped grow supply chain diversity for Cargill. We do this growth

by developing new and cultivating existing relationships with minority-owned and woman-owned companies. One of my biggest accomplishments last fiscal year has been increasing Cargill’s spend in the supplier diversity arena for corporate materials and services by 68 percent. This increase was done by partnering with suppliers that were able to provide a quality product or service, flexibility, strong communication skills, a clear value proposition, differentiators from the market, financial stability and competitive pricing. Our accountability focuses on providing an equal opportunity for diverse suppliers to participate in sourcing events at Cargill.

carol palmerPackaging Sourcing Manager – North America

I actively seek out diverse suppliers to participate in my projects. My experience has

shown me that in many instances, diverse suppliers are more agile, nimble and outside-the-box thinkers, which is a good fit for Cargill. I spend time helping them develop and cultivate their knowledge of Cargill and assist in navigating roadblocks, as well as

promote them internally with stakeholders. One example from 10 years ago: A diverse supplier was cold-calling. I met with their representatives, coached them, and today it is a multimillion-dollar supplier to Cargill.

Cintas Corp.Tom SchlauSenior Director of Strategic Sourcing

Tom Schlau, an active member of the Supplier Diversity Executive Steering

Committee at Cintas Corp., deserves the recognition of Corporate Buyer of the Year. He is an innovative thinker and plays a key role in ensuring the success of Cintas’ supplier diversity initiative. Schlau, along with his leadership team, attend monthly supplier diversity strategy meetings that drive results, while ensuring the supplier diversity team is aware of upcoming opportunities. He influences up, down and across the organization and is instrumental in ensuring diverse suppliers are integrated in the sourcing process. Schlau is never complacent and brings thought leadership to the organization.

Colgate-PalmoliveVicci alfordSourcing Manager, Capital Good and ServicesGlobal Indirect Procurement

Vicci Alford serves as a passionate ambassador

and instrumental driver for supplier diversity development and growth. As the coordinator of the North America indirect procurement SD initiative, Vicci is a proactive and productive representative of the SD team. She participates in trade shows and B2B events to meet and understand supplier capabilities. She attends matchmaker sessions that are focused on her category to exchange information about Colgate with MWBEs. Alford communicates and distributes supplier leads to her team regarding opportunities in their categories. She has a strong commitment to the growth of MWBEs and, thus, participates in panel discussions

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(continued from page 38)and workshops to educate MWBEs in the sourcing process and how to do business with Colgate. Over the past five years, Alford has been instrumental in driving SD spend, specifically, for example, an increase in the capital category of nearly 20 percent. This growth has been accomplished through the use of SD contract language with negotiated targets, tech talks — stakeholder engagement that provides introduction to MWBEs to understand their capabilities and value, geographic expansion of strong-performing and customer-centric MWBEs and encouragement of supplier certification.

Theresa rivera IT/Telecom Sourcing Manager, Corporate Shared ServicesGlobal Indirect Procurement

Theresa Rivera oversees over $90 million of IT spend

with over 8 percent covered by diverse suppliers. Through her leadership, she has implemented and promoted the utilization of services from an MBE for PC peripherals and other computer-related items with a total spend of over $30 million since introduction of their products and services. She led the efforts with the IT team on software and licensing standards and introduced another MBE as our strategic global software reseller. Rivera also recognized and drove the relationship of an innovative value-added MBE that worked with our senior leaders on desk side services. In 2015, Rivera launched the first SD Next Generation IT event, which matched diverse suppliers with key IT leads to discuss new innovations in the areas of software and IT services. She has invested time and extended her knowledge working on a panel with different industry leaders, titled “How to Respond to RFPs.”

Lindsay LevineManager, Global Procurement Training, Policy and Governance, Global Procurement Strategy

Lindsay Levine has been proactive in continuously seeking new opportunities to engage diverse suppliers at Colgate-Palmolive. One example is the work she did to onboard Tier I suppliers for a large capital project that delivered over $2.5 million in two years. She also worked hard at providing aggressive Tier II goals

and ensuring timely reporting, delivering approximately $30 million over a two-year period. In recent years, Levine has taken the time to participate in diversity events to meet suppliers and also participated in a panel with different industry leaders titled “How to Respond to RFPs.” Her dedication to supplier diversity has continuously shown in all of her procurement roles.

CVS HealthLynda EganSenior Manager, IT Sourcing and Vendor Management

Lynda Egan is a very active advocate of the CVS Health

supplier diversity program. She proactively manages the inclusion of diverse suppliers in purchasing activities within her area of responsibility. Her portfolio represents over $50 million with diverse supplier spend.

DTE EnergyBrian J . SmithSenior Buyer

Brian Smith and the energy optimization purchasing team have always taken an active role in the understanding

and promotion of diversity as an important aspect of sourcing process consideration.

Through coaching, development and mentoring work, Smith recently helped a local diverse supplier realize a significant win with the award of a $40 million-plus multiyear contract. His approach was to focus on the strengths of the diverse supplier, understand its opportunities for better depth and recommend a partnership between this local diverse supplier and a nondiverse supplier with significant experience.

