 |
|
TBS Supplier Diversity Business Symposium 2006 Reaches New Dimension
|
|
|
Atlanta, GA, November 28, 2006/ DiversityBusiness.com -- Over 100 minority and women business entrepreneurs from across the nation joined TBS Supplier Diversity Program to "Plug in to relationships" and "Tune in to opportunities" at its annual business symposium on November 14, 2006. For this professional gathering, Rosemary M. Jones, TBS Supplier Diversity director, created a robust agenda in three dimensions that consisted of a Construction Industry 'Meet and Greet' session, followed by a Tips from the Top Networking Luncheon, and ended with an Emerging Trends Forum. The program in its entirety reflected the breadth and depth of work developed by TBS Supplier Diversity Program team, in conjunction with selected Turner business units.
Notably, Turner Properties, led by Alec Fraser, president, hosted the Construction Industry 'Meet and Greet' morning session. Mr. Fraser gave insightful remarks about the importance of collaboration with the Supplier Diversity Program and how collaborative efforts relate to performance outcomes at Turner Properties. Likewise, Chuck Burleson, VP of Planning, Architecture & Construction, underscored the value of diversity and emphasized Turner Properties' commitment to make opportunities available for qualified minority suppliers. Burleson stated, "The imperative here is long-term relationships. Today is a first step" To that end, Turner Properties invited their prime suppliers ranked in the Top 25 General Contractors list in Atlanta to participate in a mini-fair which was the central focus of the morning session. Corporate Supplier Diversity partners from Georgia Pacific, Johnson Controls, MARTA, The Coca-Cola Company, The Greater Atlanta Economic Alliance, and United Parcel Service (UPS) also supported the mini-fair. It was evident based on survey and observation that general contractors and minority suppliers walked away from the mini-fair with contacts and connections for promising business exchange.
The second dimension of the event allowed attendees to hear from a host of TBS presenters. Tips from the Top Networking Luncheon featured Richard Lui, news anchor, CNN Pipeline as master of ceremonies and TBS business leaders who shared their insights on issues that define today's business landscape. TBS business leaders included John Kampfe, SVP, corporate controller and chief accounting officer, Loretta Walker, SVP, Human Resources & Recruiting, Dan Darling, CIO and SVP, Technology Operations, Sandra Murillo Weber, VP, Multicultural Market Development and Lenny Daniels, SVP, Sports Production & New Media.
The event ended with an educational component that provided practical perspectives to practitioners on emerging trends in the field of supplier diversity. The Emerging Trends Forum was facilitated by Evelyn Robinson, director, Shell Oil Products US Supplier Diversity and co-presented by Craig B. Clayton, Sr., president, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Transperfect Consulting and Ron Washington, managing partner, MWBEnetwork.com. "The business of sourcing is a key issue, stated Washington. Washington is also leading the National Corporate Partners initiative for NAMC, an Atlanta-based construction industry advocacy association. Rosemary Jones emphasized the importance of leadership support to the success of the TBS Supplier Diversity Program. Jones said, "We believe aggressive supplier diversity initiatives are vital to the achievement of Turner's competitive success in the marketplace. We also believe that Fortune companies who actively embrace and continually demonstrate their commitment to inclusion will ultimately establish a sustainable competitive edge." The success of this event is acknowledgment of TBS, Inc.'s national recognition as a leader in diversity.
|
|
|
|
