The University of Miami’s longstanding commitment to supplier diversity was reginited in July 2020 in direct response to the call for action to grow minority businesses and promote economic inclusion to support diverse and underutilized suppliers.
Almost two years later, after the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to support economic inclusion, the University’s Supplier Diversity Program continues to make an impact in the Miami community and beyond.
During the past year, the supplier diversity team has onboarded more than 500 new minority suppliers, provided training programs to help faculty and staff members expand their outreach when bidding for services, and developed online tools for minority-owned businesses to use to work with the University and to provide bidding and purchasing opportunities.
In effort to expand the University’s reach and impact, Lindsay Collazo, director of supplier diversity, and Susan Montes, executive director of purchasing, joined local leaders as panelists at the South Florida Anchor Alliance on June 8, 2022 to discuss progress and opportunities for collaboration regarding supplier diversity. Additionally, the University was one of 10 public and private institutions that announced its commitment to join the South Florida Regional Marketplace—a communal vendor pool from which local organizations can support local, small, and minority businesses.
“The South Florida Anchor Alliance provides an open forum for members to come together and create a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable local economy,” said Collazo. We are also excited to be a participant in the South Florida Regional Marketplace—a crucial pillar in the Supplier Diversity Program’s life cycle—which will allow us to reach a larger audience and provide additional resources for diverse suppliers in our purchasing and bidding opportunities.”
The supplier diversity team remains steadfast in its commitment to support economic inclusion and internal accountability and it continues to make great strides. In addition to working closely with local leaders and institutions, the University recorded the highest engagement with Black-owned businesses since 2019.
Learn more about the University of Miami’s Supplier Diversity Program.
