Corporate Services

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Corporate Resource Committee

The Corporate Resource Committee (CRC), a valuable resource for corporate purchasing managers and supplier diversity professionals, meets monthly to discuss purchasing best practices and upcoming procurement opportunities that will be available for M/WBEs to competitively bid within the next six months and beyond.

The Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum has developed a “new model” approach for diversity and inclusion by partnering with corporations to identify opportunities and providing business solutions that add value and produce efficiencies.

As a member of The MMBC Continuum, you will join over 120 local, national and global corporations who have a commitment to diversity and inclusion and are seeking to do business with capable, diverse suppliers. Additional services designed to optimize your engagement with the organization and minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) include:

• M/WBE Database or The Corporate Efficiency Directory (CED)
  An online database of nearly 600 certified M/WBEs in more than 70 industry classifications.
• Consultative Services
  Focused engagement with corporations to produce a framework that supports the development of a formal, company-wide strategic diversity plan that enhances supplier diversity, workforce diversity, community giving and internal diversity committees.
• Matchmakers
  Customized process that allows purchasing teams to meet one-on-one with only those M/WBEs that meet their specific supplier requirements and enables them to see first-hand their business operations.
• Dial-Up
  A supply process that develops sustainable strategic M/WBE and corporate fits.
• RFP Distribution
  A method to maximize RFP distribution to potential M/WBE bidders in the local area.
• Model Diversity Corporation Initiative
  A diversity and inclusion model with proven outcomes that can strategically improve corporate performance with diversity as a major catalyst.
• Alliance for Purchasing Excellence (APEX)
  An association of senior purchasing and procurement professionals whose objective is to promote best practices in supplier diversity and M/WBE scalability.
• Corporate Resource Committee
  Committee for purchasing professionals to exchange ideas and discuss upcoming opportunities for M/WBEs.

The APEX (Aspiring for Purchasing Excellence) Alliance is an association of purchasing and procurement professionals whose objective is to promote best practices in supplier diversity and minority business information.

APEX Alliance is a separate entity that is operated and controlled by the member corporations within the association. The original members of the organization are comprised of the nine corporations that participated in The MMBC Continuum Model Diversity Corporate Initiative (MDCI). This initiative was a model program which launched in April 2009 to focus on the institutionalization of diversity and inclusion within the major corporations in Memphis in three major areas, supplier diversity being one of the areas of focus.

In 2009 The MMBC Continuum set out to prove that the power of economic inclusion which involves institutionalizing diversity and inclusion throughout a corporation. Literally integrating it into the fabric of the organization.

Nine corporations participated in the Model Diversity Corporation Initiative (MDCI) including:

• AutoZone
• FedEx Express
• First Tennessee
• Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
• International Paper
• Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
• Pinnacle Airlines
• ServiceMaster
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Senior purchasing executives from each organization participated in quarterly meetings during the year long pilot.

The MMBC Continuum established industry best practices from researching what industry top performers produced in four key areas including: Supplier Diversity, Workforce Diversity, Community Giving and the importance of the Internal Diversity Committee.

• Establish a robust supplier diversity program
• Build a diverse workforce that mirrors the demographics of the community
• Establish a formal internal diversity committee
• Position community giving towards causes that have the greatest economic impact

The MDCI pilot produced positive results inspite of trying economic times.

"We have made major accomplishments over the last year….. We would like to thank MMBC for helping us see opportunities, where they [the opportunities] were and for helping us shape what that vision has become at ServiceMaster."

– ServiceMaster Representative –

For more information about the Model Diversity Corporation Initiative contact
the Director of Corporate Services, (901) 525-6512.