Marshella M . chidesterStrategic Supply Category Manager

Marshella Chidester took a personal and devoted interest in the area of supplier diversity

in 2015. She championed and publicized the diverse supplier Stateline Construction in the area of storm restoration work and overhead work. As a result of her efforts, Stateline

Construction received storm work from DTE Energy and was included in the 2016-2018 OH Construction bid.

Chidester took a passionate interest in growing the Tier II supplier base for DTE Energy’s Tier I vendors. She planned and organized a diversity supplier symposium in November 2015. The event brought together more than 60 Tier I and Tier II diverse vendors to network with one another and grow business in Southeast Michigan on behalf of DTE Energy. This event would not have occurred so successfully without Chidester’s tireless dedication to ensuring its success.

cheryl giddensSenior Buyer

Cheryl Giddens is instrumental in developing diverse suppliers in the DTE gas area. For example, we

have moved gas pipeline locating services from an out-of-state, nondiverse company to a diverse, Michigan-based company. This move resulted in $800,000 or more of new revenues for that diverse company.

Giddens is our team representative at the various diversity and matchmaker functions we have. She is constantly engaged with finding new suppliers and ensuring that our team always has a diverse supplier on every bid, if possible. Her experience and engagement around diversity led our team toward achieving our goals.

DuPontLeslie MuirCategory Manager, North America Truck Logistics

Leslie Muir is a founding member of the DuPont Supplier Diversity Advisory

Council and is a longtime proactive advocate for supplier diversity, within and external to DuPont. She frequently represents the company’s supplier diversity program at industry events such as NMSDC. Muir consistently ensures the inclusion of multiple diverse suppliers in the competitive bids she manages. The true source of her impact on supplier diversity, however, is her frequent in-depth engagements. She counsels diverse suppliers one-on-one to ensure they know how to best represent their capabilities to

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compete effectively in modal transportation, a complex space traditionally dominated by large, majority suppliers.

Louis a . (Lou) perricelli Executive Buyer, Professional Services

Just one example of Lou Perricelli’s contributions to supplier diversity at

DuPont is a recent competitive bid for our equipment leasing program, a complex financial services project. He introduced the concept of including diverse suppliers into the process, in the face of strong loyalty to the incumbent and uncertainty that anyone other than large, experienced suppliers could succeed. His leadership and influencing skills enabled the treasury team to embrace including several diverse suppliers in the bid and eventually have a diverse supplier approved as a new lessor to DuPont — with potentially more spend and increased operational efficiency from this supplier.

al Schyman, cpSMGlobal Sourcing Leader, Industrial Biosciences and Packaging

Al Schyman has been a longtime champion of supplier

diversity and deserves special recognition for his drive and determination to have DuPont become a corporate member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce last year and for representing DuPont on the NGLCC Procurement Council. As a result, we have broadened our inclusion of LGBT suppliers into our supplier diversity process, including incorporating this classification into our capability assessment, in our various reports and on our external website. He has influenced his client, Industrial Biosciences, to consistently include diverse suppliers in its competitive bids, a mindset that is creating traction for supplier diversity at the site level.

Energy Future Holdings Brian MosbyProcurement Specialist, Luminant Fossil Generation

Brian Mosby has been instrumental in the ongoing success of the EFH

supplier initiative. He has been key in developing and supporting growth and capacity-building plans for key diverse suppliers and drives opportunities for contract awards at multiple power plants. He continues to proactively look for bid opportunities for existing diverse suppliers, in addition to working to prequalify new diverse suppliers. He serves on the local minority council certification committee, has served on awards selection committees and represents the company at outreach events. He truly understands and capitalizes on the value of supplier diversity to the business.

Barbara MarynowskiSrenior Buyer, Luminant Fossil Generation

Barb Marynowski supports EFH supplier diversity through her

commitment to identifying alternative sources through our diverse sourcing tools and proactively conducting outreach by representing us at trade shows and events to identify diverse suppliers to serve our Oak Grove Power Plant in South Central Texas. She represents the business unit and engages continuously with the supplier diversity team to ensure every bid opportunity includes as many diverse suppliers as possible. Her efforts have resulted in significant project awards to diverse suppliers and recognized savings for the company as a result.

Kim WevodauSenior Sourcing Manager, Energy Future Holdings

Kim Wevodau and her team support our retail electric business for supply

chain. This area represents significant spend in areas of availability for our diverse supply base. She leads this team to proactively meet with and introduce as many diverse suppliers as possible to the business. Despite very fast-paced and continuously changing business strategies in a highly competitive market, she successfully ensures that our diverse suppliers are included and engaged in sourcing opportunities, resulting in a high percentage of diversity inclusion.

EYEY Performance Improvement - Supply Chain Team

angie LiPartner

Kirsty a . McnallyManager

curtis SimpsonManager

This team leveraged an EY thought leadership paper and developed

and implemented a Procurement 2025 Workshop that educated diverse suppliers on the upcoming changes that will take place in procurement and how they can better position themselves for success. The team successfully executed part one of a two-part series that will be delivered to diverse suppliers across the United States and globally. The team’s material will help to develop minority suppliers to be better prepared to forecast future trends in procurement.

