SMSDC's 2021 September Newsletter

September 2021

Issue No. 8

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Hello SMSDC Stakeholders’,

Congratulations to Kara Elyse Henderson, Founder and Creative Director, Mindful Media, the SMSDC’s 2021 MBE Idol of the Year!

The SMSDC would also like to recognize the hard work put in by the other two finalists, Phil Walker, Managing Partner with Career Partners International and Spiros Arnakis, Director of Global Markets – EAST with ZONES. Their presentations were well-done and provided all of us with additional insight into their respective companies.

This year, Dell extended to our Corporate Sponsors and Local Corporate Members the opportunity to host the virtual meeting with the winner of the SMSDC’s 2021 MBE Idol. The SMSDC would like to acknowledge and thank the following Corporate Sponsors and Local Corporate Members for hosting this year’s winner:

The University of Texas, One Gas and Union Pacific.

CenterPoint Energy will include this year’s winner in their Supplier Forum to introduce to their Primes.

Applied Materials will invite this year’s winner to an Executive Mentoring discussion and will also introduce them at their SemiCom Industry Forum to help build their network. Intel, Micron, and others in the semi-conductor industry will be in attendance.

Toyota has extended an invitation to their upcoming Opportunity Exchange.

And, the SMSDC awarded this year’s winner (1) complimentary admission to the SMSDC’s 2022 virtual EXPO.

We would also like to thank all of the Judges and SMSDC Board Members listed below, our Mistress of Ceremonies, Debbie Trevino, President & CEO Treco Services, MBEIC Chair, SMSDC Board of Directors; SMSDC’s 2017 MBE Idol of the Year; Beatriz Fernandez, Business Development Director, dataXport Inc., MBEIC Co-Chair, SMSDC Board Member, SMSDC’s 2018 MBE Idol of the Year; Juan Pablo-Pimienta, Vice President of Universal, SMSDC’s 2019 MBE Idol of the Year and Season Elliott, President, Wise Pies Pizza, and SMSDC’s 2020 MBE Idol of the Year for their commitment to this program and participation. SMSDC’s MBE Idol is all the more successful because of your involvement, feedback and support.

SMSDC’s 2021 MBE Idol JUDGES:

Angela Burnett, Supervisor, Material Purchasing Supply Chain for ONE GAS.

Stephanie Burton, Manager, Supplier Diversity Purchasing Supplier Development, TOYOTA.

Vic Cleveland, Manager, Supplier Diversity, CenterPoint Energy

Carlos Dones, Global Supply Chain Operations, Applied Materials and SMSDC Board of Directors

David Feldman, Supply Chain Advisor – Supplier Diversity, Chevron Corporate Procurement and SMSDC Board of Directors

Grace Hastings, Supplier Diversity Manager, ONCOR

Indria Hollingsworth, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, South Central Region, JE DUNN.

Dusty Nimmo, Director of Supply Chain, OG&E and SMSDC Board of Directors

Max Rutherford, Vendor Partner Diversity Director, GSD&M and SMSDC Board of Directors

Jim Snell, Global Commodity Manager Logistics Procurement, DELL.

Andress Stanley, Global Supplier Diversity & Innovation Program Mgr., DELL.

Maalika Moore-Thomas, Sr. Supplier Diversity Coordinator, Functional Recruiting Coordinator | Supply Chain, ConocoPhillips

And now I would like to invite all of our corporate members and certified MBEs to register and attend "Diversity at the Border" virtual event on September 23rd. The virtual event is presented to create connections and business opportunities that mutually benefit both MBEs & corporations. Register today to sign up for one-to-many business matchmaking, meet with several buyers and suppliers at one time! There are only a few spots left for the corporate breakout room virtual sessions! Sign up now before it's too late!

Lastly, I want to take this moment to remind everyone to stay safe and healthy. Please wear your masks and take great care of each other.

Sincerely,

Karen Box

President & CEO

SMSDC

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CERTIFY . DEVELOP . CONNECT . ADVOCATE

FEATURE STORIES

SMSDC announces the 2021 MBE "Idol" Winner!

