Celebrating Five Years of Promoting America's Best Diverse Suppliers   by Dan Perkins Publisher, diversityinbusiness.com

This year, diversityinbusiness.com proudly celebrates the fifth anniversary the America’s Best Diverse Suppliers (ABDS) Program, a supplier recognition program that allows organizations with strong supplier diversity programs to recognize and promote their best diverse suppliers.  I am grateful for the continued support of Major League Baseball (MLB) for their continued support since 2006.

Eight MLB organizations participated in the program this year, including the Baltimore Orioles who named Rudolph’s Office Supply as their first ABDS honoree.  It is a pleasure to welcome Debbie Lafferty, president of Rudolph’s Office Supply and her employees to the ABDS Class of 2010.

And speaking of firsts, I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to Jon Otto, president of Visions, Inc.  Otto was selected by the Minnesota Twins and is the first Native-American recognized as one of America’s Best Diverse Suppliers. The Twins also warrant special mention because they are one of five clubs to participate in the ABDS Program for four consecutive years.  Joining the Twins in this distinguished circle are the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago White Sox, and the Seattle Mariners.

The ABDS Program debuted in 2006 with nine suppliers recognized by the Chicago White Sox.  The Sox were invited to showcase multiple suppliers because they were then the reigning World Series Champions.  While the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox have also enjoyed the extended coverage provided to the World Series Champions, the White Sox are the only Champions to consistently recognize diverse suppliers as America’s Best since the inception of the program.

This year the Sox have chosen to recognize Flowers Communications, a minority/woman-owned marketing and communications firm that is helping the White Sox develop stronger ties with fans in the African American and Hispanic communities.  The White Sox understand business diversity equates to new business opportunities and the club has consistently utilized black and Hispanic firms to service high-profile contracts.  I am indeed honored to welcome Flowers Communications to the ABDS Class of 2010, and to the roster of exceptional firms recognized by the White Sox over the past five years.

One of the features that distinguishes the ABDS Program from all other supplier recognition programs is its capacity to provide detailed information about suppliers 24/7, including endorsements from participating organizations.  The endorsements serve two purposes: they validate the supplier’s servicing capabilities; and they articulate the performance attributes that matter most to the nominating organizations.

This year, an endorsement by Jim Folk, vice president of ballpark operations for the Cleveland Indians, merits special mention.  Folk not only stated the objectives and standards that motivate his club, but he articulated the attributes that led to the selection of Dependable Printing for ABDS award.  In his endorsement, Folk said, “Efficiency is the trademark of Dependable Painting.  Regardless of the size of the job, from painting our Field Lighting Towers, to applying paint and wall covering in smaller spaces, Dependable Painting always comes in on time and true to their budget.  Daily contractor reports are detailed.  Invoicing is clear, accurate and complete with details associated with the project regarding paint systems or colors used.  Working in the Baseball environment can often be very challenging; however, Dependable Painting overcomes those challenges and maintains open lines of communication throughout the project(s) to ensure we are kept up to date on progress.”

Such high praise is useful to corporate buyers and it is what every aspiring entrepreneur longs to have said about his or her organization.  I thank the Indians for being such valuable contributors to the ABDS Program.

The Seattle Mariners are another ballclub that has consistently highlighted the winning characteristics of their ABDS honorees.  This year, the Mariners selected Industry Sign and Graphics, a signage company founded and owned by Lorraine Henry, a Hispanic woman.   The Mariners’ procurement team said the following about Henry’s staff: “For weeks, their entire team spent numerous hours on our projects, often coming in on weekends and evenings to get “rush” jobs completed for us.  The entire crew displays what it means to partner with us, and as a result has become one of our most dependable suppliers.”

Such earnest praise makes it an honor to welcome Industry Sign and Graphics to the ABDS Class of 2010.

For the past four years, the Atlanta Braves have also been setting club standards with their ABDS selections.  This year, the Braves have recognized Interprint Communications as one of America’s Best Diverse Suppliers.  Interprint is a minority/woman-owned business that has supplied the Braves with printing services since 2006.  Sabrina Jenkins, the Braves’ director of special events, praised Interprint for exceptional brochures and dependability.  Jenkins said, “I can call on Monica [Maldonado, Interprint’s president and CEO] for jobs both large and small and know that the product and service will be of high quality.”

In addition to overseeing special events, Jenkins also manages the Braves’ Diverse Business Partners Program.  She consistently uses to the ABDS platform to increase awareness among diverse business communities of goods and services most needed by the Braves organization.  This information is useful to diverse business owners and I thank the Braves for their use of this feature of the ABDS Program.

When it comes to unflinching support for America’s Best Diverse Suppliers, Wendy Lewis, senior vice president for diversity and strategic alliances at MLB is first among the many individuals to whom I am most grateful.  For the past twelve years, Lewis has been a driving force for supplier diversity inside Major League Baseball.  This year, Lewis and her team at the Commissioner’s Office have selected SupplierGATEWAY as one of America’s Best Diverse Suppliers.  The company was founded by Andrew Banks, who serves as CEO.  SupplierGATEWAY designed and implemented Baseball’s supplier management information system, which is also used to track business activities with diverse suppliers.  I find the company’s contributions to MLB’s supplier diversity efforts inspiring and I welcome SupplierGATEWAY to the ABDS Class of 2010.

While there is much to celebrate in the ABDS Class of 2010, my greatest joy is having the opportunity to present another installment of my periodic interviews with Jorge Medina, founder and president of Verdero, a baseball equipment supplier located in New York City.  Verdero is this year’s most celebrated ABDS honoree because of the extraordinary trek Medina has completed -- taking his company from start-up to supplier to a sponsor of the New York Yankees.

Baseball is pioneering the next generation of supplier diversity and the League deserves special recognition for their embrace of minority- and women-owned businesses as suppliers, partners and sponsors.  I am grateful for the opportunity to support the League’s efforts through the America’s Best Diverse Suppliers Program, and I wish all of the suppliers recognized through the program the very best.