EricssonEdward pierceSourcing Manager II

Edward Pierce has been developing and growing diverse suppliers for over 35 years. Before Ericsson, he worked for Nortel and

was very involved with its supplier diversity efforts. Pierce started revamping the Ericsson supplier diversity program in 2013. He was already working with diverse suppliers, guiding them through the processes and mentoring them on how to become successful. He has increased his efforts and continued to work with diverse suppliers, bringing them to Tier I status, obtaining contracts, attending and supporting




(continued from page 43)diversity events, increasing business and mentoring diverse suppliers. He is deserving of this honor and should be recognized for his continued countless efforts.

Ford Motor Co. Donna DavisPurchasing Manager Manufacturing

Donna Davis works tirelessly to support the development of diverse suppliers. She has

worked with Gonzalez Production Systems for four years and has been instrumental in providing ever-expanding opportunities. Davis worked to break down traditional supplier alignments and teams with engineering to ensure diverse suppliers were included in every sourcing consideration. The results are the proof — our business has grown substantially in the last four years. Davis understands the struggles of diverse suppliers regarding financing, cash flow, secured financial support and favorable payment terms to enable additional supplier growth opportunities. Her active support of diverse suppliers has been instrumental in our continued success.

Marisa a . pappalardoCore Buyer – Seat JIT Assembly and Supplier Diversity Development Business Manager, Ford Motor Co. – North America Interior Purchasing

The key to a robust and successful supplier diversity corporate program lies with developing our minority supply base and implementing internal strategies which place an importance on minority, women and veteran business enterprise suppliers. It is extremely important to ensure our suppliers are developed to be the best that they can be and provide proper coaching, sourcing opportunity, etc. In 2015, Pappalardo managed this development for her commodity area, as well as assisted all buyers throughout the interior purchasing department to ensure its minority suppliers were given an opportunity to compete for business. She attended matchmakers, workshops, conferences, etc. to work with certified MBEs to ensure they were clear on Ford Motor Co.’s

expectations from a supply base perspective, etc. Additionally, she worked with the Ford interior purchasing department to ensure at least one minority supplier was included on all upcoming program bid lists across all commodities. The ultimate goal is to ensure that each team has a robust plan that enables minority spend to grow year after year.

Janet pompeyCore Buyer, Steel

As a purchasing raw material core buyer, Pompey is responsible for leading and supporting two of Ford’s

MBE suppliers. The importance of MBEs are emphasized whenever possible. For example, in the raw material organization, she and her management strongly encourage MBEs be included in raw material quotations. Additionally, she provides feedback to support gap closure and future opportunities. Pompey also supports the Joint Technology Framework program where Ford works with diverse suppliers to provide access to intellectual property assets to develop new innovation and technology for future commercial use. She is highly engaged in internal and external matchmaking and networking events to identify new Tier I and Tier II diverse suppliers.

Harley DavidsonMike WeberSenior Data Steward

Mike Weber is an integral member of the team and a major contributor to H-D’s supplier diversity efforts. He

is responsible for reporting and ensuring that we have data integrity. He incorporated new system SAP data-extraction and reporting techniques that provide more spend granularity. He also improved accountability of functional areas with 97 percent allocation of spend from 80 percent, which allows for improved target-setting and reporting. To ensure that all locations are included, Weber combined Harley-Davidson Financial Services with Harley-Davidson Motor Co. to support a single set of company metrics. In addition, he increased the frequency of reporting from quarterly to monthly by utilizing the Standard Work C.I. to create easily repeatable work instructions. To that end, he has consistently provided outstanding support of the diverse

spend initiative for well over 10 years and is a true champion.

chuck carterSenior Supply Chain Analyst

Carter is a consistent supporter and champion of supplier diversity. He leads by example and

has a passion for ensuring that diverse suppliers are provided an opportunity to participate in RFQs. More importantly, he is willing to advocate for diverse suppliers and ensures that others on his team are aware. He is known for providing contact information for potential diverse suppliers to fellow colleagues and also conducting the necessary follow-up to ensure due diligence. His work with MWBEs and providing opportunities for them to bid on rapid prototype, machining and other engineering services projects is commendable. In addition, he has supported several NMSDC events and has actively engaged potential suppliers for over 15 years.

amanda hutkowskiSenior Supply Base Analyst

Amanda Hutkowski hit the ground running and has been a supplier diversity champion for the indirect procurement

department. Since joining the H-D team, she has provided meaningful and consistent support. For starters, she engaged 10 new diverse suppliers for the year and awarded over $5 million in business to five of those suppliers. In addition, she included diverse suppliers in eight out of 12 major RFQs for the year. Additional examples of her support include engaging potential suppliers at the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council Procurement Conference and also the National Minority Supplier Development Council Conference. Her willingness to meet with potential diverse suppliers while looking for diverse solutions for all indirect procurement categories of goods and services is exceptional and evidence of her commitment to supplier diversity.

