Supplier Diversity
We serve as an extension of your supply chain. The Northwest Mountain MSDC is your go-to source for introductions to certified MBEs, we support your outreach to specific businesses and industries and provide opportunities for connecting with fellow corporations and public agencies. Our members know they can call on us to help them meet (and exceed) their supplier diversity needs.
What is Supplier Diversity?
The process which creates fair and equitable engagements for diverse business enterprises to participate in corporate or public agency sourcing and procurement opportunities with the desired state of increasing business while delivering value to the corporations, public agencies, and ultimately the customer.
Supplier diversity is not simply a social justice buzzword, it’s a vital component of building and maintaining a strong supply chain.
By actively seeking out suppliers from diverse backgrounds, we enrich our business ecosystem with fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and unique solutions. This approach not only reflects a commitment to social responsibility, but also drives economic growth in local communities, creating jobs and empowering entrepreneurial individuals from underserved backgrounds.
Supplier diversity enhances our competitiveness, fosters a culture of inclusion, and demonstrates our dedication to equal opportunities for all. In today’s interconnected marketplace, embracing supplier diversity is not just a choice, it’s a strategic imperative for long-term success and resilience.
Supplier diversity is not a niche corporate social responsibility initiative, but rather a driver of innovation and an economic engine. Procurement departments that prioritize diversity throughout their supply chains gain a competitive advantage over businesses that neglect to invest in supplier diversity.
Why Invest in Supplier Diversity?
Strengthen and Enrich Your Supply Chains
- Diversifying your supplier base creates greater resiliency and protection against global supply chain shocks.
- Investing in small, diverse businesses decreases dependency on foreign suppliers and strengthens overall American supply chain resilience.
- Diversity drives innovation: fresh and varied perspectives bring new ideas and provide a competitive advantage to buyers.
Improve the Bottom Line
- Greater return on investment: a study by the Hackett Group found that companies with strong supplier diversity programs had a 133% higher return on procurement investments compared to companies without such programs.
- Greater competition removes the inertia of always selecting the same supplier, ensuring that the best value supplier is chosen.
- Consumers appreciate businesses that support their values: according to the Corporate Diversity Index, a 1% increase in awareness of a brand’s supplier diversity program will yield an additional 800,000 U.S. consumers.
Generate Value for Certified MBEs and Their Communities
Building out your supplier diversity program is like unlocking a cheat code that not every procurement department knows about. Working with the Northwest Mountain MSDC gets you access to some of the fastest growing and most innovative companies in the country.
Case Study
Supplier Diversity Summit
The Northwest Mountain MSDC played a pivotal role in planning and organizing the Boeing Supplier Diversity Summit, ensuring its success as a showcase for the region’s diverse supplier network.
The event provided Boeing with access to a wide range of small, women-owned, and minority-owned suppliers, expanding their potential supplier base. Through direct interactions and business-to-business meetings, Boeing built new relationships and explored potential partnerships, while also reinforcing its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The Northwest Mountain MSDC’s meticulous coordination of the program—featuring keynote presentations, panel discussions, and networking opportunities—facilitated valuable connections and aligned with Boeing’s strategic goals for supply chain growth and resilience.
What We Do
The Northwest Mountain MSDC has worked with dozens of corporations and public agencies to help further the goals of supplier diversity.
We have worked with many of the large corporations that operate in our region, but we can’t be as forthcoming about the details of those projects. Our recent public sector partners include the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (LNI), the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE), and the University of Washington.
City of Seattle Technical Assistance Program
We spent several years overseeing a technical assistance program with the City of Seattle providing in-depth support to minority- and women-owned businesses who were looking to do business with the city, helping business accomplish their growth goals and helping the city leverage its investments into increasing supplier diversity.
OMWBE Outreach & Technical Assistance
The similarity of our certification to MBE, WBE, and WMBE certifications through OMWBE has created a natural opportunity to partner with their office. We have worked with them on certification workshops and certification assistance to eligible businesses throughout Washington, and technical assistance for existing OMWBE-certified businesses.
PortGen Business Accelerator
In collaboration with the Port of Seattle, we oversaw a business accelerator program in 2022 with the goal of providing high-level education and development to a small cohort of diverse businesses that were looking to increase their capabilities and work on future Port of Seattle contracts.