LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Venue development, management, and consultancy Oak View Group announced the impending launch of a companywide supplier diversity program.
The initiative, which is currently operating as a pilot program with an eye towards a full launch in January, sees OVG working to identify and increase sourcing from suppliers that are at least 51% owned, operated, and managed at least 51% by a non-white minority, a disabled person, or a woman.
While considering suppliers, OVG will consider a variety of factors that change from market to market. Those include capacity, based on a potential partner company’s size, where within OVG’s operations the partner company might fit; and differentiators such as what sets partners apart from competitors, cost savings, reduction in delivery or setup times, value-added services, product/services quality, and sustainability, OVG said.
The program is part of OVG’s commitment to fostering change and inclusion throughout its organization, partners, and the communities it serves while encouraging the growth of minority-owned businesses and women-owned businesses, the company said.
Venues participating in the pilot program for the initiative include Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, The Moody Center in Austin, and the newly rebuilt state-of-the-art Miami Beach Convention Center.
“We understand that to provide exceptional guest experiences at our venues, we need to think beyond customer service and start to deepen our commitment to underrepresented communities. Minority-owned businesses are the social, economic, and cultural fabric of our economy and we want to be a part of empowering those communities,” said Tim Leiweke, chairman and CEO, Oak View Group. “Investing in these businesses is being intentional about the ways we invest in the communities. If you don’t have a multicultural business strategy today, you won’t be competitive or around in the next 10 years.”