Kathrine KummaSenior Supply Base Analyst

Kathrine Kumma has been an integral part in ensuring the success of Harley-Davidson’s diversity program. She is


the parts, accessories and customization representative responsible for MWBE development, establishing department goals, tracking and communicating progress. She led the team’s efforts in educating Tier I suppliers of the importance of leveraging a diverse supply base that is best-in-class, customer-focused, globally competitive and innovative, providing a strategic advantage in the global marketplace. In 2015, PAC Tier I suppliers reported their diverse spend for products used to make H-D parts, which has resulted in over $500,000 incremental diverse spend, contributing to achievement of corporate diversity goals. Kumma also supported the Michigan MSDC Conference.

chelsea callahanGM Sourcing Analyst

Chelsea Callahan served as the general merchandise champion on the Harley-Davidson steering committee

and has led efforts for her entire department. She assisted with the development of the 2015 diverse plan and encouraged general merchandise team support. She assessed opportunities to increase general merchandise’s diverse Tier II supply base by actively evaluating production factories and supplier capabilities. As a result of continuously exploring opportunities to increase diverse spend while ensuring partners were globally competitive and innovative, her department achieved diverse spend goals. In addition, she attended and supported the North Central MSDC Conference in Wisconsin on behalf of Harley-Davidson.

IBMDonna Fiori-ambraIBM Technical Services Sourcing - Client Liaison - Supplier Relationship ManagerDonna Fiori-Ambra has

continually encouraged the use of diverse suppliers on all RFPs and bids, especially when she is interlocking with the IBM global sourcing teams. This inclusion has led her team to source approximately $1 billion with diverse suppliers annually. Her current strategic initiative is to drive the growth of diverse Tier II spend within her supply chain by establishing contractual language that requires the quarterly reporting of Tier II expenditures globally.

Joyce Kh BongIBM Global Commodity Manager, PackagingJoyce KH Bong helped foster an increase in spend with WBE suppliers in 2014

and 2015. Diversity spend with suppliers increased significantly with the addition of an IBM project at the Singapore site; she also worked with the supplier for a solution on tight lead times.

Bong collaborated with a WBE supplier to provide value-added services i.e., warehouse moved closer to the IBM site during quarter-end. In support of high-demand time period, she worked to have a warehouse relocated closer to the premises, resulting in reduced delivery time turnaround and relief of production space for packaging storage.

Bong is driving WBE suppliers on green initiatives e.g., crate refurbishment. A supplier is working on collaboration program with Singapore for refurbished crates. This program supports the 3Rs initiative: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse — as well as passing down cost savings.

Jeffrey S . normanIBM Business Services Strategic Sourcing Team Lead

Jeffrey Norman has mentored many diverse

suppliers during his career at IBM. He has helped several of them to grow their business operations globally within the IBM supply chain. He highlighted the value-added programs of one WBE supplier, who he has worked with over the past several years, to IBM customers and clients. By placing this supplier in front of the right decision-makers, the supplier now has a global footprint with many customers, establishing operation centers throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Slovakia, China, Argentina, India and South Africa.

Dwayne De FoorIBM Service Parts Procurement and Warranty, Supplier Diversity AdvocateDwayne De Foor has mentored several diverse

suppliers during his career at IBM, including one most recently in the upcoming 2016 IBM mentor-protégé program. He has

ensured that diverse suppliers have an opportunity in all RFQs across the complex global Service Parts Procurement and Warranty organization. He has also assisted his peers in formulating diverse supplier proposals across the IBM enterprise. Over the past five years, De Foor’s efforts have resulted in a yearly average of $34 million across diverse suppliers and over the last three years, an average of $27 million in U.S. small business expenditures.

Tom SermakIBM Federal Procurement Perform Team - Procurement LeadTom Sermak has the distinction of being the

IBM Federal Small Business Champion 2015. The criteria for selection was simply to be nominated by a small business as essential — someone who takes the time to support the small businesses, whereby they feel comfortable turning to them with questions and concerns related to their working relationship with IBM. One supplier comment: “The IBM buyer has always been responsive, honest and interested in finding win-win situations with us in all dealings. While he is clearly an IBM employee, subject to IBM policies and best interests, we see him as one willing to help guide us, as we grow our relationship with IBM.”

Ingersoll RandJesse StarmanIndirect Commodity Manager

Jesse Starman’s proactive planning for inclusion of diverse businesses in his commodity area is

amazing. When he took on the role of global commodity manager for environmental, health and safety and material handling, he immediately contacted the supplier diversity team to learn how to best utilize the diversity databases. Using information from database searches and other research, he then prepared a ready-now list of qualified suppliers to use in future RFQs. His actions and commitment to our program enabled him to exceed his 2016 supplier diversity goals by 91 percent.




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Jeffrey BillCommodity Manager

Jeffrey is a global commodity manager for complex machined parts. His ability and willingness

to coach and mentor suppliers makes him a true champion for supplier diversity. He works with suppliers to help them fully understand our requirements. Suppliers often provide positive feedback on working with him and highly respect his deep knowledge in the manufacturing process for machined parts. Bill’s efforts helped drive a 10 percent year-over-year increase in diversity spend for the machined parts commodity.

Marc pisallCommodity Manager

In 2016, Marc Pisall was the commodity manager for packaging and is currently the commodity manager for

steel. In response to a need at our Memphis distribution center, he worked with the packaging and quality teams to identify, qualify and onboard a minority-owned firm to meet unique packaging requirements at that location. Pisall worked directly with the supplier to ensure clear understanding of the requirements and supplier’s capability. He increased spend with diverse suppliers in 2015 by a whopping 284 percent.

robert JollyIT Director, Procurement and Asset Management

As director of IT procurement and asset management, Rob Jolly

wears many hats. Since the inception of the Ingersoll Rand supplier diversity program in 2012, he has been a leader in partnering with the supplier diversity team and driving continuous improvement. Suppliers have been able to connect face-to-face with him at numerous conferences, and his impressive results reflect his passion and action after connecting with suppliers. In 2015, Jolly surpassed the IT supplier diversity goals by 85 percent.

