This week's blogger, Corliss Fong, is Vice President of Diversity Strategies for Macy's. A San Francisco native, Fong helped develop Macy's Pride + Joy campaign that sponsors more than 16 Pride parades and events in cities across the country, including Cincinnati Pride/Equinox this week. In this week's blogs, Fong shares her views on the important role corporate partners play by encouraging diversity in our community.
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Fostering Innovation and Economic Inclusion
Posted By: Corliss Fong
7/1/2010
The world is changing: we know that the demographics of the country are shifting rapidly. Currently one of every three U.S. residents is a minority, by 2050, that number is projected to be one of every two U.S. residents. Many of Macy's top markets are already 'minority majority'. Therefore, we need a diverse and talented workforce to connect and understand the preferences, needs and lifestyles of all our diverse customers, and we also need to seek out and support diverse suppliers who can help us fill the gaps in our merchandise assortments, and find the products and services that meet the preferences and lifestyles of our customers. Utilizing diverse suppliers who often better understand the needs of diverse customers fosters innovation, economic inclusion and invests in our community.
In Cincinnati, Macy's has partnered with local suppliers, such as River City Furniture, and Williams Interior Designs, Inc. Last year Macy's awarded a national contract for branded promotional items to minority owned supplier, Icon Blue. On the retail side, Macy's features men's neckwear from Krimson by Kwame, skin care and cosmetics lines by Carol's Daughter and Fashion Fair, lingerie by Lunaire, and jeans for curvy women from PZI Denim, to name just a few of the vendors that help us present distinctive, differentiated assortments for our customers. Macy's will feature trunk shows and special promotions with several key vendors in the downtown Fountain Place store in conjunction with the upcoming Macy's Music Festival in late July.
Macy's commitment to growing our business with minority vendors extends to an innovative and ground breaking program, a vendor academy to be launched in Spring 2011, that offers curriculum ranging from marketing to strategic planning specifically to help mentor and educate vendors on doing business with large companies, such as Macy's. In addition, Macy's Chairman, President & CEO, Terry Lundgren leads the company's Executive Diversity Council, whose key focus areas include developing and expanding our business with minority and women owned business enterprises (MWBEs). In his third year as Board Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Terry has raised the bar for the organization by establishing specific metrics to increase Macy's spending with MWBEs. By growing existing relationships with our vendors, and continually seeking to establish new ones, we are creating a winning and inclusive environment for Macy's, our suppliers and our community.