(gentle inspiring music)
-: I think there are certain key things
that each member should do
in order to accelerate the growth of minority businesses
within their concerns.
So, you set up a program,
you set goals,
nobody really analyzes what is procured,
what is procured on an ongoing basis,
what is being projected to be, you know,
part of the supply chain for the next five or 10 years,
nobody does that analysis,
in terms of minority business
and I think that's part of the reasons
why they haven't been as successful.
I think you have to do that
and that's why it's very important
to really involve in the planning
and the implementation of any program
to really involve the chief procurement officer.
They know what you're buying,
they know what has to be done.
None of this happens
unless the CEO and the board embraces it.
There are no real quick fixes to this.
We're learning that,
but we're also documenting what can be done.
We're accumulating so much data,
so much information that we want to share,
not just within our own ecosystem,
but in the larger ecosystem of corporate America
in different industries
and hopefully because of this,
in our contribution and the contribution of many others,
we won't be kicking this can down the road
and hoping some miracle will happen.
Because it won't happen
unless we really invest the time,
the money, the resources, the brilliance,
the approaches, and that's what we're doing.