Congratulations to Kara Elyse Henderson, Founder + Creative Director, Mindful Media, LLC named winner of SMSDC's 2021 MBE "Idol" on August 19th.

And a Special Thank you to Dell for the Swag Bag & items that were provided to each of the finalists!

Kara Elyse Henderson

Founder + Creative Director

Mindful Media, LLC

UP: Supplier Diversity a Smart Community Investment

Written by Andrea Oswald, General Director-Strategic Sourcing, Union Pacific

Although Union Pacific was the first Class I railroad to implement a supplier diversity program nearly 40 years ago, the company hadn’t spent much time over the last few years performing outreach to identify and onboard new suppliers. In 2020, we placed a new emphasis to make our supplier diversity program world-class.

You may wonder what exactly is a diverse supplier. Although definitions vary, UP recognizes diverse suppliers to be any company that is majority owned by someone from the following classifications:

Minorities (African American, Asian American, Latino American, Native American).
Women.
LGBT.
Veteran or Service-Disabled Veteran.
Disabled.
Governmental designations (HUBZone, Small Disadvantaged Business, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, 8(a) Business).

But just as important a question: Why strive for supplier diversity?

The benefits are many. Supplier diversity introduces new products, services and solutions that might otherwise be overlooked. It’s an effective way to promote innovation while driving price and service competition. It many cases it’s an investment in the very communities in which we operate, promoting job creation at a local level.

Simply put, supplier diversity is just good business, and we believe diversity makes us stronger as a company and a country.

In 2020, UP spent $423 million with 275 diverse suppliers, which was a 29% increase from 2019.

Of that spend, $347 million (82%) was with women-owned businesses
UP only spent $11 million (2.5%) with Latino-owned businesses and $4 million (1%) with black-owned businesses.
Our largest supplier in 2020 was Automotive Resources Inc. (ARI), a woman-owned business that supports UP’s vehicle fleet ($217 million).

The data showed that UP has an opportunity to expand its supplier base, especially with black and Latino-owned businesses. We looked at potential areas of growth and set an aggressive goal to grow our total diverse supplier spending another 25% to nearly $530 million in 2021.

As of July, we have signed contracts with two new major suppliers:

Hightowers Petroleum Co., a black-owned business that won our fuel credit card spending of approximately $50 million annually.
Macro-Z-Technology Co., a Latino-owned construction company that recently won construction work on UP’s Sanderson Subdivision in Texas valued at approximately $5 million.

Through July, UP has worked with a total of 12 new diverse suppliers. It’s a great start, but to reach our 25% goal, we recognize that every UP employee must lend a hand. That means being willing to do business with companies we haven’t worked with in the past. There are challenges to onboarding new suppliers and familiarizing them with our processes and procedures, but with support from the UP team, new suppliers can get up to speed quickly.

It also requires a commitment from the suppliers, who have been eager to step up to the challenge. As Macro-Z-Technologies’ Rail & Civil Division Manager Hillary Hack told us, “We are ready to meet and exceed your expectations, and we will work as hard as we can to do just that.”

By using diverse suppliers, UP’s spending can better reflect the communities we all live and work in and strengthen our supply chain.

This story was originally published on the Inside Track section of the Union Pacific website.

Click here to read the publication.

