Thank you for your recent spotlight on diversity. As president of the St. Louis Minority Business Council (SLMBC), it is gratifying to see positive attention given to the progress in our region. Nevertheless, my involvement in the boards of two national organizations, the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Business Consortium Fund, suggests that we must continue to improve and innovate to be best in class on supplier diversity.
As Scott Wilson, president of S.M. Wilson, points out, inclusion is a continuum of opportunity. When businesses open their doors to minority employees, they plant seeds for “full-blown minority-owned and -managed businesses.” Building minority businesses helps build strong minority communities – financially and socially – in giant steps.
These giant steps are not possible without ready, willing and able Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and corporate partners. The SLMBC works with both buyers and suppliers so that they can form successful business relationships. Sometimes it is as simple as providing an introduction or a notification of a contracting opportunity. In other cases, the SLMBC may help an MBE with financing, business growth or educational needs. We may help a corporation build a supplier diversity program from scratch.
At the SLMBC we strive to build a culture of success, but real success is not really our own. It belongs to our corporate members, MBEs and St. Louis. We succeed when St. Louis MBEs add hundreds of new jobs and millions in new revenue. We celebrate when a corporate member lowers its costs, while improving its service, by contracting with an MBE. We all benefit from the positive impacts to our economy and community that are generated from these new contracting relationships.
James Webb, president
St. Louis Minority Business Council