- By Donna Benjamin

Linda Ware’s title with General Motors is a long one, Supplier Diversity Manager for Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, but it reflects the role she plays in expanding the participation of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs). In speaking with her, the complexity of reaching goals quickly becomes apparent. To meet a stated supplier diversity goal of 8 percent of total U.S. and Canada global spend, General Motors (GM) must aggressively attract and develop qualified minority and women owned businesses through significant resource commitment to supplier leadership and partnership initiatives.

Although only in her current position for two years, Ware has 32 years of experience with GM. Her responsibilities include ensuring the supplier diversity program meets the needs of GM and the 200 plus MWBE suppliers, as well as monitoring compliance with U.S. government regulations required for the GM Small Business Program. She also tracks Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier spending and reports on benchmarks of progress in meeting supplier diversity goals.

Though these job functions are critical to success, Ware has other responsibilities that get to the heart of a successful supplier diversity program. She spends a significant amount of time identifying potential suppliers, encouraging them to participate in company sponsored networking functions and running the General Motors Diverse Supplier Development Program. All of these functions prove that successful diversity supplier programs are the result of varied programs designed to build minority capacity and leadership abilities.

Company and MWBE Initiative Required

It’s tempting to think that a corporation only needs to run an unbiased procurement process to attract minority and women suppliers. That may work for a small company, but the type of products and size of GM ($37 billion USD in U.S. and Canadian spend) means complex purchasing procedures are in place. It can take years from initial supplier contact with GM before the vendor is added to the list of eligible Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers.

Getting on the diversity supplier list is just the beginning. It’s equally important to understand the GM bidding process. MWBEs that are not comfortable with corporate purchasing, product development and manufacturing processes may have a difficult time dealing with a company the size of GM. Although Ware’s job is to help the MWBE improve its chances of success, it is the responsibility of the MWBE to take the initiative and learn about the procurement process. Ware said, “The minority supplier must have some kind of purchasing experience and understand the manufacturing process. That’s the only way I can help the supplier. If the supplier doesn’t understand the process, it’s impossible for the supplier to intervene in the supply process.”

As the GM Supplier Diversity Manager, Ware’s focus would seem to be strictly on finding quality suppliers for GM, but that’s not so. She speaks of developing minority and women owned businesses in a way that enables them to work for GM and external businesses. That’s why the term ‘mentoring program’ was replaced with ‘development program’. Mentoring implies automatic GM contracts for suppliers in the program, which is not the case. The GM program is deeper and wider.

Developing MWBE Marketplace Strength

This is the strength of the GM diversity supplier program. Ware is not just developing suppliers for GM. She helps minority and women businesses grow in a way that enables them to develop a position of strength in the marketplace. As she pointed out, the U.S. population is expected to be over 50 percent minority by the year 2030. Training businesses now to succeed in the future creates a sustainable economic platform that creates jobs, promotes increased economic activity, and generates innovation.

ChemicoMays, LLC, is just one of the GM Supplier Diversity Program successes. The minority-owned business was given the opportunity to grow its business as a GM chemical supplier. The company’s performance with GM served as a springboard for landing a lucrative Toyota contract. ChemicoMays understands leveraging performance into sustainable growth. In fact, the President/CEO of ChemicoMays is now focusing on making sure that the supplier is not just reliant on the auto industry for growth, and GM could not be more pleased.

To expand contacts and increase opportunity, Ware represents GM on councils that certify minority and women business enterprises and promote MWBE success. They include the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Canadian Aboriginal & Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC).

According to Ware, there are two main components of a successful diversity supplier program – networking and training. Interestingly, the two components are so intermingled that one seldom occurs without the other. Networking also occurs in two main ways as well, with MWBE suppliers mingling with company executives, managers and community members, and MWBE suppliers networking with each other.

The GM networking activities also give potential MWBE suppliers a chance to meet a variety of influential people like MWBE council members and representatives from community MWBE support organizations. In addition, potential Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers can mingle with current GM diversity suppliers and get insider information on the procurement process. GM also encourages suppliers who hope to land a GM contract to mingle with each other and exchange innovative ideas that MWBE businesses have used for growth and greater market access outside GM.

Attention to Details People are always wondering exactly how barriers to MWBE success can be torn down. Ms. Ware proves that even in a giant company like GM, it is the attention to details that brings success. Goals, objectives and defined procedures are necessary, but in the end MWBEs still need people who insure that the process works the way it was meant to work. The process needs advocates like GM’s Linda Ware.