MBN USA
October 04, 2021
Alvarez finds purpose helping MBEs
Alex Alvarez Jr. is
global supply manager, global supplier diversity in corporate procurement,
Apple Inc. He has 20 years of experience as a change agent, primarily in supply
chain, procurement and supplier diversity.
He co-led Apple to
become the first Silicon Valley-based company to be accepted as a Billion
Dollar Roundtable Inc. member in 2016. BDR celebrates companies that spend $1
billion a year with diverse-owned companies. He has also helped the technology
giant earn several top industry awards including Corporation of the Year for
Innovation from the National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. in
2017.
As president and CEO of
the Southern Region Minority Supplier Development Council and executive
director of the Alabama Minority Business Opportunity Center, he brought these
organizations national distinction.
Q: Can you tell us a
little about your background?
A: As I reflect on my
life, I recognize that I have been very fortunate to have a strong grandmother
and mother, to be educated by some of the top institutions and to work for top
corporations.
I was born prematurely
to a single mother and nearly died. I fight every day of my life to overcome
the stigma that comes from being born with a disability and growing up in an
impoverished community. My drive to survive, persevere and succeed came natural
to me, which is why my grandma nicknamed me “Vivo” meaning “to be alive” in
Spanish.
My single mother raised
me in a farming community with high crime. Our city was characterized as the
poorest place in America. My mother ensured I never viewed my experience as a
weakness. She tried to shift my narrative and noted that I could accomplish
anything if I put in the work and had faith.
Q: What attracted you to the supply-chain arena?
A: Supply chain,
strategic sourcing, diversity and equity and inclusion provide me with purpose.
I am inspired by the profession’s ability to transform underserved communities
and create multigenerational wealth.
Supply-chain diversity
is the intersection of supply-chain inclusion and economic prosperity for
diverse businesses. How we proceed impacts their economic trajectory and
generational wealth for underserved communities for many places and
individuals. Like a traffic controller, I take great pride in providing access
to diverse businesses, enabling billions in spend over my 20-year career.
They say in life you can
get in the game or be a spectator. As it relates to entrepreneurship, I wanted
to get in the game. I work to develop the minority businesses, enabling a
winning formula for both of us. I’m also given the opportunity to be a referee
to ensure the game is being played fair, and everyone is provided equitable
access and evaluated against our needs.
Q: What are you most
proud of about Apple’s supply-chain diversity program?
A: Leadership by
example. Technology is a tool that helps society overcome its limitations. What
the car did for transportation and the iPhone did for communication,
supply-chain diversity is doing for economic parity. Apple does the same in
advancing and improving accessibility in every way and every product,
ultimately enhancing the world we live in.
Apple made it possible
for me to serve as president of tech:SCALE — formerly Technology Industry Group
or TIG — for five years. During my tenure and despite the criticism that the
technology sector was facing, our technology industry group stayed committed to
changing this narrative and contributing to advancing supply-chain diversity in
the technology industry. Our work produced over $40 billion in collective spend
with diverse suppliers and a 600% membership growth. Our industry became
recognized as the leader in innovation, economic impact and thought leadership
within supply-chain diversity. This [recognition] allowed me to influence and
drive transformative change within my company, our technology industry and the
economic landscape for positive impact overall.
Q: What advice do you
have for minority business enterprises interested in doing business with Apple?
A: Supply-chain diversity
and minority businesses can be vastly underrated. Having overcome challenging
odds to get a seat at the table, I am familiar with being underestimated and
experienced in overcoming long odds. My advice to MBEs is to keep innovating,
adapting and persevering. In life and in business, you will experience a roller
coaster of successes and failures. It’s difficult. The key point is to stay
committed and invest in yourself. “Pasos cortos, vision larga” means “short
steps, long vision.” I often remind MBEs that succeeding in business is like
running a marathon, not a sprint.
Q: What’s your vision
for the future of minority business development and supply-chain diversity?
A: I proudly stand on the shoulders of many individuals and companies who have driven supply-chain diversity for over 60 years. In the 1960s, at the height of the civil rights movement, supply-chain diversity was created to help address the frightening economic disparity in contracts to underserved communities such as African American- and Hispanic American-owned businesses.
Since then, the definition
expanded to include additional underserved communities such as Asian Pacific
and Asian Indian Americans; Native Americans; women; veterans; lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and questioning-plus people; and people with disabilities
in the United States. Proudly, we played a key role in the vision being
expanded globally in many countries to include ethnic minorities, women and the
underrepresented, to name a few. My dream in supply-chain diversity is that
[supplier diversity programs] cease to exist – not because it’s not important,
but because we will have achieved economic parity. We will live diversity,
equity and inclusion.
To learn more about
Apple’s supplier diversity program, visit apple.com/procurement.
Alex Alvarez Jr., global
supply manager, global supplier diversity in corporate procurement, Apple Inc.
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