Building 多样性 into the Supply Chain, One Brick at a Time 

Brian Ortiz grew up in the construction business. 当他父亲的家人第一次来到美国时.S. from Mexico, they became pipefitters, a trade Brian would end up apprenticing in as a teen.

Brian worked for his family’s construction company in Chicago until 2005, 当公司倒闭时，他, 他的父亲和兄弟们都失业了. He worked for a few years at another company before deciding to take his future into his own hands and start his own.

In 2010, Brian launched Trinidad Construction, a general contracting company. “It was a way for me to take control of my own destiny... If I succeeded, it was on me and if I failed, it was on me,布莱恩说。. 但这并不容易.

拉美裔, Latino and Black business owners face systemic barriers when it comes to growing and scaling their small businesses. Couple that with common obstacles that all construction companies have to face, such as extremely large insurance requirements, long payment terms and lack of a consistent work pipeline that facilitates planning and business growth. These challenges make it difficult to get a construction business off the ground, and even more difficult to become a part of a large enterprise supply chain, which is key to getting access to new business opportunities. 但布莱恩有个计划.

A few years ago Brian attended a conference hosted by the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council to create opportunities to grow his company. That’s where he met Jim Flynn, a 供应商的多样性 Manager at 澳博官方网站app. 三个月内, Trinidad Construction was awarded their first project with the firm at the 追逐 Tower in Chicago.

当我见到布莱恩并了解他的公司时, I was excited about the potential opportunity for Trinidad to work with us”, 吉姆·弗林说, 执行董事, 全球供应商多样性. “Our relationships with local and national business advocacy organizations like the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council enable us to identify great companies such as Trinidad and incorporate them into our supplier base.”

今天, Trinidad Construction provides interior and exterior remodeling and retrofitting at 追逐 retail branches.

 “We’re working for 澳博官方网站app all over the Midwest, even west of the Mississippi and some of the Western 状态s. You get a little something and you prove what you can do or what you’re capable of, 然后你会得到下一个更大的机会,布莱恩说。.

供应商的多样性 is one of the most direct ways to impact diverse communities and address racial inequity. “When we spend a dollar with a diverse owned business, 我们不仅为他们的收入增长做出了贡献, 同时也有利于创造就业机会, and increased wealth in the communities they operate in,比尔·卡普弗说, Global Head of 供应商的多样性 at 澳博官方网站app.

For almost 30 years 澳博官方网站app has been committed to building an inclusive supply chain by developing and engaging diverse businesses, 比如特立尼达建筑, with the ultimate goal of driving inclusive economic growth. As part of 澳博官方网站app’s $30 billion racial equity commitment, 该公司将向布莱克投资7.5亿美元, 西班牙和拉丁裔供应商.

This commitment includes providing minority-owned businesses access to education, training and support from subject matter experts on business tactics that can help them be successful. The firm is also committed to help reduce common barriers to supply chain partnerships with large corporations

Certified minority-owned businesses generate $400 billion in economic output that leads to the creation or preservation of 2.2 million jobs and $49 billion in annual revenue for local, 状态, 联邦税务机关, the National Minority 供应商的多样性 Council reports. 这些数字还在稳步增长. Diversifying supply chains is not only good for business, it’s good for the economy.

“多样化的企业具有创造性和敏捷性”, 说Kapfer, “They not only provide corporations with innovative thinking and a fresh approach to business problems, but they also pave the way to growth for other diverse businesses”.

As Brian’s company continues to grow and work with larger-sized clients, he is committed to championing diversity across every organization he touches. “We need to bring diversity into construction projects, and small companies like mine need opportunities to grow. 我们都需要发挥作用，”他说.

了解更多 about the 澳博官方网站app diverse supplier program.