MBN USA

November 10, 2021

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Organizations’ Centers of Excellence Certificate Program helps MBEs

Championing minority and women-owned businesses by helping them succeed is a critical step in creating equitable opportunities. When these businesses reach their full potential and compete globally, supply chains and communities are stronger.

That’s why Cargill, in collaboration with the National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc. (NMSDC), is launching the Centers of Excellence Certificate Program (COECP), a first-of-its-kind program, to strengthen diverse supplier selection in corporations and help minority businesses compete in a global environment.  

The first cohort of the nine-month program is made up of select NMSDC-certified Class II Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), with annual sales between $1 million and $10 million and a minimum of five employees. The program will: 

• Support the growth of MBEs by sharing business skills and best-practice information necessary to grow their companies to the next level. 
• Develop results-focused coaching and mentoring relationships with Cargill leaders, NMSDC corporate and Corporate Plus® members and other MBEs. 
• Enhance opportunities to enter partnerships, joint ventures, strategic alliances or teaming agreements, secure larger contracts and grow to a global scale. 
• Connect MBEs to Cargill’s and NMSDC corporate member’s global supply chains.
  
  

Todd Stohlmeyer, Cargill’s procurement and transportation leader and an active NMSDC member, said the program is the first of many for Cargill, which ultimately aims to spend $1 billion with minority and women-owned businesses.

“Supplier development is an integral part of what we do, and we want to ensure we are supporting minority and women-owned businesses and equipping them with tools for success and growth,” he said. “The COECP is one of those tools.” 

COECP is made possible through Cargill’s relationship with the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council (MPMSDC), a regional NMSDC council headquartered in Colorado (includes Kansas, Nebraska, and Western Missouri) that will host and facilitate the program.

In addition, the virtual program was designed by and includes instruction from Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development and Covenant Business Concepts. Additional curriculum includes coaching, mentoring, meetings, seminars and assignments from Cargill and MPMSDC executives, corporate regional members, MBEs and Corporate Plus members.   

“I am so excited to bring this program to minority business owners certified by the Mountain Plains Minority Supplier Development Council and to Cargill,” Natalie McGrady, Cargill’s global head of supplier diversity. “I am confident that this will help the participating businesses that already offer strong products and services to build a solid business plan. This program provides them the connections, mentorship and sponsorship they deserve to grow to their full potential.,” says Natalie McGrady, Cargill’s global head of supplier diversity. 

The COECP is part of Cargill’s broader commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and NMSDC’s “In This Together!” campaign, focusing on amplifying the organization’s advocacy for supplier diversity and economic inclusion domestically and globally. Ying McGuire, NMSDC CEO and President, says, “Collaboration with NMSDC member companies like Cargill are essential in our creating and delivering valuable opportunities for MBEs to reach their full potential.” 
 

About Cargill 

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center. 

About NMSDC 

Chartered in 1972, The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) was established in response to the civil rights movement in the late 1960s and continues to be the leading minority business development organization in the United States. NMSDC supports the economic sustainability of more than 14,000 certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) and advances minority business development by facilitating procurement opportunities between its certified MBEs and its network of over 1,500 Corporate Members. NMSDC’s African American, Asian-Indian American, Asian-Pacific American, Hispanic American and Native American businesses provide products and services in many industries. The NMSDC network includes a National Office in New York, 23 regional affiliate councils, five international partner organizations and the Business Consortium Fund (BCF) as its funding arm.

For additional information about NMSDC, log on to www.NMSDC.org. For interviews, please call 212-944-2430.  Follow NMSDC on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.