U.S. Department of Commerce Recognizes Moffitt’s Supplier Diversity Program
Moffitt Cancer Center has once again been recognized for its ongoing commitment to diversity. The cancer center’s Supplier Diversity program received the Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award at the 2021 National Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Ceremony from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).
The award highlights organizations and individuals whose business practices have significant impact on the growth and development of minority-owned firms. Desiree Hanson, manager of Moffitt Supplier Diversity, says this particular award sets Moffitt apart from other cancer centers.
Desiree Hanson
“This national distinction by the U.S. Department of Commerce recognizing Moffitt for its impact on minority-owned firms speaks volumes,” Hanson said. “We are extremely proud to be the recipient of this award.”
Moffitt’s supplier diversity team works with registered diverse businesses identified as minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, LGBT, and disability owned business enterprises to ensure that they have access to opportunities. Hanson said the goal of the Supplier Diversity Program is to ensure that diverse companies have an opportunity to do business with the cancer center.
“I commend Desiree and her team for the hard work they do every day to ensure diverse small businesses have a chair at the table,” said Dr. B. Lee Green, vice president of Moffitt Diversity, Public Relations and Strategic Communications. “While Moffitt’s mission is to prevent and cure cancer, a core part of who we are as an organization is diversity, equity and inclusion. The work we do through supplier diversity represents that on a community scale that should make all of us here at the cancer center proud.”
While working with diverse vendors isn’t something new for Moffitt, those vendors have been highlighted a bit more recently as the cancer center builds a new state-of-the-art expansion hospital near its McKinley outpatient center, set to open in 2023. Moffitt remains focused on hiring minority, women, veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises.
Moffitt is committed to a supplier diversity goal of 15% over the span of this project, or $54 million. As of October 2021, over 90% of that goal has been met and the facility will likely exceed projections. Nearly $10 million in contracts have been awarded to veteran-owned businesses, while more than $9 million will be spent with women-owned vendors and over $10 million with African American-owned businesses.
Throughout the construction, more than 5,500 people will work on the project, creating a local economic impact of $120 million in salaries. Roughly 59% of those workers call Hillsborough County home. The remaining live in nearby Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties as well as 20 other counties throughout the state of Florida.
