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MBN USA

April 23, 2021

A season to renew our passion and purpose

By Sharon Patterson, president and CEO, Billion Dollar Roundtable Inc.

We’ve all heard the age-old adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But in the age of COVID-19 that proposition is easier said than done if you’re a minority- or women-owned business enterprise.

Spring symbolizes new life, as we emerge from the chilly climes to explore new beginnings and opportunities in both our personal and professional lives. It’s also an opportune time to give energy to your passion and purpose, whatever they may be.

We all have to work, and it’s important to enjoy what you do. Then it becomes fun and productive, and your creativity bubbles forth — as opposed to just languishing there. Spring is a time to be passionate about your thoughts and see where they lead you.

To be sure, 2020 was a tumultuous year, as we grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impeachment of President Donald Trump and police shootings of Black people — 164 killings in the first eight months of 2020 alone — that unfolded before our eyes on just about every news station in the country, sparking protests coast to coast and, in some cases, around the world.

Meanwhile, 28-member Billion Dollar Roundtable Inc. embraced the multigenerational protest encircling the nation to address systemic and longstanding issues of racism, economic oppression, intolerance and inequality. BDR is resolute in its condemnation of injustice of any kind.

BDR member companies commit annually to audited supply-chain spend of $1 billion or more with diverse suppliers — identified as business enterprises with majority owners who are minorities, women, veterans and disabled, along with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning. Total certified, first-tier diversity spend of the member companies reached $83 billion in 2019.

This year, the challenge for Fortune 500s is to increase their supplier diversity spend, find productive, diverse suppliers and help them develop into bigger, better entities. At BDR, our mission is to drive supplier diversity excellence through best-practice sharing and thought leadership.

We made it through 2020, and we’re stronger and healthier, as we continue to embrace sufficient safety measures to guard against the pandemic and its alarming variants. Hopefully, we have all received vaccinations or have plans to do so.

Today, we find ourselves in a transitional mode. We have new government leadership that is supportive of humanity. Let’s embrace that transition and use it to propel our journey into bigger and better things in 2021.

Whether you‘re a business professional, an architect, a financial consultant or a schoolteacher, now is the time to strengthen your resolve. Let’s continue to build our character and work toward our purpose for being here on the planet with integrity and energy. Let’s make 2021 our year to shine!

To learn more about BDR, visit billiondollarroundtable.org.