In this NMSDC Equity in Business Podcast episode, host John Daniel interviews George Robinson, Director of Supplier Diversity and Inclusion for UPMC.
UPMC is a world-renowned health care provider, and insurer that operates 40 hospitals with more than 700 doctors’ offices and outpatient centers. It serves people throughout western and central Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and around the globe.
In this interview, Robinson unpacked UMPC’s DEI ecological model that empowers internal employees and diverse suppliers. Key takeaways include:
- Educational, career, and entrepreneurial experiences, along with professional exposure and examples, are key factors in the success of MBEs.
- Successful MBEs and corporations seeking diverse suppliers, like UPMC, undergo multiple stages of development before achieving breakthroughs. UPMC’s supplier diversity efforts have significantly evolved over the past 33 years, becoming far more effective than when they first began.
- UPMC built a strong framework for supplier diversity by developing policies, engaging externally, advocating for diversity, fostering internal buy-in, and securing executive sponsorship.
- Employees at all levels, both new and experienced, receive training that reinforces the importance of supplier diversity as a shared responsibility across the organization.
- UPMC educates MBEs on meeting supplier requirements, scaling their businesses, and positioning themselves for opportunities with other companies.
- UPMC’s supplier diversity efforts bridge economic development and healthcare, fostering job creation and business growth at the community level. Additionally, these diverse suppliers help UPMC deliver world-class healthcare and life-changing medicine to the same communities they serve.
- UPMC’s diverse sourceable spend currently stands at 6.7–7%, compared to the national healthcare industry average of 0.75–1.25%.
Listen to the Episode
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Guest
George Robinson, Director of Supplier Diversity and Inclusion, UPMC
Host and Production Specialist
John G. Daniel is a believer, advocate for underserved communities, and published writer, with vast transformative leadership experience in the energy sector, economic development, hurricane recovery, and youth/community education and empowerment. Itoro Umontuen is the Editor of this project and is an award-winning photographer, reporter, and mixed-media journalist.
About the Equity in Business Podcast
The United States is facing a racial wealth gap that has existed for over 330 years. But at the same time, businesses run by systematically excluded communities of color (Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American) still contribute over $400 billion to the U.S. economy, even though these communities face barriers to information, capital, and contracts. Hosted by the NMSDC, this podcast channel explores how growing minority business enterprises (MBEs) is central to not only addressing the racial wealth gap but also creating a stronger, more resilient society for all.