CERTIFY

NEW CERTIFIED MBEs

AUGUST 2021

American Factory Direct - Harlingen, TX

Chavez Concrete Pumping - Albuquerque, NM

Dispatch Tree, LLC - Manor, TX

Fusion Mechanical, LLC - Vidor, TX

Garza Food Ventures - Austin, TX

Highridge Consulting Service, LLC - Prague, OK

JD Corporate Housing Solutions, LLC - Killeen, TX

McDonald Land Services, LLC - Washington, OK

Pluma, LLC - Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM

Protectque USA, Inc - Austin, TX

Ria Logistics, LLC - Hutto, TX

RRC Power & Energy LLC - Round Rock, TX

S Data Solutions, LLC - El Paso, TX

Tactical Networks, LLC - San Antonio, TX

JULY 2021

Apex Education, Inc - Albuquerque, NM

Beyond Engineering and Testing, LLC - Round Rock, TX

LR Global - San Antonio, TX

Mopping Man - San Antonio, TX

Osana Logistics Group, LLC - San Antonio, TX

Paulson Plumbing & Mechanical - Albuquerque, NM

Scoop and Score, LLC - Cedar Park, TX

Storefront Specialties and Glazing, LLC - Albuquerque, NM

JUNE 2021

All-Pro Insulation, LLC - Sutherland Springs, TX

Alterri Distribution Center - Laredo, TX

Cockrell Construction Inc - Temple, TX

El Pinto Foods, LLC - Albuquerque, NM

Four Winds Mechanical HTC/AC, Inc - Albuquerque, NM

Impulse Energy Consultants, LLC - Norman, OK

Otero Systems and Technologies - Oklahoma City, OK

TIA Facility Services, LLC - El Paso, TX

Ujamaa Lighting - Round Rock, TX

VRN Technologies - Cedar Park, TX

RE-CERTIFIED MBEs

AUGUST 2021

A1 Staffing & Recruiting Agency Inc.

Advance Research Chemicals, Inc.

CAEAUTI

Can-Am Wireless LLC

Capital Land Services, Inc.

Central Bolt & Industrial Supplies Inc.

Covel Contracting LLC.

Dependable Business Solutions

Diana M. De Montemayor, LLC

Digital Display Solutions, Inc.

Easy Tours

Enhanced Production Technologies

ESC Consultants, Inc.

Escamilla & Poneck, LLP

Exp.Design LLC

Freight Dispatch Service Agency, LTD

General Labels & Printing, LLC

HERO Logistics LP

HR Legal Search, LLC

Industrial Supplier Larey, Inc.

Infection Controls, Inc.

INTERCON LOGISTICS LLC

Interlex Communications, Inc.

Isidore PLLC

Metrica, Inc.

North Park SSP Motors LLC

Pristine Services Group LLC

PROD Design & Analysis, Inc.

Resale Resource Corporation

RFL Consulting Solutions, Inc.

Rookie #31 LLC

Ruiz Testing Services, Inc.

Sanders\Wingo Advertising, Inc.

Seco Spice Company, Ltd. Co.

Seed & Grain Exporters

Seilevel Partners LP

Somnio Solutions, Inc.

Sort and Rework

TLI & Environmental Services, Inc

Vision Semiconductor Solutions LLC

VMW Maintenance Solutions, Inc

REQUIREMENT FOR ALL NEW & INTERESTED APPLICANTS FOR MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (MBE) CERTIFICATION:

You must participate in the session prior to the Certification Committee reviews your application.

All new MBE's must attend a Pre-Certification & Post-Certification session. The sessions will be held by conference call several times a month. Please make sure to attend one pre-certification & one post-certification session in order to complete the certification process. Please contact Alana Ortega, Certification Manager, at alana@smsdc.org to register.

The following are dates available for September:

Wednesday, September 8th

Wednesday, September 15th

Wednesday, September 22nd

Wednesday, September 29th

Trainings are available from 10am – 12pm CST on the dates listed above for the month of September. Training may take about 30 minutes however please allow additional time depending on your company structure and questions you may have.

CERTIFICATION FAQs

Documentation for MBE Recertification

To complete the application log-in to your MBE Certification account and begin processing, carefully follow the instructions below:

Update any information that has changed (ie; address, telephone numbers, email) this will also be a great time to add/delete NAICS code.
Upload the Company's most recent and complete IRS tax return.
Upload your signed and notarized Recertification Affidavit. (Found on the DOCUMENTATION section of your application)
Once the form has been completed successfully, verify your data and submit payment.

Please note it is the MBEs responsibility to submit required documentation in a timely manner. Recertification Applications take up to 30 days to process. Failure to do so may delay the processing of your application and may cause your MBE Certification to expire.

Question/comments:

Alana Ortega, Certification Manager

alana@smsdc.org

IMPORTANT INFORMATION for all MBEs:

If this is a New Application, and you are having trouble uploading your documents, please contact Alana Ortega at 512.297.6478 during regular business hours or send an e-mail to alana@smsdc.org.

