National Business League helps Black suppliers gain $100 million in contracts
Carol Cain
Updated 4 min read
There’s little doubt Booker T. Washington, the iconic national voice for the Black community during the early 20th century, would stand and applaud the Feb. 13 gathering of Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis executives, as well as those from other corporations, as they meet with hundreds of Black-owned suppliers interested in working with them.
It’s a scenario Washington, an educator, businessman and former slave who went on to found Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1881 and the National Business League (NBL) in 1900, pushed more than 100 years ago, knowing the dramatic impact partnerships and advocacy could have in helping Black-owned business and, ultimately, communities.
Booker T. Washington
During his time, Washington was sought out by U.S. presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, and influential leaders like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller to provide support to improve the quality of life of Black Americans through business ownership and development.
Washington died in 1915 but his legacy, philosophies and the organization he started lives on.
The NBL is the nation's oldest trade association for Black business and through its National Black Supplier Development Program, launched in 2021, is creating significant partnerships.
“In three years, Black suppliers have gained over $100 million in new contracts and procurement opportunities (with participating firms), which is unprecedented,” said Kenneth Harris, president and CEO of NBL. “Dr. Washington’s core belief in economic progress as a catalyst for broader societal change remains deeply embedded in the NBL's mission today.”
The Feb. 13 gathering in Detroit is presented by Stellantis and was planned by the National Business League as part of its 37th Annual National Black Supplier Conference, hosted by the Detroit Black Chamber of Commerce. Being held at the Detroit Athletic Club, the event sold out within hours of being announced weeks ago. Joseph Anderson, president of Tag Holdings, is among the keynote speakers (I will emcee the conversation with him) and informational panels are planned. Other companies involved with NBL’s supplier program are Comerica Bank, Cummins, Lear Corporation, Toyota Motor Co., Magna Corporation and DTE Energy.
Harris said the NBL, in general, collaborates with 125 Fortune 500 companies, as well as public and private sector organizations.
“The goal of the NBL supplier program is to address the ongoing economic disparity, even seven decades after the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as currently less than 1% of the nation’s 3.2 million Black-owned businesses benefit from such (supplier) opportunities,” added Forrest Carter, director of the National Black Supplier Development Program.
“We have progressed beyond the days of business card exchanges, empty press conferences, glossy flyers and announcements, and are now fostering commerce-driven initiatives and measurable opportunities that produce receipts,” Harris said.
Corporations involved in the supplier program have also been focusing on increasing their Black and minority suppliers in different ways.
Bruno Olvera, head of diversity supplier development for Stellantis.
“Stellantis has a long-standing commitment to diversity, specifically supplier diversity, dating back more than 40 years,” said Bruno Olvera, head of diversity supplier development at the automaker. “During the pandemic, we felt it was important for us to further our commitment to diversifying our supply chain by engaging in a partnership with the National Business League to provide development, mentoring and access to capital opportunities for Black-owned businesses who were being disproportionately affected during that time.”
Tamara Hicks, senior manager of supplier diversity at General Motors.
GM started its first supplier diversity program in 1968 and through the years, “we have spent billions of dollars and provided countless mentoring opportunities with Black suppliers, supporting their growth,” said Tamara Hicks, senior manager of supplier diversity at GM. “The NBL National Black Supplier Development Program promotes economic inclusion by ensuring that businesses owned by underrepresented groups, specifically Blacks, have opportunities to participate in our supply chain.”
Among issues the NBL’s supplier program is helping suppliers with is knowing the requirements of being a supplier to a corporation: “Ninety-five percent of Black-owned businesses are ‘solopreneurs' or micro-businesses with one employee, often operating from home,” Carter said, making it difficult to become a supplier to a large company.
Another issue: “Fewer than 3% of these businesses are minority or agency certified, hindering their ability to leverage contracting and procurement opportunities with Fortune 500 companies and the federal government,” Carter added.
The National Black Supplier Development Program is also helping corporations nationally identify Black-owned businesses for consideration.
Travis Spencer, head of supplier diversity and warranty recovery at Ford Motor Co.
“As an African American and a native Detroiter, this work is very meaningful to me,” said Travis Spencer, head of supplier diversity and warranty recovery at Ford. “I believe economic empowerment is a critical element for driving human progress.”
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and noon Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD. It can also be found on those stations’ listings on FUBO, Pluto TV, Youtube.com. It is also streamed 8 p.m. weeknights on CBSdetroit.com and the CBSdetroit app. See Kenneth Harris, Forrest Carter, Gregory Hawkins, Nancy Tellem, Tamika Mayes and Ping Ho on this Sunday’s show.
