Task Force Chairman, Mike Cooper (front row, 2nd from left) stands with AAGD Executive Editor Jim Beatty (3rd from right) while touring the group through the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum.
NEW YORK, NY (November 26, 2018) — In a bold and historic meeting held November 12-13 in St. Augustine, Florida at the World Golf Village, seven leading golf industry organizations met to discuss Minority Supplier Diversity. The meeting was convened by the Supplier Diversity Subcommittee of the We Are Golf (formerly Golf2020) Diversity Initiatives Task Force. The session was led by Gina Rizzi, chair of the subcommittee and facilitated by Task Force Chairman Michael Cooper and AAGD Executive Editor and subcommittee member Jim Beatty.
Craig Kirby, founder and president of Golf My Future My Game and Earnie Ellison, both subcommittee members also attended the session.
Tony Starks, Associate Editor of the PGA Magazine and Editorial Director of Golf Range Magazine who serves as Chair of the Communications subcommittee was also in attendance. Tony has been invaluable to the communications efforts of the Diversity Initiatives Taskforce
World Golf Foundation (WGF) president, Steve Mona, addressed the session attesting to the meeting’s importance and historical significance. I am pleased to say that I recommended this meeting to the subcommittee and worked diligently with WGF staff and fellow members to make it happen.
The purpose of the workshop is to increase the $84 Billion Golf Industry’s spending with Women, Minority, and other diverse companies. Currently, there is no measurement of the Golf Industry spending with Minority or Diverse business. Efforts have been made to measure the spending but the results have been negligible thus far.
RELATED ARTICLE: Why Golf is Now an $84 Billion Industry in the USA
The seven-hour workshop on November 13, 2018 was preceded by a tour of the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday evening November 12, followed by a dinner and reception.
World Golf Foundation President, Steve Mona (front-center) addressing the group
Representatives from the United States Golfers Association (USGA), International Association of Golf Administrators (IAGA), THE GOLF CHANNEL, TOP GOLF, AJGA and the World Golf Foundation, Professional Caddies Association attended the 2-day event and learned the ins-and-outs of implementing as well as improving Supplier Diversity programs within their respective organizations.
RELATED ARTICLE:
USGA Funds Grants for Golf
Donna Dozier Gordon, Director, Diversity & Inclusion for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), was the guest speaker and did an outstanding job outlining the efforts of the USTA and shared similarities with the golf industry for adoption.
Material presented throughout the workshop covered the importance of supplier diversity in golf, essential elements, misconceptions and myths, steps for implementation, galvanizing stakeholders, tracking, benchmarking, measuring, case studies, and using communications/marketing teams to celebrate successes.
The occasion concluded with consensus for continued group communications, periodic updates on progress and best practices, and to use the momentum gained from the workshop to influence the golf industry. Gina, Jim and other supplier diversity sub-committee members committed to support participants, as needed, as each organization works to successfully implement supplier diversity programs at their respective workplaces.
Topics Covered in the Workshop Included:
- Getting started
- Databases and categories
- Maximizing stakeholders and partnerships
- Public Relations, Communications and Marketing
- Tier I, Tier II Suppliers
- Diverse-owned business definitions
Reasons Why Supplier Diversity Is important To The Golf Industry:
- Good for business
- Reaches broad demographic
- Economic and Job Creation impact
- Creates competition and value
- Increases opportunities for involvement
- Fuels innovation by including diverse perspectives
- Increases employment opportunities
- Increase diverse ideas and solutions
- Introductions to clients
- Sponsors and partner alignment of shared values
- Strengthens relationships and bonds with new communities
- Increases and enhances the image of golf
- Growing the game and reaching diverse demographics
- Growing minority populations in the United States
- Generational shift toward millennials and their views on diversity
- Golf advocacy with legislators
- Driving loyalty through successful programs
The Ten Essential Elements of a Supplier Diversity Program:
- Determining ownership of the program
- Identifying champions, internal/external stakeholders
- Establishing and communicating policy
- Educating and activating champions
- Formalizing within the procurement process
- Integrating objectives into performance
- Locating qualified diverse suppliers
- Developing a database
- Tracking, benchmarking, and measuring
- Celebrating and communicating successes
AAGD Executive Editor Jim Beatty addressing the conference
Supplier Diversity Subcommittee Chair and Industry Expert, Gina Rizzi
presenting key topics on Supplier Diversity.
AAGD READERS Click here to see the slides presented at the meeting BY GINA RIZZI
Donna Dozier Gordon, Director, Diversity & Inclusion for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), was the guest speaker. Her role in Diversity and Inclusion at USAT includes talent within the workplace, community engagement, supplier diversity, training and development. Her key point was that a commitment to supplier diversity does not require a sacrifice of quality, value, service, or innovation.
Donna Dozier Gordon, United States Tennis Association,
addressing the conference.
Donna Dozier Gordon’s slide presentation addressed the key points of the USTA Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan.
Her key messages were:
- How the USTA has aligned, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategies nationally
- Recommending organizations periodically put business out to bid
- Understanding the spending patterns of African Americans and Hispanics
- Working with purchasing departments
- Collaborating with IT, HR, and Finance department
- Diverse supplier companies ownership
- Defining diverse suppliers
- Utilizing Third-party certification
- Highlighting Minority-owned firms growth in the US
- Sharing the USTA D&I strategic plan
- Ensuring diverse suppliers fit business priorities
- Tracking current spend and percentage of spend with diverse suppliers
- Developing Senior leadership commitment
- Having D&I internal accountability
- Demystifying supplier diversity myths
- Mentoring other diverse suppliers
- Assisting to build capacity to move to a Tier 1 supplier
- Developing non – exclusive sponsor relationships
- Establishing a good starting goal
- Requiring sponsors to allocate a percentage of spend to minority vendors
- Tracking spending
- Mentoring other diverse suppliers
- Building capacity to move to a Tier 1 supplier
- Creating market share and be relevant for years to come
Donna Dozier Gordon had everyone’s attention.
Slide presentation by Donna Dozier Gordon
CONCLUSION
At the conclusion, Task Force Chairman, Michael Cooper challenged the group of seven organizations to work with the sub-committee to broadcast their commitment to supplier diversity, in hopes of doubling the number of golf industry organizations involved by the conclusion of the PGA Show in January 2019.
Stay Tuned for more on this $84 Billion topic.
James Beatty, Executive Editor, African American Golfer’s Digest James R. Beatty is Founder of NCS International, an Omaha, Nebraska-based company that providers of an array of economic development services. He also serves on the Golf 20/20 Diversity Task Force and recently launched Jim Beatty Golf Ventures, a golf promotion and management company.