If this is a ReCertification, and you are having trouble uploading your documents, please contact Gabrielle Ramirez at 512.694.0522 during regular business hours or send an e-mail to gabrielle@smsdc.org.

To obtain a copy of your MBE logo, please follow the steps below:

Login with email/password associated with your SMSDC Certification
You will see options such as applying for recertification or viewing/printing current certificate
To obtain logo select “NMSDC Logo Pack” from the bottom right-hand corner and press the download button

The MBE logo is available for use on your company’s marketing print and electronic material. The MBE logo will only be available for your use as long as your company has a current & active MBE certification.

DEVELOP

In alignment of SMSDC’s four pillars, Certify. Develop. Connect. Advocate., education continues to be fundamental. Launched in 2012, SMSDC continues to offer the PLUS+ Platform classes: Benchmarking Plus & Capacity Plus. These signature programs are a mix of in person & online courses presented by supplier diversity expert Reginald K. Layton, Vice President, Supplier Diversity & Supply Chain Sustainability for Johnson Controls’ Inc and Ralph G. Moore, CPA, president of Ralph G. Moore & Associates (RGMA). Moore is recognized as one of the world’s foremost thought-leaders in the area of supplier diversity and minority business development.

Reginald K. Layton

Ralph G. Moore

For CORPORATE MEMBERS ONLY is a process to accelerate supplier diversity initiatives based on real world experimentation. Benchmarking Plus delivers the tools and management perspective to help your corporation strengthen your supplier diversity processes.

For CERTIFIED MBEs is a process to enhance sales and marketing processes and build their capacity to work with Fortune 500 corporations.

Benchmarking Plus & Capacity Plus are led by Johnson Controls Inc, a world leader in supplier diversity, with more than 600 diverse suppliers and $1.8 billion in diverse spend.

Corporate Members: The annual cost for Benchmarking Plus is $999. The registration fee includes access to all webinars, featured courses, online & onsite classes. If you are interested in signing up, please register for the BENCHMARKING PLUS PLATFORM here.

Certified MBEs: The annual cost for Capacity Plus is $499. The registration fee includes access to all webinars, featured courses, online & onsite classes. If you are interested in signing up, please register for the CAPACITY PLUS PLATFORM here.

The next upcoming Plus+ Platform classes will be held on Wednesday, September 23rd in the morning of "Diversity at the Border" virtual event. These classes on September 23rd will be complimentary. If you are interested in joining these classes on September 23rd, please contact Mayra Pena at mayra@smsdc.org or call 915.433.0612.

CONNECT

Diversity at the Border Virtual Event

September 23, 2021

2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST

What is Diversity at the Border?

Diversity at the Border is a virtual event filled with informational workshops, networking and matchmaking opportunities. At this event you will be able to meet with SMSDC's corporate members, certified MBEs and community partners looking to do business with suppliers in the West Texas and New Mexico region.

Why Attend?

This is your opportunity to virtually meet & network with SMSDC's corporate members specifically looking for suppliers in the West Texas & New Mexico region. Download event agenda, click here.

Who will be in attendance?

All SMSDC Corporate Members, Certified MBEs and community partners have been invited to attend the complimentary event.

Will matchmaking opportunities be available?

YES! SMSDC corporate members will host breakout rooms where buyers and category owners will discuss their purchasing needs in the next 12-18 months. Along with SMSDC corporate members, MBEs/suppliers will meet with other MBEs for MBE2MBE business opportunities.

City of El Paso Purchasing, ConocoPhillips, El Paso Electric,

PNM Resources, Toyota

What is the cost and how do I register?

This is a complimentary event for all SMSDC Corporate Members, Certified MBEs and Community Partners. To register, click here now.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GNVSbo1nQ2mWDcLQXyI9vg

SMSDC PAST VIRTUAL EVENTS

Access to SMSDC's past virtual events, please click on the link below or visit www.smsdc.org, click on events and scroll to the bottom of the webpage.

PAST VIRTUAL EVENTS

ADVOCATE

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Have a recent achievement or new development in your organization? We'd love to share your story too! Click the "SHARE YOUR STORY"link below to leave your name and contact information and we'll reach out to you.

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