Supplier Diversity is an emerging way for large corporations to save money, spur innovation and competition and grow the economy.

Supplier Diversity Managers take on a variation of tasks, depending on their company’s goals. At their core, Suppler Diversity Managers oversee programs that support the diverse businesses that supply a large company.

As the phrase implies, Diverse Suppliers are many, and can include:

• Minority and women-owned businesses
• Veteran owned-businesses
• LGBT-owned businesses and more

We’ve interviewed several Supplier Diversity Managers, who’ve shared insights about what they do, and how small businesses can join their supplier diversity programs. Pamela Coleman, Senior Director, Supplier Diversity and Sustainability for Cintas Corporation in Cincinnati, spoke about her work for America’s largest uniform supplier.

Among the qualities she looks for in a diverse supplier?

We look for overall value – cost, quality, safety, lead time, turnaround – all are important factors. We look for people who understand our business and can solve problems for us or offer innovative solutions.

In an interview with De Asa Nichols Brown, Supplier Diversity Program Manager, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, she told ConnXus what she seeks in Diverse Suppliers.

Suppliers who understand our mission, our value proposition, who possess the same character, integrity and vision of Cincinnati Children’s. We try to identify the best suppliers in a space, making sure we do our due diligence to find those suppliers. For our diverse suppliers, they need to be certified. If we have a contract opportunity, and find that we haven’t identified diverse suppliers in that particular area, we’ll reach out to external resources to see if we can locate an MWBE that could be considered.

ConnXus is a web-based service that helps businesses locate, evaluate and engage small, woman- and minority-owned businesses. Our clients are primarily large corporations, construction firms and others for whom supplier diversity is a key business goal and. If you’re looking to grow your business take a look at what ConnXus.com has to offer.