MCCA MGC 501–1000 COMPANIES BY INDUSTRY


Electronics, Offi ce Equipment, Software (A)


Insurance (B)


Energy, Gas, Petroleum Refi ning, Pipelines, Etc. (C)


Food & Drug Stores (D)


General Merchandisers, Speciality Retailers, Wholesalers: Diversifi ed, etc. (E)


Financial Services: Diversifi ed Financials, Securities, Banks (F)


Transportation & Logistics (G) Telecommunications (H)


Pharmaceuticals, Medical Products & Equipment, Healthcare (I)


Food Services, Consumer Food Products (J)


Motor Vehicles (K)


Industrial & Farm Equipment (L) Airlines (M)


% # 00


4.2 1 12.5 3


00 24.9 6


12.5 3


0 0 00 4.2 1


00


8.3 2 12.5 3 4.2 1


Real Estate, Hotels & Casinos (N) 4.2 1 Chemicals (O)


00


Forest & Paper Products (P) 00 Publishing, Printing (Q)


00


Scientifi c, Photo Control Equipment (R) 0 0 Railroads (S)


00


Mail, Packaging, Freight (T) 00 Other (Z) Total


12.5 3 100 24


WHETHER HE IS INVOLVED WITH COM- PLIANCE, COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING SUPPORT, LEGISLATIVE LOBBYING, or any aspect of his broad-based general counsel responsibilities, Ricardo Nuñez says, “Every day, on the job at HD Supply brings some level of excitement.” As senior vice president, general


counsel & corporate secretary of the mammoth Atlanta-headquartered industrial distributor, Nuñez is drawn to deal making and developing commercial strategy. “To be effective as a general counsel, it’s important to enjoy the nuances of your company’s business. It makes understanding and executing the company’s mission much easier. Lawyers need to be in sync with their commercial clients outside and inside the company. Achieving the company’s mission requires perfect alignment.” Prior to joining HD Supply as its


20.8% 45.8% African American


Asian American/ Pacifi c Islander


MGC 501–1000 COMPANIES BY RACE/ ETHNICITY


MCCA


general counsel in 2006, Nuñez held high ranking leadership positions at General Electric and The Home Depot. “There are core skill sets you take with you when you transition from one company to another, but as you learn any new business or industry, you become more effective,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed working directly with commercial teams; it’s all about challenging one another to drive optimal customer solutions. At HD Supply my colleagues on the business side are incredibly talented and I enjoy learning from them.” But it is Nuñez’s 21-person legal


33.4% Hispanic MCCA.COM


team, including 11 attorneys, that he admires most. “Pound for pound I can’t imagine a better team. Recently, we’ve concentrated on enhancing our contracting and compliance processes.


Ricardo Nuñez


SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL & CORPORATE SECRETARY


HD SUPPLY ATLANTA, GA.


We’ve also spent considerable time improving our capital structure. Collaborating across functions, we recently completed six fi nancing transactions totaling $8.4 billion dollars. In addition, we recently completed our initial public offering. Our team has accomplished a lot.” Miami-bred Nuñez was the fi rst


kid in his high school to be accepted at Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. “I’d never heard of the place, but everyone said it was a great honor, so I went.” After graduating with an economics degree, he earned his juris doctorate from Columbia Law School. He thought he’d follow in the footsteps of his father, a Cuban-American immigrant who earned his law degree in Havana but rather than practice law used it to further his entrepreneurial efforts, which ranged from real estate development to founding a bank. And while neither his mother nor father pressured him to succeed, he says his parents’ work ethic and successes on the path to achiev- ing the American dream were enough to convince him of the importance of education and hard work. He couldn’t imagine better role models. Nuñez’s avid interest in business


begs the question: Will he one day make the jump from general counsel to an exclusively commercial position? “I really do enjoy practicing law. Right now I think I have the best of both worlds. I practice law and get very involved in the details of our commercial strategy development. But would I ever leave law exclusively for the business side? Let’s just say I’ll never say never.” D&B


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 DIVERSITY & THE BAR®


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