FOH: Being a Diverse Supplier
Learn what defines a diverse supplier, why supplier diversity matters, and how FOH® supports diversity, inclusion, and meaningful partnerships across the hospitality industry.
What is a Diverse Supplier?
A diverse supplier is a business at least 51% owned and operated by an individual or group that is part of a traditionally underrepresented or underserved group. Over time, the definition of diversity has w
Expanding to businesses owned by other minority groups, such as LGBTQ, veterans, and proprietors with disabilities encourages such use within an organization's supply chain.
Here are some of the leading diversity certifications that make a diverse supplier and which we check off :
✔ Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE)
To be certified by the NMSDC, a business must be at least 51% minority-owned, managed, and controlled. For NMSDC's program, a minority group member is an individual who is at least 25% Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic or Native American.
✔ LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE)
A certification from the NGLCC gives an LGBT-owned business a competitive edge and is known to help it stay in business longer than the average small business in America. This certification also involves a review by the NGLCC's National Certification Committee.
✔ Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE)
Disability: In is the third-party nonprofit behind the certification of disability-owned businesses. To qualify, the business must be at least 51% owned, managed, or controlled by a person with a disability regardless of whether that business employs anyone with disabilities.
✔ Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
The WBENC is the gold standard and is most widely recognized for nationally certifying a women-owned business. It validates that a business is at least 51% owned, operated, controlled, and managed by a woman.
✔ Veteran-Owned Business Enterprise (VBE)
The certification organization in charge of recognizing a small business that is 51% operated or owned by one or more U.S. military veterans is the NaVOBA. Its mission is to create corporate contracting opportunities for veterans through its certification process. The NVBDC is the third-party authority for certifying veteran-owned businesses of any size, not just small businesses.
Other certification include:
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Diverse Business Enterprise (DBE)
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Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)
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Small Business Enterprise (SBE)
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Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs)
This list is a representative list and does not include all the diversity certifications available.
How is FOH® a Diverse Supplier?
FOH® is proud to be recognized in this space as a diverse supplier. Our team does an excellent job at communicating our culture and core pillars to our community. We cultivate and create brand partnerships with similar companies that speak to the next generation of designers, chefs, and hospitality groups, including national companies like The James Beard Foundation and Marriott International, along with local restaurants, stadiums, clubs & universities, and healthcare facilities.
Expanding into so many different segments has allowed us to expand our reach and make an even more significant impact globally and locally. This is precisely why we believe it's our fundamental responsibility as a business, community, and family to be agents for change and practice diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
Diversity is at the core of our company's morals and ethics, as it strengthens our company culture, improves our brand recognition, and impacts our bottom line. Ultimately, this "breaks the cycle" of narrow views. An essential step in driving our business forward in a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive way is to make conscious decisions about the partners one chooses.
We know what it's like to be different.
Why is being a Diverse Supplier important?
Implementing a supplier diversity program has become a must-have in many U.S. companies because an inclusive procurement strategy widens the pool of potential suppliers and promotes competition in the supply base, which can improve product quality and drive down costs.
According to the * Billion Dollar Roundtable, 28 Fortune 500 companies spend at least $1 billion yearly on diverse vendors. Some of America's leading corporations are actively looking to spend money on diverse-owned businesses. So what does this mean? Being certified as a diverse supplier is more important than ever. Certification creates new business opportunities with more giant corporations and increases access to resources and support. It proves that your business is diverse, stable, and ready to take on new growth opportunities. It is an essential step for various small business owners looking to grow their businesses.
As a company, with our team and partners, we are proud and fortunate to celebrate and be able to raise awareness of such a significant movement. Operating authentically has allowed us to be recognized as Best Place to Work continuously since 2016. We are committed to finding innovative ways to remove barriers, encouraging existing suppliers to partner, and creating alliances with diverse-owned businesses.
In fact, in celebration of Pride month, we were featured as a diverse supplier with one of our Strategic Accounts - Compass Group, to help raise awareness this past June. Internally and externally, people are more conscious than ever. Compass Group felt this was an excellent opportunity to connect with their clients and showcase FOH® as a proud partner.
Watch the short feature here: FOH®: Being a Diverse Supplier by COMPASS GROUP
