“Minority companies can’t change the market themselves,” Steve Cockerham, corporate vice president at BJC Health Care, said at the St. Louis Minority Supplier Development Council’s annual conference on May 31. “The only one who has the opportunity is to change the landscape is the owner.”
Changing the landscape means opening doors for minority and women-owned businesses in the region, he said during the sessions designed just for corporations and public agencies.
Cockerham is working to “grow the St. Louis region $1 billion at a time,” which was the theme at the council’s day-long conference at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel.
“It’s easy to say the words,” Cockerham said. “You have to think about it and do it.”
Aside from the sessions, the Business Opportunity Fair also included several hours of networking in the exhibit hall.
“It would have taken months for me to see all these companies,” said Michael B. Kennedy, president of KAI Design & Build. “If you’re an MBE and you’re not part of this conference, you’re crazy. I’m seeing the heads of corporations – true decision-makers here. Business is getting done today.”
The same goes for corporations, said Mark Graham, director of the supplier diversity for Express Scripts.
“You need this kind of forum to connect corporate and minorities businesses,” Graham said. “Since it’s a local event, it’s impacting the local community.”
Juliette H. Campbell, owner of Juliette’s Interior, said she learned about several upcoming opportunities for minority businesses, including construction at the Arch, BJC’s Kingshighway renewal and new casino hotels. Campbell has been attending the conference for several years as a minority business enterprise (MBE) owner.
“It’s a starting point,” she said. “If you continue coming every year, you watch your company grow and see new companies come in.”
Corporations and organizations can grow minority business while still reducing their capital budgets, said Dennis Weisenborn, vice president of supply services at Ameren, during his presentation in the corporate sessions.
“Minority and small businesses are key drivers of our economy right now, and we can’t do enough to support their efforts,” Weisenborn said.
Cockerham agreed that it doesn’t cost more to hire minority companies. In fact, minority firms often bid lower, he said. Where small companies get stuck is with bonding and contracts that delay payment. With some contracts, the contractors don’t get paid for 90 to 120 days. Small companies can’t afford to front materials and subcontractors for that length of time, he said.
To overcome this barrier, BJC pays these companies sooner and tries to find them opportunities to bond, Cockerham said.
Marquis Miller, vice president of field operations for the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc., spoke at the event’s luncheon. Benjamin Akande, dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology and professor of business and management, kicked off the welcome breakfast.
In a letter to the council and conference attendants, Governor Jay Nixon said, “I appreciate your dedicated efforts to increase the amount of dollars spent with minority vendors, while helping member corporations develop and maintain the highest quality diversity-procurement programs.”
