Advancing Supplier and Governing Board Diversity
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Deadline for submissions is the 15th of every month.
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September 2019 Newsletter Preview
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I. What’s New:
- Happy Labor Day!
- California Admission Day
- Legislative Update - SB 534
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In the Community:
- National LGBT Chamber of Commerce Annual Conference
- California State Employees Giving at Work
III. Spotlight on Diversity:
- Supplier Diversity: Supplier Diversity Benefits Both Small And Large Businesses
- Governing Board Diversity: Illinois companies now must report on board diversity
IV. Announcements:
- Share your Success Story!
V. Diversity Events Calendar – Sep/Oct
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On September 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates and honors the greatest worker in the world – the American worker. Labor Day 2019 is the 125th anniversary of Labor Day being celebrated as a national holiday.
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California Admission Day
September 9, 1850
In February of 1848, Mexico and the United States signed a treaty which ended the Mexican War and yielded a vast portion of the Southwest, including present day California, to the United States. Several days earlier, January 24, 1848, gold had been discovered on the American River near Sacramento, and the ensuing gold rush hastened California’s admittance to the Union. With the Gold Rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government.
In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850.
California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The Golden State’s rich history has since been shaped by people of every ethnic background who traveled here seeking economic, social and educational opportunity, and a life of quality and breathtaking beauty.
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SB 534 Legislative Update
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We are incredibly excited to announce that Senate Bill (SB) 534(Bradford) that is sponsored by Commissioner Ricardo Lara has successfully passed out of the
California State Legislature and is currently on Governor Newsom’s desk! This is a huge accomplishment, and we could not have done this without your support.
Thank you for sending in your letters to the Governor and urging him to sign SB 534 into law. We are only one step away from crossing the finish line with SB 534!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
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National LGBT Chamber of Commerce International Business & Leadership Conference
Tampa, FL | August 12-16, 2019
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Left to Right: Justin Nelson (Co-Founder of NGLCC) and The Mayor of Tampa, Florida announces LGBTBE inclusion in city contracts
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Washington, D.C. – The
National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, recently concluded a record-breaking 2019 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in Tampa, Florida from August 12-16, 2019. Nearly 1,400 LGBT business owners, corporate leaders, affiliate chamber leaders, policymakers, and special guests convened at the Tampa Convention Center for the largest LGBT business event on the planet.
For the eighth consecutive year, American Airlines was a presenting sponsor, and was joined by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dell Small Business. The
Tampa Bay Diversity Chamber of Commerce was the local affiliate partner in producing the Conference. NGLCC thanks the more than 40 corporate and local partners who helped make the Conference possible through their support, and to the representatives of the over 250 NGLCC Fortune 500 Corporate Partners who attended to engage with businesses not despite their being LGBT-owned, but because of it.
“As with all NGLCC events, we are constantly shattering attendance records and delivering greater opportunities for LGBT business owners to thrive,” said Justin Nelson, NGLCC Co-Founder & President. “Central Florida is one of the premiere entrepreneurial and entertainment destinations in the world, which made it a perfect place to host a conference elevating the innovative stars of the LGBT business community. Tampa, by Executive Order of openly LGBT Mayor Jane Castor, has raised the bar for future host cities by ensuring they are now ‘open for business’ with the certified LGBTBEs we celebrated at the Conference. We were honored to have such renowned corporations as American Airlines, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Dell Small Business present this sold out Conference with us.”
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The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses. www.nglcc.org | @NGLCC
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Our Promise Campaign Kick-Off
Sacramento, CA | August 28, 2019
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Left to Right: Chandara Phanachone, Director of the Insurance Diversity Initiative and Rebecca Ball, Coordinator of the Insurance Diversity Initiative attending the Statewide Annual Our Promise Campaign Kick-Off Event at the California State Capitol August 28, 2019
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Over 100 non-profit organizations set up their informational booths to share their mission with hundreds of California state employees who attended the 62nd Annual Our Promise Campaign kick-off on August 28, 2019 on the north steps of the California State Capitol building.
From non-profits whose missions were focused on notables causes, such as empowering youth, reducing homelessness, and promoting animal welfare, attendees of this event were given the opportunity to learn about new nonprofits, explore causes that they're passionate about, and discover which they would like to support through campaign donations. In 2018, California State employees contributed nearly $6 million as part of the Our Promise campaign.