The Kroger Co.alia al-hagriIndirect Sourcing Leader

As indirect sourcing leader and supplier diversity liaison for manufacturing, Al-Hagri has worked with the systems

team to develop key metrics to capture and track before/after diverse supplier inclusion in Kroger’s manufacturing and corporate brands sourcing events. She then reviews the results at each manufacturing senior management meeting.

In addition, Al-Hagri led the planning team for the 2015 Manufacturing & Corporate Brands Global Sourcing Diverse Supplier Interchange, which included three educational/informational seminars and a matchmaking event among key Kroger decision-makers and minority-owned and women-owned businesses. The event provided a platform that demonstrated Kroger’s commitment to supplier diversity, provided visibility and accessibility to Kroger sourcing team members and facilitated meaningful introductions between MWBEs and Kroger associates.

Kroger’s supplier diversity expenditures continue to grow, due to the dedication, support and advocacy of associates like Al-Hagri.

Lockheed MartinSean MolloyCategory Manager, Infrastructure and Services, Lockheed Martin Global Supply Chain Operations

In an effort to encourage employees to procure products from small and diverse businesses rather than their large business competitors, Sean Molloy took the initiative to develop small business dashboards. These dashboards were issued quarterly and would highlight Lockheed Martin large business spend areas where a small business agreement alternative existed. This effort has significantly raised awareness with end users, requesters and supply chain professionals and has substantially shifted spend from large to small businesses. Molloy increased service-disabled veteran

and HUBZone spend on key agreements from $22 million in 2014 to $26 million in 2015. Other category managers have adopted his process.

Mark . W . olsonSubcontract Administrator Staff, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Year after year, Mark Olson participates in the Dallas/

Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council’s Hard Hat Conference, aka Construction Hard Hat. Every year, he looks forward to meeting new small/diverse businesses whose core capabilities include construction and/or construction-related services. His primary goal is to introduce these new businesses to Lockheed Martin’s facilities and operations purchasing groups and provide subcontracting opportunities to new businesses, while growing the number of small/diverse businesses in Lockheed Martin’s supply chain year after year. These new businesses become major players who manage multimillion-dollar projects for Lockheed Martin in areas such as architecture and design, general construction (from the ground up) and some minor interior/exterior remodeling. Ultimately, new diverse suppliers succeed in partnering with Lockheed Martin and continue to be awarded subcontracting opportunities.

A best practice that Olson utilizes before issuing an RFQ is inviting prospective businesses to pre-bid consultations for an opportunity to tour the site where each applicable project will take place. He clarifies all questions that arise during the pre-bid phase to ensure suppliers are prepared to properly bid and win any given construction project. Olson consistently introduces new diverse businesses that he meets during the outreach events to the Lockheed Martin Facilities engineering department for near-term and/or future subcontracting opportunities. In addition, existing diverse businesses are regularly added to RFQs to compete for ongoing construction projects. Year after year, Olson has increased utilization of diverse business spend from $1 million in fiscal year 2013 to $6 million in FY2014 to $18 million in FY2015.




(continued from page 46)

Daniella garensSubcontract Administrator Senior, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Daniella Garens regularly engages with customers

requesting single-source procurements to encourage competitions among any given diverse business classifications. During a unique subcontracting opportunity for office furniture, she sought qualified diverse businesses and set up a “chat session” for the businesses to gain a better understanding of the end-user’s requirement. Lockheed Martin was able to add a diverse business to its list of high-potential suppliers with unique capabilities, while the business was able to gain valuable specific sourcing requirement data. The long-term contract of approximately $6 million was competed and awarded to a small/diverse business.

Garens consistently goes above and beyond normal job duties, and demonstrates notable accomplishment and commitment to grow supply chain diversity. She states, “As a daughter of small-business owners —both my parents have separately been small-business owners — I recognize the value that diverse businesses bring to communities and families. The importance of diverse businesses has grown exponentially over the last decade or so, and their contributions and impact are increasingly recognized as a major contributor to the overall economy and job market. Supporting diverse business is vital to maintaining economic strength, encouraging additional growth and providing the country with as many avenues for innovation as possible.”

Garens also facilitated a single-source procurement to a WOSB, based on its unique capability to provide storage and its unique inventory management system.

Steven EllSubcontract AdministratorLockheed Martin Aeronautics

Ell is indeed a small business champion. He consistently demonstrates

notable accomplishments and commitment to grow supply chain diversity. The majority

of his construction projects are managed via small-business-only competitions. This strategy allows him to award 98 percent of his projects to small/diverse businesses, thus ensuring diverse businesses remain strong within Lockheed Martin Aero’s supply chain. Ell attends small business expos, where he regularly seek new, diverse businesses for subcontracting opportunities. New businesses are included in pre-bid walk-through events, allowing them a birds-eye view of the projects. Ell’s strategy contributes to Lockheed Martin Aero meeting and/or exceeding its small business goals and initiatives. Strategic projects that Ell awards to small/diverse suppliers supports documentation during audits, providing evidence that diverse businesses are rooted in Lockheed Martin’s supply chain. Ell is commended for his extraordinary efforts and ongoing commitment toward supporting small business initiatives. His fiscal year 2015 diverse business performance totals over $16 million.

