The City of Fort Worth was a big winner at the recent Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council (D/FW MSDC) Annual E Awards Gala celebration held Nov. 16.
The E Awards celebrate the achievements of corporations, public sector agencies, certified minority-owned business enterprises, individual buyers and advocates who demonstrate operational excellence and real results related to the engagement and use of certified ethnic minority-owned businesses, the council said in a news release.
Two City of Fort Worth employees were recognized for their contributions.
Robert Sturns, Economic Development Director for the City of Fort Worth, was honored as the Executive Advocate of the Year. Gwen Wilson, Supplier Diversity Manager for the city, won the Supplier Diversity Professional of the Year Award.
The City of Fort Worth and its Economic Development Department rolled out a strategic plan in 2017 to improve and increase capacity and utilization of minority-owned businesses seeking to do business with the city, the news release said.
The strategy included establishing new business opportunities, minority business inclusion on major infrastructure projects, enhancement of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, mentoring support for minority- and women-owned businesses and metrics and tools to measure results.
“The biggest challenge to increasing minority business participation has been capacity-building and access to capital,” Sturns said in the news release. “We encourage our prime contractors to support our efforts by supporting MBEs, waiving bonding requirements and potentially eliminating other requirements that hinder MBEs from getting work.”
In addition, the Economic Development Department presented a recommendation to the City Council to disband the eight-member Minority and Women Business Enterprise Advisory Committee in favor of a restructured 18-member advisory committee of representatives from ethnic chambers and contractors associates, D/FW MSDC, and the Women’s Business Council-Southwest.
The results have proven positive for the city, the news release said. In three out of four tracked categories, the city has far exceeded its goals.
¬– Professional Services (non-Architecture and Engineering) MBE African American goal was set at 15 percent; the city achieved 39 percent (exceeded goal by 24 percent).
¬– Professional Services (Architecture and Engineering) SBE (race neutral) goal was 15 percent; the city reached 42 percent (exceeded goal by 27 percent).
– Goods and Non-Professional Services had an M/WBE goal of 25 percent; the city accomplished 60 percent (exceeded by 35 percent).
– In the area of Construction, the city reached 17 percent against its goal of 25 percent.
In addition to the awards won by the City of Fort Worth, DFW International Airport won the top award – Buying Entity of the Year.
This award is given to a top corporation or public sector agency that demonstrates unparalleled excellence in minority business inclusion results, D/FW MSDC said in the release.
DFW averaged 30 percent minority-business spend across all categories of spend in 2017-2018. The council said DFW leadership has continually demonstrated strong results and commitment to minority business inclusion over the years and continues to institute best practices of excellence to achieve real results.
Jack Daniell, with Oncor, was another E Awards winner with ties to Fort Worth. Daniell won the Buyer of the Year Award.
“The E Awards Gala embraces champions focused on building a better community for us all through minority business inclusion,” said Margo J. Posey, CEO/President of the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council. “To win recognition as an awardee is no small feat. Through supplier diversity programs, innovative best practices and devoted advocacy for minority business inclusion, we have seen what the power of a few can do.”
The council is celebrating 45 years of actively facilitating business connections between its buying entity partners and certified minority business enterprises. From an initial spend of $1 million with minority businesses in 1973, the council has grown to report $22.9 billion in minority business revenues in 2017. This represents 796 D/FW MSDC certified minority-owned businesses and more than 51,000 jobs.
The E Awards also recognized four minority-owned businesses as Supplier of the Year. They were Argent Associates and Bracane Co., both of Plano, and GCC Enterprises and The Crowther Group. both of Dallas.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council (D/FW MSDC) is a privately funded, non-profit (501 c3) organization established in 1973 by corporations seeking to connect and source certified minority businesses within their supply chain in order to create economic growth in North Texas.
The Council certifies businesses owned and controlled by ethnic minorities who are of Asian, African American, Hispanic or Native American origin. The Council’s mission is to encourage and facilitate procurement and business opportunities between Buying Entities members (corporations and public sector supplier development council network agencies) and Certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs). D/FW MSDC is recognized as one of the top two councils of 23 affiliate councils nationwide.
– FWBP Staff