president for diversity and inclusion at University Hospitals. Roughly 90 percent of
the companies that received contracts were based locally and more than 30 percent
are minority- or women-owned businesses. “The impact is huge,” says Steven D.
Standley, University Hospitals’ chief administrative officer. “Every dollar we spend
with a local firm gets spent again and again in Cleveland.”
Last year, 21 percent of the Cleveland Clinic’s construction dollars went to
MWBE contractors, and the sourcing department is using a new online system to
track and communicate with vendors from various backgrounds. “We recognize that
incorporating diversity reinforces our commitment to the community and strengthens
our position as a good community citizen,” says Le Joyce Naylor, the clinic’s
executive director of diversity and inclusion. “This work is core to Cleveland Clinic’s
commitment to the economic vitality of Northeast Ohio.”
Similarly, Mercy Health Partners has committed to spending 10 percent to 15
percent of its annual budget with MWBEs by 2014. They’ve also set a goal to spend
25 percent of their construction budget with women- and minority-owned firms.
In April, Humility of Mary Health Partners and Mercy-Lorain Hospital planned to
host the Northeast Ohio Healthcare Supplier Diversity Event to reach out to local
suppliers and build new partnerships. “Our primary goal is to identify companies
that can support our efforts in increasing our diverse spend,” says Mercy’s Chatman.
“We believe that being inclusive will lead to more productive partnerships in the
These companies aren’t alone in their dedication to supplier diversity. Overall,
companies in Northeast Ohio increased their spend with MBEs by 33 percent
between 2010 and 2011 (from $339 million to $450 million); nationally, supplier-
diversity spend increased by 21 percent during the same period, from $2.23 billion
to $2.71 billion. “The inclusion of MWBEs is vital to the future of the region,” says
Perkins. “It’s an investment in taking care of the community you serve.”