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Our Promise: California State Employees Giving at Work was established in 1957 to provide a single charitable fund-raising drive in the State community. Our Promise offers California State employees the opportunity to support charitable organizations they feel passionate about. Thanks to the generosity of California state employees over the last 60 years, the Our Promise initiative has shown our commitment and dedication to communities; its impact is truly historic, and has been the single largest effort among almost 300,000 state employees to support charitable programs. This is our promise to California. Every day. All year.
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SUPPLIER DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT
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Supplier Diversity Benefits Both Small And Large Businesses
By: Geri Stengel
(Originally published: May 29, 2019 By
Forbes
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Want a more resilient vibrant economy? Diversity is key to achieving this goal. It helps companies earn more and employ more while increasing profits and innovation. It's not just about attracting a mix of employees. It's about penetrating untapped markets. It also means access to diverse suppliers who are agile, cost-effective, and provide innovations to meet the needs of corporations better and to serve their customers better.
The diversity conversation has risen slowly and steadily and, during the past five to eight years, has become one of the top five strategic imperatives for every CEO running a large corporation, according to Robyn Streisand, founder and CEO of The Mixx and Titanium Worldwide.
In 1996, when the fintech company she had worked at for 10 years moved to Long Island City from Manhattan, Streisand took the move as an opportunity to start her own graphic design firm. Streisand wanted the name of her company to reflect her values. As a child, she made yummy chocolate chip cookies with her mother. The reason the cookies tasted so good, her mother said, was that “it’s all in the mix.” The word was a perfect reflection of her passion and the legacy she wanted to leave. However, when she went to register the name, it was taken.
Was this a sign that Streisand shouldn’t move forward? A friend pointed out that Streisand was also about love and community. Reflecting the word “kiss,” she added a second x to The Mixx and expanded the meaning of the company.
During her 10-year corporate career, Streisand had grown an extensive Rolodex of colleagues who had moved to other companies, including outside the financial services industry. These people knew the caliber of Streisand's work and trusted that she would deliver creativity that was grounded in the corporation's strategy and met the objectives of the campaign. Her clients now include Mercedes-Benz USA and Fortune 100 firms.
Over the first few years, the company quickly evolved from a graphic design studio to a creative services agency. However, making the transition from print to digital was painful. "None of my creatives knew anything about digital," said Streisand. Some embraced the change, while others did not. "We overcame the challenge by changing some of the team and bringing in resources that were digital savvy."
In 2001, The Mixx won a large-scale project from a
Fortune 500 media company. Streisand was asked for her certification. "Huh," she thought. "What's that?" She was unaware that there are business development and third-party certifier organizations for women (e.g., Women's Business Enterprise National Council — WBENC), minorities (e.g. National Minority Supplier Development Council — NMSDC), people with different sexual preferences and non-binary gender identities (e.g., The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce — NGLCC) and veterans (e.g., National Veteran Business Development Council — NVBDC).
"This was an 'aha' moment for me," said Streisand. Since then, she's become a huge proponent of certification. She's also taken the time to learn how to leverage her certification. "It was like going back to school,” she said. But it was worth the time. “I got opportunities that I might not have ever gotten before … It’s become a key differentiator for my company.”
For example, The Mixx is working with a big four consultancy’s chief procurement officer, on a communication framework so that everyone — from partner to someone on his staff — speaks with a consistent voice about supplier diversity, both internally and to the outside world.
The Mixx has also developed a pilot program that enables companies to test the validity of the strategy and tactics by starting small, without committing millions. Companies like Mercedes Benz have had enormous success with this approach.
In addition to the value-added that certification has provided, Streisand recognized that she had another advantage. As a boutique agency, her company was getting accolades from clients for the higher quality work it did compared to conglomerate agencies. She started receiving requests for proposals (RFPs) for much larger-scale projects. However, “because of our size [20 employees], we were not being asked to go to the next level,” she said.
Streisand asked herself the question that changed everything: What if I could offer anything that a large company can by organizing a best-in-class network of diverse, independent agencies with expertise across multi-disciplinary fields, using one point of contact? She had a rigorous selection and vetting process to ensure quality and cultural fit. Importantly, the agencies had to work collaboratively and not competitively. Titanium Worldwide was born five years ago to compete more efficiently and effectively for large-scale opportunities against major agencies and holding companies.
While it does not have a global presence yet, Titanium Worldwide is signing business and has attracted very senior procurement executives to its advisory board. They understand the unique value Titanium brings — the belief that to attract new audiences, the brand has to connect to the market authentically.