Barbara WilliamsSubcontract Administrator Senior, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Barbara Williams consistently mentors small/

diverse suppliers to ensure they are equipped to compete in subcontracting activities at Lockheed Martin. Recently, she quickly responded to a diverse supplier whose computer system went down and could not respond to an RFQ. Her actions to step outside her normal process and recommend assistance to this supplier during its technical difficulty is commendable. A week later, when the supplier could electronically respond, it submitted a successful bid and was awarded a $1.3 million contract.

Williams also works with suppliers to ensure their business size certifications are true and accurate before adding them into Lockheed Martin’s purchasing systems. Before the purchase order is awarded, Williams always validates the suppliers’ business sizes. When necessary, she walks them through a step-by-step process to correct profiled data. Williams consistently makes appropriate tactical decisions that result in millions of dollars toward Lockheed Martin’s supply chain diversity goals.

Macy’s Inc.David rineairPurchasing Buyer

David Rineair’s tenacity changed the way we source promotional items across the company. With

a strong background in customer service, he led a competitive inquiry, including diverse suppliers across the country. After conducting an in-depth analysis of all of the proposals and engaging supplier diversity, a cross-functional team led by Rineair was able to award the business to a women-owned company which offered the best total value, including service, innovation, inventory management and pricing. Now, employees can purchase Macy’s branded products by utilizing two newly created websites managed by the diverse supplier.

Sue huffPurchasing Buyer

Sue Huff has shown tremendous technical mastery in purchasing. Most recently, she helped develop and

grew supply chain diversity by identifying an opportunity for a commodity that has been historically underrepresented — paper. While receiving a request for a new design of an existing process in support of six distribution centers, Huff seized the opportunity and created a new supply chain diverse solution. Through careful analysis and due diligence, she was able to award 100 percent of the business allocation to the diverse supplier. Now, this minority supplier is starting to do business supporting warehousing, distribution and invoicing services.

yolanda FreemanPurchasing Director

With over 15 years of technical mastery in printing, Yolanda Freeman has helped develop and grow supply chain

diversity at Macy’s. Despite significant budget cuts, her team was able to maintain and — in some cases — doubled the spending with minority suppliers. She has consistently shown an exemplary performance in response to supplier diversity requests. All of her actions have a positive organizational effect at Macy’s.


In addition, since 2008, Freeman leads an effort to adopt families from the local elementary school to make their Christmas wishes come true. This exemplary effort is well beyond her expected job requirements.

New York Life Insurance Co.Donna LambackCorporate Procurement Professional

Donna Lamback, senior associate - procurement, is a committed advocate and a

significant contributor to the success of the New York Life supplier diversity program. She is an outstanding supporter of diversity and inclusion because of her exceptional ability to include diverse suppliers in every phase of the procurement process. Lamback exhausts every resource available when searching for diverse suppliers to include in procurement opportunities. She conducts a thorough vetting of vendor’s qualifications and excels in following through on reporting requirements by making certain the diverse vendor spends are consistently captured. As a result of her efforts, nearly half of the sourceable spend that Lamback manages is with diverse suppliers. In addition to her procurement responsibilities, she participates in internal and external supplier diversity events, ensuring that there is a constant pipeline of qualified diverse suppliers. Her dedication, follow-through and commitment to supplier diversity makes her worthy of this honor.

andrew DouglasCorporate Vice President - Procurement

Andrew Douglas initially had a general understanding of the supplier diversity

program, although he always expressed interest and support for the program. His participation at the NGLCC’s 2015 National Business & Leadership Conference elevated his understanding and engagement with the supplier diversity team. This understanding led to a deeper commitment to developing new relationships with diverse-owned vendors. And now, he routinely seeks opportunities to introduce them to stakeholders. In addition, he gives stronger consideration and support for their inclusion in the procurement process. Douglas ensures

that diversity is a key factor alongside pricing, capabilities and high customer focus, when evaluating and negotiating competitive bids. Due to his efforts, the top two vendors that he manages are included in the company’s top ten diverse vendor list. Douglas’s transformation to a stronger and more committed supporter of supplier diversity makes him worthy of this nomination.

Nokiachris harrisSenior Manager, NAR Project Sourcing

As a senior project manager, Chris Harris collaborates with the supplier diversity team

consistently regarding diversity content related to upcoming customer RFPs. He attends matchmaking events to ensure that suppliers understand Nokia’s (formally Alcatel-Lucent’s) supplier qualification requirements. Harris works in concert with the diversity team to find qualified MWBE suppliers. His contribution helps to ensure that Nokia continues to have an exceptional supplier diversity program.

ian hazlettCustomer Project Services Purchasing Manager

As the customer project services purchasing manager, Ian Hazlett

works in partnership with the diversity team to ensure that MBWEs have the opportunity to participate in upcoming RFPs, and he attends regional matchmaking events. Potential suppliers can depend on him to assist them through the Nokia (formally Alcatel-Lucent) supplier qualification process. It is because of individual contributors such as Ian Hazlett that Nokia continues to have a superlative supplier diversity program.

