Commission on Economic Inclusion Annual Diversity Survey Shows Gains

Highlights presented at annual meeting; Best-in-class winners, Hall of Fame inductees honored at 10th anniversary observance

CLEVELAND, May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Results of the Commission on Economic Inclusion's annual Employers Survey on Diversity™ indicate an increase from 2009 to 2010 among minorities in senior management and in dollars spent with minority-owned businesses. The 2010 survey was completed by 97 Northeast Ohio employers (47 for-profits and 50 nonprofits) who are members of the Commission. These organizations represent about 181,000 employees in Northeast Ohio and almost 560,000 employees total.

Survey highlights were presented at the Commission's Annual Meeting held earlier this week, where the organization observed its 10th anniversary. About 400 business and community leaders attended the event at Windows on the River. Responses summarized below compare data provided by the 95 Commission-member organizations who completed the survey in both 2009 and 2010. Key points include:

• Senior management minority representation increased slightly from 12.7 percent to 13.4 percent.
• The national supplier diversity spend increased to $2.23 billion in 2010 from $2.17 billion in 2009; the regional diversity spend increased from $283 million in 2009 to $339 million in 2010.
• Board minority representation remained stable at 15.8 percent.

"This year's results are encouraging, with the data indicating that our member employers are actively engaged in advancing diversity and inclusion within their organizations," said Andrew Jackson, executive director of the Commission and a senior vice president of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. "However, although our membership has shown a substantial increase in their focus on, and tracking of, expenditures with minority business enterprises (MBEs) since 2001, we have yet to build sustained working relationships with local MBEs. The Commission will continue to offer our membership a range of resources that can facilitate a more substantial pace of improvement in any committed organization."

Best-in-Class winners

The Commission honored eight of its members as Best-in-Class. They were selected based on results of the 2010 Employers Survey on Diversity™ and follow-up interviews by the Commission staff. Two organizations—one nonprofit/government organization and one for-profit company—were named in each of four categories:

Board Diversity: University Hospitals and FirstEnergy Corp. Senior Management Diversity: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit  Authority and KeyCorp; Workforce Diversity: Case Western Reserve University and U.S. Bank; and Supplier Diversity: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Turner Construction Company.

Commission Hall of Fame

Four Commission members were named as inaugural members (Class of 2011) of the Commission Hall of Fame. These organizations are multi-year winners of the Commission's Best-in-Class awards in these categories: Board Diversity:  Kaiser Permanente and KeyCorp; Senior Management Diversity: Eaton Corporation; Workforce Diversity: Time Warner Cable, Northeast Ohio.

Other Commission 2010 highlights

• Raised $2.5 million for the first phase of the Working Capital Loan Bank Fund. The fund will be used as collateral to secure working lines of credit to support viable African American and Hispanic MBEs.
• Cumulative results of the Commission's Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ between April 2008, when the first deal was announced, and December 2010 include:
  • Closed a total of 54 deals—49 deals with African American MBEs and five deals with Hispanic MBEs—valued at $131.6 million;
  • 249+ jobs created; 
  • $2.2 million in lines of credit and bonding secured;
  • Over $793 million in business opportunities identified over the past three years.
• Joined with The Presidents' Council to re-launch the Boardroom to Boardroom program, which provides business management and consulting services by executives from some of the region's leading majority companies to African American and other minority business owners.
• Expanded the annual Diversity Professionals conference to a full-day format. The 2010 session on cultural competence provided more than 200 senior and HR diversity professionals with tools and strategies to improve recruitment, retention and talent development.
• Partnered with Business Volunteers Unlimited to present a recruitment and training session for minority professionals from Commission member organizations as preparation for service on nonprofit boards. The goal is for at least 10 participants to be placed on nonprofit boards in 2011.

As part of its 10th anniversary observance, the Commission presented highlights from its first decade. Click here for details.

Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ Graduation and Recognition

The Commission recognized five Minority Business Accelerator 2.5+ portfolio companies that have received financial, technical and/or consultative services from the program. Based on growth in number of employees and revenue, these MBEs were named to the Accelerator's graduating Class of 2011: HotCards.com; Key General Contractors; MAC Installations & Consulting LLC; Ralph Tyler Companies; and Start to Finish Construction Co.

Keynote speaker: Earl Graves, Jr.,  president and CEO, BLACK ENTERPRISE

Keynote speaker Earl Graves, Jr., president and CEO of BLACK ENTERPRISE, commended the Commission and its members for their efforts to ensure that economic inclusion is part of the business community's economic development agenda. He also encouraged minority business owners "to continue to push for opportunities that you deserve."

About the Commission

The Commission on Economic Inclusion is a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP). Its mission is "to significantly improve the level of inclusion-the meaningful involvement of minority businesses and individuals-in the economic engines that drive Northeast Ohio." www.commission-inclusion.com. The GCP mobilizes private-sector leadership, expertise and resources to create jobs and wealth and improve the economic vitality of the region. www.gcpartnership.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Andrew Jackson: http://www.profnetconnect.com/andrew_jackson

SOURCE Commission on Economic Inclusion