The Home Depot’s Supplier Base
Mirrors its Customers
With more than 2,200 stores in all 50 Fund subsidizes business-development Enterprise National Council and the
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto training for small-, minority-, and U.S. Small Business Administration to
Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 woman-owned businesses that are cur-
Canadian provinces, Mexico and rent or prospective suppliers. One such help its diverse vendors build greater
China, The Home Depot associates program is FastTrac, sponsored in con- capacity. In addition, The Home Depot
reflect the changing customer base of junction with The Kaufmann Founda- is the title sponsor of The Resource
the nation. Just as important, The tion and Small Business Development Institute, an Atlanta-based nonprofit
Home Depot has created several rec- Centers. The nine-week initiative is that provides small- and diverse-busi-
ognized initiatives to ensure its suppli- designed to help entrepreneurs sharpen ness owners access to opportunities,
ers mirror the diverse customers that the skills needed to create, manage and venture capital and training programs.
shop in its stores. grow successful companies through
practical, hands-on business-develop- “As The Home Depot continues to
“In just five years, we’ve developed a ment workshops. grow,” says Johnson, “we will actively
robust supplier-diversity program, seek additional opportunities to bring
which includes systems and outreach The Home Depot also works with the in suppliers that will better meet our
programs to increase opportunities and National Minority Supplier Develop- customers’ needs.”
form partnerships with diverse and ment Council, the Women’s Business
small business owners,” says Director For more information on The Home
of Supplier Diversity Depot’s supplier-diversity program, visit
Michelle John- www.homedepot.com/supplierdiversity.
son. “These
efforts pro-
vide healthy
competition
within our sup-
plier base and,
ultimately,
increase opportu-
nities for diverse
businesses.”
For instance, The
Home Depot’s suppli-
er-diversity registra-
tion Web site—
designed in partnership
with Supplier Gateway, a
minority-owned IT
firm—provides vendors
with quick access to corpo-
er
i
rate buyers within 72 hours ppl
u
of registration (and a
S
response from company buy-
y
t
i
s
ers within 60 days).
r
e
Div
What’s more, The Home Depot
George A. Lottier Scholarship
y
t
si
er
v
i
d
ier
l
p
p
u
s/
om
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ot
3
dep 4
8
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66
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