Office Depot Inc.John WakemanSenior Category Merchant

John Wakeman has been instrumental in streamlining opportunities for smaller ink and toner vendors at

Office Depot Inc., ensuring that minority businesses have a voice in this highly coveted category. He spearheaded a diverse vendor bid to allow every viable diverse vendor an opportunity to bid on a portion of the business. He also personally vetted businesses, giving them ample opportunities to understand the bid and respond. Wakeman has also been a strong internal voice for including diverse vendors in the product assortment he manages. He is always available for discussion and ensures his team understands the importance of diverse vendors at Office Depot.

Jack greeneDirector, Procurement

Jack Greene is the voice of supplier diversity for Office Depot’s indirect procurement team. He works very

closely with his buyers and the rest of the procurement team to ensure the supplier diversity message resonates. He has also served in leadership roles on local NMSDC boards of directors; most recently, he is serving as secretary for the Southern Florida Minority Supplier Development Council’s board of directors.

Greene attends trade shows regularly and invites his buyers to local and larger shows on a regular basis. He is always available to provide reporting and counsel on opportunities when needed. He has represented diversity during customer meetings and is always ready to help where he can. Greene is considered an instrumental part of our supplier diversity team.

OncorJack DaniellStrategic Sourcing Manager

Oncor’s corporate governance process breeds a culture of inclusion and commitment to capacity-

building related to MWBEs. As a part of the supply chain organization, Daniell drives that inclusion and commitment with Oncor’s stakeholders. Oncor believes in doing good business with reputable MWBE companies. As a participant at council events, such as Dallas/Fort Worth Minority




(continued from page 49)Supplier Development Council ACCESS and Women’s Business Council-Southwest Harvesting Partnerships, Daniell networks, builds relationships and identifies MWBE companies who can participate in Oncor sourcing events. He serves on the D/FW MSDC certification committee to certify and support our newest diverse companies. He also pursues agreements with qualified MWBEs to maintain Oncor’s edge as an industry leader.

ron coanSupply Chain Specialist

As an Oncor buyer, Ron Coan works hard to include MWBEs in sourcing efforts to provide them with the

opportunity to compete with other bidders. Resource requirements are discussed with Oncor’s stakeholders and MWBEs are considered whenever possible. Coan attends numerous supplier diversity events throughout the year which are hosted by D/FW MSDC, Oncor and others. As he meets MWBEs and identifies their contacts, he then shares that information with the various stakeholders, which starts the process for possibly executing an agreement. Oncor’s management strongly supports efforts to maintain a culture of involving MWBEs and supporting them as they grow their businesses.

Destinie richterBuyer

Destinie Richter has many opportunities to network with MWBEs at conferences, minority council buyer

luncheons, Hard Hat Expo, professional services industry group meetings and much more. She matches MWBEs with organizations throughout Oncor, providing them opportunities to participate in sourcing initiatives. She also takes the time to introduce MWBEs to many of Oncor’s current suppliers, in hopes of bringing them additional opportunities. Her goal is to continue to expose MWBE companies to Oncor and help grow Oncor’s diversity relationships.

PG&Erudy promaniPrincipal, PG&E’s Shared Services (Environmental)

One of the best ways for diverse businesses to connect with the members from

PG&E sourcing is to participate in the many outreach events we attend throughout the United States. Rudy Promani is a perennial participant of supplier diversity outreach events, where he is always seeking highly qualified suppliers, and for this participation, he garners much-deserved respect from his line of business. Over the years, he has mastered the art of connecting diverse businesses to the appropriate sourcing representatives.

In addition, Promani does an amazing job on coaching these businesses on how to do business with PG&E and introducing them to our prime suppliers. Supplier diversity is a strategic part of how he contracts; his category typically achieves over 50 percent in diverse spend annually, and he requires successful bidders to plan for a minimum of 45 percent diverse subcontracting. The supplier diversity team can always count on Promani to help qualified diverse businesses do business with PG&E.

PNC Financial Serviceschristopher D . FentonVice President, Strategic Sourcing ManagerSupply Chain Management

As a senior manager within PNC’s strategic sourcing group, Chris Fenton, with his team of 10 sourcing professionals, manages the organization’s technology supplier relationships with unwavering support of PNC’s supplier diversity initiative. In 2015, Fenton and his team contributed over $70 million of our program spend, which represents a 2.5 percent increase over their prior year activity. Fenton is a strong leader and tireless advocate for diversity, actively supporting the inclusion of diverse-owned business enterprises within technology’s sourcing processes. Additionally, he proactively engages with PNC’s supplier diversity team to drive Tier II spending with PNC’s prime technology suppliers.

Prudential Financialryan McnealVice President, Strategic Sourcing

In 2015, Prudential Financial conducted a sourcing initiative for disability claims vendors

for our group insurance business. This initiative represented a core service that has not traditionally included diverse suppliers. Ryan McNeal was the category manager for the initiative and worked with GI to develop a diverse slate of vendors for consideration. Through this expanded search, a diverse firm was selected to provide a portion of the services. Prudential Financial is committed to providing equal opportunity to all vendors and is a proud member of several certifying organizations including NMSDC, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, US Business Leadership Network®, NGLCC and National Veteran-Owned Businesses Association.

