These business practices are shared freely with the hope that the reader will find them of great use. Your consideration to donate will help fulfill greater capacity to deliver more information in the area of small business inclusion strategies. All donations are tax deductible as the producer of this site is the Southland Partnership Corporation, a public charity, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Naming Your Small Business Program:
A Potential Detractor to Inclusion
Within any speech or discussion about supplier diversity and small business development, we all recite and listen to similar comments. Comments that reflect how “Minority Business Represents 7% of Federal Contracts; Small Business is the Driving Force of the Nation’s Economy; Minority Business is Critical to the Growth & Economic Development of the Economy; Small Business is the Backbone of the U.S. Economy; Small Business Accounts for 99% of all of the New Jobs in America; Small Business Represents Two-thirds of the Private Sector Jobs; Small Business Represents ½ of the GDP.”
With these glorious superlatives about small business, we should want to grant a term consistent and worthy of such vast attainment. Particularly, since the public and private sectors are working diligently to develop and include enterprises owned, control, and operated by Native American, Asian, black and Latino citizenry.
As you review the terms that follow in the next section, keep in mind that these are actual descriptions used over the past couple of decades entitling the businesses and programs in place by the public and private sectors for small business utilization. At a minimum, the assortment of so many names shows a differentiation of our understanding about the target group and our collective objective. These capture the most used and some were not so favorable, such as;
8(a) Contractor
Affirmative Action Program
Certified Supplier
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
Diverse Business Enterprise (DBE)
Emergethnic
Emerging Enterprise (EE)
Ethnic Business Enterprises Development
Fledging Business Enterprises
Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
Inner-city businesses
Minority Business Enterprises (MBE)
Minority Supplier
Minority Vendor
Minority-owned business (MOB)
Qualified Diverse Suppliers
Second-tier or Subcontractor
Section 3-HUD
Small Business (SB)
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
Social & Economic Disadvantaged Business
Socioeconomic Business Program
Supplier/Vendor Diversity
For Best 'Viable' Practices' on supplier inclusion designations, click the logo below:
The Sempra Energy Corporation over the past three decades have sought a large variety of methods to increase the inclusion of Indian, Asian, Black, and Latino-owned business enterprises in their supply chain management.
Sempra has made supplier diversity a reality at all levels of their organization by building total corporate involvement from those who influence the make or buy decisions of the company.
Sempra's President and Chief Executive Officer is Debbie Reed, who is leading the company on an important mission to champion small business activity. The corporate plan follows similar strategies for corporate wide implementation projects which is to use employee teams to create the best viable outcomes.
Sempra executives understand the ethical ramifications from not using viable companies, which is why they celebrate annually and award many employees for their work with recruiting and engaging diverse suppliers.
The CEO of Sempra takes pride in the corporate performance reporting a record high net income in 2008 of $1.1 billion. The financial benefits of working with diverse suppliers contributes to the high performance of Sempra.
On July 10, 2009, an exemplary socioeconomic development measurable outcome of transparency at the Sempra Energy Corporation’s Annual “Diversity Champions Celebration” was held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Building a strong diverse supplier and workforce goes hand-in-hand at Sempra with the organization’s core values of ethics, respect, quality performance, vision and being a socioeconomic responsible community partner.
The people of Sempra make the difference of achieving economic parity. Congratulations to Sempra Energy for getting it right!
This web site promotes 'viable' improvements to business models that position competitive small businesses for full economic growth. Dean L. Jones, a Certified Purchasing Manager and marketing strategist for the Southland Partnership Corporation (SPC) presents these business critiques . The SPC is a public benefit corporation working to expand, retain, and attract businesses to southern California.
Through capacity building programs for large and small business enterprises such outcomes support improved job opportunities that can help improve the quality of life and opportunities for the residents of this region . The SPC is a strategic partner with the National Black Business Council and Black Business Association.
