WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.549 --> 00:00:03.132 (gentle music) 2 00:00:08.790 --> 00:00:10.770 Stakeholder expectations around ESG 3 00:00:10.770 --> 00:00:12.570 have risen dramatically in recent years. 4 00:00:12.570 --> 00:00:15.637 And while we often talk about climate around ESG, 5 00:00:15.637 --> 00:00:18.930 we cannot ignore the social impact 6 00:00:18.930 --> 00:00:20.940 that organizations can have. 7 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:22.470 And one of the biggest levers 8 00:00:22.470 --> 00:00:24.450 that an organization can pull to have 9 00:00:24.450 --> 00:00:27.270 greater social, societal, and economic impact 10 00:00:27.270 --> 00:00:29.523 is building a more inclusive supply chain. 11 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:33.420 According to the Center for Business & Economic Research, 12 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:35.910 50% of the gross output of the US economy 13 00:00:35.910 --> 00:00:37.140 is in the B2B economy. 14 00:00:37.140 --> 00:00:39.780 So if we're not including diverse-led businesses 15 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:41.190 in our supply chains, 16 00:00:41.190 --> 00:00:44.220 we're excluding them from whole portions of economic growth. 17 00:00:44.220 --> 00:00:45.840 So that becomes an economic issue. 18 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:47.010 It's an issue for the wealth gap. 19 00:00:47.010 --> 00:00:48.330 It's an issue for sustainability. 20 00:00:48.330 --> 00:00:50.190 It's an issue for innovation. 21 00:00:50.190 --> 00:00:52.830 And when you think about the positive impact that has, 22 00:00:52.830 --> 00:00:54.360 it creates more jobs, 23 00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:57.210 it creates more investment in underserved communities. 24 00:00:57.210 --> 00:01:00.840 Creates more wealth for families and communities overall. 25 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:03.810 And so, the societal and economic imperative 26 00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:05.280 of supplier diversity 27 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:09.415 has to be at the center of any ESG strategy. 28 00:01:09.415 --> 00:01:11.100 (gentle music) 29 00:01:11.100 --> 00:01:13.290 Like any other topic around diversity, equity, 30 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:14.940 and specifically inclusion, 31 00:01:14.940 --> 00:01:17.910 we are not well practiced at this as industry. 32 00:01:17.910 --> 00:01:20.340 We are not well practiced at this as societies more broadly. 33 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:24.300 And so, really what it requires is intention and innovation 34 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:26.700 and leaders that are willing to make a commitment 35 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:30.627 and try new and different approaches to be more inclusive. 36 00:01:30.627 --> 00:01:33.210 (gentle music) 37 00:01:34.440 --> 00:01:35.970 Corporations can mobilize 38 00:01:35.970 --> 00:01:38.790 to build more diverse and inclusive supply chains 39 00:01:38.790 --> 00:01:41.070 by building the right capabilities 40 00:01:41.070 --> 00:01:45.000 and expertise to really work with diverse companies. 41 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.100 Sometimes that requires a lot of creativity. 42 00:01:47.100 --> 00:01:48.240 Companies need to think about 43 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:50.250 things like setting up joint ventures 44 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:52.560 between a minority-owned business and 45 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:56.670 potentially a non-minority-owned business that is larger. 46 00:01:56.670 --> 00:02:00.930 Sometimes they need to find ways to create access to finance 47 00:02:00.930 --> 00:02:03.690 either internally or through third partners. 48 00:02:03.690 --> 00:02:06.180 And sometimes it's about creating incubators 49 00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:07.920 and learning opportunities. 50 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.500 Most corporations have the motivation, 51 00:02:10.500 --> 00:02:13.890 but they find out that getting real traction 52 00:02:13.890 --> 00:02:16.530 is more difficult than expected. 53 00:02:16.530 --> 00:02:19.230 And that is because the incentive systems 54 00:02:19.230 --> 00:02:22.560 in many corporations are geared towards controlling costs 55 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:23.850 and controlling risk. 56 00:02:23.850 --> 00:02:25.410 But working with a new supplier, 57 00:02:25.410 --> 00:02:28.680 sometimes a smaller supplier, can be a challenge 58 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:30.303 and it requires more effort. 59 00:02:31.530 --> 00:02:35.100 We have a common responsibility in the business community 60 00:02:35.100 --> 00:02:36.690 to maintain the current momentum 61 00:02:36.690 --> 00:02:38.790 and to continue to accelerate it. 62 00:02:38.790 --> 00:02:40.500 We have to show corporations 63 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:42.930 that supplier diversity can become not only 64 00:02:42.930 --> 00:02:44.880 a competitive advantage for them 65 00:02:44.880 --> 00:02:46.974 but also a competitive imperative. 66 00:02:46.974 --> 00:02:48.150 (gentle music) 67 00:02:48.150 --> 00:02:51.450 We are looking to build scaled minority suppliers 68 00:02:51.450 --> 00:02:53.070 that can help the Fortune 500 69 00:02:53.070 --> 00:02:56.070 sustainably meet their diverse supplier goals. 70 00:02:56.070 --> 00:02:57.660 And for us that means 71 00:02:57.660 --> 00:03:00.450 building businesses that are minority owned, 72 00:03:00.450 --> 00:03:03.000 that are greater than $1 billion in revenue. 73 00:03:04.470 --> 00:03:06.930 Well, the challenge is, there are only about 74 00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:11.910 10 to 15 Black- and Latinx-owned minority businesses 75 00:03:11.910 --> 00:03:14.310 in the US today that are above $1 billion. 76 00:03:14.310 --> 00:03:15.720 There are very few. 77 00:03:15.720 --> 00:03:19.500 And currently 95% of minority-owned businesses 78 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:21.660 have less than 5 million in revenues. 79 00:03:21.660 --> 00:03:23.730 And so, there's a big gap to fill. 80 00:03:23.730 --> 00:03:25.710 There's a lot of work that has to be done 81 00:03:25.710 --> 00:03:28.380 across the ecosystem to be able to fill that gap 82 00:03:28.380 --> 00:03:30.620 and to build scaled diverse suppliers. 83 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:33.390 (gentle music) 84 00:03:33.390 --> 00:03:36.120 So we are looking to help build those businesses 85 00:03:36.120 --> 00:03:38.640 that can meet that demand and that can fill that gap. 86 00:03:38.640 --> 00:03:42.690 And so, we recognize that we need some long-term commitment 87 00:03:42.690 --> 00:03:45.000 and capital to invest behind businesses 88 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.180 in strategic categories for the Fortune 500 89 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:50.550 so that they can meet their diverse supplier goals. 90 00:03:50.550 --> 00:03:53.850 So, we expect to be looking for businesses 91 00:03:53.850 --> 00:03:58.500 that are already market leaders in their segments, 92 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:01.440 that may or may not be minority owned today. 93 00:04:01.440 --> 00:04:02.760 But through our ownership, 94 00:04:02.760 --> 00:04:06.120 will become minority-owned businesses at scale. 95 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:08.370 And we will help them to grow 96 00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:11.310 in the ways that the Fortune 500 need, 97 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:13.680 so that they can meet their supplier diversity goals 98 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:16.980 and we can help to build diverse companies 99 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:20.332 that are able to uplift communities of color. 100 00:04:20.332 --> 00:04:22.915 (gentle music)