Texas InstrumentsSteve Meyer Labor Services Procurement Specialist

High-quality service at competitive rates — these are the strengths Steve Meyer

sees in diverse suppliers. By guiding and supporting suppliers through business engagements — first-tier, second-tier and subcontracting — he helps them demonstrate these strengths, deliver excellent results and gain proponents for continued business. Actively volunteering for supplier diversity events, such as D/FW MSDC’s ACCESS, puts him in touch with new suppliers eager to flex their muscles and get to work building their businesses.

Steve yagerFacilities Procurement Specialist

It’s not just choosing a supplier; it’s making an investment. Steve Yager

believes spending his time working with supplier diversity network associations and engaging diverse suppliers in business




(continued from page 50)opportunities is an investment that will pay off for Texas Instruments and its local communities in both the near and long term. By volunteering for supplier diversity events, exploring new opportunities, fostering new relationships and developing diverse suppliers, he has helped TI meet its annual goal for increasing supplier diversity.

Mia LackeyGlobal Travel Manager

Originally from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Mia Lackey feels strongly about supporting the local businesses in her

community. Her goal is to eliminate barriers to help diverse suppliers to grow successfully. She always volunteers for events sponsored by the D/FW MSDC and the WBCS to connect suppliers with business opportunities. As part of the D/FW MSDC certification committee, she helps new suppliers become certified. And she doesn’t stop at helping diverse suppliers gain access to business opportunities at TI; she provides coaching and feedback to help them grow and develop.

Brian Schrader Facilities Procurement Specialist

When a new sourcing opportunity comes across his desk at TI, Brian Schrader’s

first response is to identify qualified diverse suppliers. To help make these connections, he volunteers at numerous supplier diversity events. Once the suppliers effectively compete and win the business, his focus shifts to measuring, managing and mentoring the suppliers to make sure they successfully provide innovative, high-quality and cost-effective solutions. Schrader broke new ground in 2015 by sourcing a new woman-owned supplier to provide services in a major spend category that had not previously been supported by a diverse company.

ToyotaSam cracraftPurchasing Buyer, Construction, Machinery and Equipment

Purchasing Specialist Sam Cracraft ensures engaging

more minority-owned businesses in Toyota’s supplier base remains a priority for his team. Recently awarding 25 percent of Toyota’s new Georgetown facility-building project to MBEs, Cracraft makes a conscious effort to include at least one diverse company in all of his bid projects. In addition to maintaining an open door policy in meeting with potential partners, he is also dedicated to sharing business growth possibilities with general contractors. Truly on board with diversity and inclusion, his commitment to supplier diversity creates even more opportunities for MBEs.

Lynne DavisPurchasing Senior Manager, Raw Materials

A key aspect of Toyota’s commitment to supplier diversity is ensuring that

purchasing focuses on building strong, sustainable relationships with MBEs. Currently working with two of Toyota’s longstanding partners — Blue Springs Metal and Millennium Steel — Davis and her team work to gain a solid understanding of MBE capabilities, while also recognizing growth potential. Participating in numerous council activities and initiatives on both a national and regional level, she takes a leadership role in discussing ways Toyota and other corporations can continue to create even more opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs.

Joe MossingerPurchasing Manager, Indirect Procurement An advocate for MBE business development, Joe Mossinger’s personal

approach to building sustainable relationships between Toyota and indirect suppliers epitomizes the company’s commitment to “go beyond the contract.” For example, he maintains consistent communication with division executives and the supplier diversity team to discuss potential opportunities for MBEs or challenges on the horizon. Recently facilitating a managed service provider bid to several diverse businesses, he ensures that developing meaningful resources to enhance supplier business capacity and competitiveness remains front and center for his purchasing group.

ryan SimerlinkPurchasing Buyer, Seat Procurement

Facilitating introductions between direct buyers and MBEs has been a priority for

Ryan Simerlink since becoming a purchasing specialist in 2012. For example, maintaining open lines of communication with his fellow buyers, he optimizes his ability to help MBE suppliers he already has relationships with expand their opportunities within the Toyota family. In addition to working with suppliers daily, Simerlink also participates in Opportunity Exchange, Toyota’s annual supplier development and networking conference. Introducing certified diverse companies to Tier I suppliers who exhibit at the event’s trade show, he actively identifies tangible professional service and product opportunities for suppliers and MBEs.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.corey BenderVice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager for Household Paper Goods and Chemicals for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Through Corey Bender’s leadership, his team has increased spend with diverse-owned firms by 22 percent overall and specifically with women-owned businesses by 40 percent from the prior year. His team has worked closely with the supplier diversity team to engage, develop and intentionally work diverse suppliers into his business strategies and objectives. Bender has held previous positions within the company that include buyer, senior buyer and senior category director. He is also a member of the African-American officer caucus and business resource group. Bender mentors many associates. He received his B.A. in marketing from Cameron University and his MBA from the University of Central Oklahoma. Bender and his family live in Bentonville, Arkansas.

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