Finding imagery for campaigns targeting new markets is challenging. Most stock image houses don’t get the need. One does. "Very few providers have the asset library Adobe has," said Streisand. "They see how ripe this opportunity is." Importantly, when Streisand's team identifies gaps, Adobe works to fill it.
The large companies have a significant role to play in helping small businesses grow. At the same time, small businesses have a vital role in helping large companies be agile, innovative, and responsive to changes in the market. How will you take advantage?
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ABOUT GERI STENGEL
Geri Stengel is president of Ventureneer, a digital media and market research company that helps corporations reach small businesses through thought leadership. Her book,
Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One, provides women entrepreneurs practical advice for overcoming the barriers they face. In 2017, she was recognized as one of 17 Inspiring Women to Watch in 2017 in Inc. In 2016, Stengel became a mentor for WE NYC and in 2015, she won the Madam C.J. Walker Business Leadership Award from the National Minority Business Council. In 2012 and 2013, Stengel was named a Small Business Influencer.
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GOVERNING BOARD DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs a bill requiring public companies with headquarters in Illinois to report the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of their boards
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Illinois Companies Now Must Report on Board Diversity
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SPRINGFIELD — Public companies with headquarters in Illinois will soon have to file public disclosures about the racial, ethnic and gender diversity of their boards of directors.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday signed
House Bill 3394 into law, saying it will eventually lead to better business performance in the state.
“Better diversity among leadership leads to reduced turnover, increased growth and improved market share,” Pritzker said at a bill-signing ceremony in Chicago. “That’s good business, and it advances my vision of an Illinois where both businesses and working families thrive.”
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and it originally contained much stronger language, requiring every company headquartered in the state to have at least one African American person and one woman on its board of directors.
The bill was based on a 2018 California law that requires companies have at least one woman director.
Welch said the state has a significant interest in promoting diversity on corporate boards.
“Historically, states have gotten involved in several things when they needed a nudge,” he said. “Would we have civil rights if people didn’t organize and push for laws that promoted civil rights? I don’t see this any different.”
The bill sparked heated debate in March on the House floor, where it passed by a 61-27 vote. Then the Senate made significant changes, removing the requirement for minority and female representation on boards and replacing it with a requirement to file reports on board diversity with the secretary of state’s office.
The revised bill also calls on the University of Illinois System to analyze the data and publish reports providing aggregate data as well as individualized ratings for each corporation.
That bill passed the Senate 38-16 and the House later concurred with the changes 105-0.
Speaking at the bill signing Tuesday, Welch defended the changes, saying he believes it will still have an impact on corporate culture in Illinois.
“I do believe by shining a light on this, corporations are going to change, and change willingly, because they want to be seen in a positive light,” he said. “But I do think down the road the data is going to help us make decisions on whether future legislation is needed.”
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Do You Have an Insurance Supplier Diversity Success Story?
We Want to Hear from You!
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Do you have NEW or RENEWED Business Relationship/Networking opportunity that has created opportunities for your business within the Insurance Industry?
Do you have NEW or RENEWED Procurement or Contract Opportunity(ies) within the Insurance Industry?
If you said, "Yes," to any of these questions - We Want to Hear from You!
Take 1-2 minutes to share your success story with us. Each step you take towards securing any insurer business for your company is a measure of your success, and we would love to hear about it! Visit
Diversity Success Story Survey
or contact us directly at
diversity@insurance.ca.gov
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DIVERSITY EVENTS CALENDAR:
September & October 2019
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SEPTEMBER
Hosted by: CalAsian Chamber of Commerce
September 6, 2019
San Jose, CA
Hosted by: U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
September 29-October 1, 2019
Albuquerque, NM
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OCTOBER
Hosted by: National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
October 13-15, 2019
Jacksonville, FL
Hosted by: National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
October 13-16, 2019
Atlanta, GA
Hosted by: Veteran's In Business Network
October 28-29, 2019
San Diego, CA
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To submit a request to add your Supplier Diversity or Governing Board Diversity-related event, please contact us at:
diversity@insurance.ca.gov.
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The Insurance Diversity Initiative was established in 2011 to address diversity issues within California's $310 billion insurance industry. Specifically, these efforts are meant to increase procurement from California’s diverse suppliers, as well as to increase diversity amongst insurer governing boards. To accomplish these goals, the Department conducts outreach, creates partnerships, hosts events, and most importantly, administers surveys to collect and publicly disseminate information about the state of diversity in the insurance industry.
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INSURANCE DIVERSITY INITIATIVE
Office of Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
California Department of Insurance
(916) 492-3623
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