Mayo Clinic Named Corporation of the Year by Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic has been named 2010 Corporation of the Year by the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) for its supplier diversity initiatives and achievements. The award was presented at MMSDC's Minority Business Opportunity Fair in St. Paul on Sept. 23.

"Mayo Clinic is grateful for this recognition," says Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of diversity and inclusion at Mayo Clinic, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization. "We benefit from the expertise, innovation and flexibility of businesses in historically underutilized categories. We feel proud that our supplier base is as diverse as the patients that we serve."

Mayo Clinic established the Supplier Diversity Program in 2008 to provide equal access to Mayo purchasing opportunities for all qualified suppliers and promote supplier participation that reflects the diverse business community. "Mayo Clinic's Supplier Diversity Program helps promote a stronger economy by engaging in local, regional and national minority business relationships," says Jolene Anderson, manager of the Supplier Diversity Program.

"Supplier Diversity is just one piece of Mayo's overall diversity and inclusion initiatives," says Anderson. "We recognize that diversity generates innovative thinking and the exchange of ideas that have the potential to produce value-added solutions. This innovation is paramount in all that we do at Mayo Clinic to provide the best care to every patient every day."

MMSDC is a nonprofit that serves minority-owned businesses and corporations throughout Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. It is one of 37 regional councils of the National Minority Supplier Development Council committed to providing business development services to corporate members and certified minority business enterprises to enhance relationships and maximize business opportunities.

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