MBN USA

June 13, 2022

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Keys to VDart's success: diversity, sustainability, purpose

By Tonya McMurray

VDart Group has achieved many traditional measures of business success: rapid growth, numerous awards and large customers. But founder, President and CEO Sidd Ahmed measures the company’s success a different way: The impact on employees, customers and communities.

“What I’m most proud of is creating opportunities for over 15,000 people in the last 14 years,” he said. “Our purpose as an organization is to transform the trajectory of people’s lives. Our vision is to touch the lives of people to create success, wealth and quality of life — whether we are in the talent management business creating opportunities for people every day or solving tough technology problems for our customers.”

When Ahmed reflects on VDart’s successes, he takes pride in the way VDart transformed employment opportunities in his hometown of Tiruchirappalli, or Trichy, India. 

“It’s a small college town,” he said. “People generally come there just to study, and they’re gone. People are not in a position to raise their families there because there’s no large employer.”

When he started the firm, Ahmed opened a back-office operation in Trichy and began hiring young college graduates. Today that office is a 650-person team providing the back-office engine that supports VDart’s global operations.

Building success

Ahmed founded VDart in 2007 as a technology workforce solutions company, and it has grown to the 42nd largest staffing company in the U.S. In 2017, the firm expanded into digital engineering solutions and services as VDart Digital, which last year was rebranded to Dimiour. The company has offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India with annual revenue of $242 million.

VDart has earned multiple awards in recognition of its rapid growth and as a great place to work. The company has been listed eight times on the annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Plus, Dimiour was named Toyota Diverse Supplier of the Year – IT for both 2021 and 2022.

“This award from Toyota is the most prestigious award we have ever won,” Ahmed said. “Coming from an organization like Toyota that is so quality-centric, it means a lot. It shows our depth of experience in the automotive market, our technical expertise, the quality of our solution delivery, excellence in service and our focus on diversity, sustainability and purpose. Those have been the pillars of our success.”

Jake Garrity, senior manager, strategic sourcing, Toyota Motor North America Inc., said Dimiour has been a consistently strong supplier for Toyota since 2017 when it completed a small proof-of-concept project for one of Toyota’s manufacturing facilities. 

“Anytime we see a supplier excel the way Dimiour has, it’s because of an alignment with Toyota’s core values of respect for people and continuous improvement, as well as a commitment and focus on quality and cost competitiveness,” he said. “We view Dimiour as a strategic partner, so we are actively working to introduce them to other groups in the company to continue to expand their opportunities.”

Ahmed recommends minority suppliers take advantage of the tools offered by National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. and local regional councils, as well as mentoring programs offered by large corporations.

“Think big, and then when you’ve got an opportunity, act quickly,” he said. 

Toyota’s Garrity adds that minority business enterprises, or MBEs, should prepare themselves for opportunities, while also recognizing it will take time to partner with a large corporation, and initial prospects may seem small. 

“Many times, suppliers want the big project or the big contract right away,” he said. “That rarely occurs. Instead, those who are successful have patience and focus on developing their core niche where they are the strongest. Then, when they do get an opportunity, go all in and deliver with quality.”

Corporate responsibility 

Along with a focus on quality and value for customers, VDart is committed to corporate social responsibility efforts. Ahmed said the company has a clear vision for its efforts: “To be loved by the communities we live and operate in.”

The company seeks to involve all employees through the creation of interest groups and by allowing teams to identify causes important to them. VDart supports those causes through monetary and in-kind donations and by providing employees opportunities to get involved in charitable causes. 

VDart is the first company to participate in Accenture’s Diverse Supplier Development Program or DSDP on sustainability, and it has committed to becoming a United Nations-certified organization for sustainability. 

VDart Digital is now Dimiour, a VDart Inc. company. 

To learn more about Dimiour, visit www.dimiour.io.

To learn more about Toyota's supplier diversity program, visit onetoyotasupplierdiversity.com.