Matchmaker has generated more than $850 million in new business opportunities since its inception
* Chrysler Group provides a new avenue for Minority Businesses through speed dating
* Minority and Tier One suppliers participate in 5-minute lunch date during Chrysler's minority supplier Matchmaker event |
Promoting Business Opportunities for Minority Businesses and Tier One Suppliers
Over the span of two decades, the Chrysler Group's Minority Supplier Development division has nearly doubled dollars spent with minority suppliers and introduced several initiatives to build business opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises (MBE). Today, during one of its most successful minority business programs - its annual Matchmaker event - Chrysler Group introduced "The 5-Minute 'speed dating' Lunch Date" to help build new business opportunities and relationships between Tier One executives and MBE's. The Matchmaker Event, held at Chrysler Group Headquarters, tapped into one of the latest dating concepts, "speed dating." Through 5-minute "meet and greet" sessions, randomly-selected MBE's were able to hold face-to-face conversations with leading Tier One executives to hopefully create a first-impression that would lead to a follow-up date.
"Our intention with 'The 5-Minute Lunch Date' was to create an opportunity for our Minority Business Enterprises to spend quality time with top ranking Tier One executives, which is not easily attainable in today's busy world,"said Jethro Joseph, Senior Manager - Minority Supplier Development, Chrysler Group. "Chrysler Group is committed to identifying innovative initiatives to help generate new business opportunities for our suppliers and enhance our Matchmaker program, which has sourced more than $850 million in new business opportunities since its inception."
"The 5-Minute Lunch Date," hosted by Heaster Wheeler, Executive Director of the Detroit Branch NAACP, included Tier One suppliers such as Takata, Visteon, Flex-N-Gate, Siemens, JCI, Lear Corporation and Alberici. Each of the Tier One suppliers met with several MBE's including, GB Manufacturing Company, Tricon Security, Digitron Packaging, MagRabbit Inc., Reinhart Industries, Quintessence Multimedia and Worldwide Security for five minutes to broaden their business opportunities
The Matchmaker event has become one of the premier matchmaking andnetworking events in the supplier diversity community. The event helps Chrysler Group's minority supplier partners compete, expand and succeed. It allows MBE's to interact with representatives from Tier One suppliers. It also helps Tier One suppliers maintain Chrysler Group's mandate of 7.5 percent minority supplier content. This year, the Company will pair nearly 200 of our minority suppliers with more than 1,500 suppliers to encourage networking and matchmaking opportunities. At the event, all of the participating suppliers display their products and services at booths, covering more than four floors of exhibit space.
"The strategic goal of Chrysler Group's Matchmaker event and other diversity efforts is to create broad economic opportunities for our suppliers and their surrounding communities," said Joseph.
Since 1998, the company has doubled dollars spent with minority suppliers, from $1.7 billion in 1998 to $3.4 billion in 2004 - making Chrysler Group among the industry leaders with 12 percent of its business going to MBE's.
The growth in Chrysler Group's minority purchasing represents the highest year-over-year increase for minority suppliers and demonstrates Chrysler Group's long-term commitment to the economic development and growth of its minority suppliers.
Earlier this year, the Chrysler Group furthered its minority supplier development initiatives with the launch of a new website and reporting system that helps identify and register potential minority suppliers and record Tier Two minority spending by Chrysler Group suppliers. The Chrysler Group diversity website enables the Company to potentially increase minority sourcing business. The online supplier registration tool is designed to identify and register potential suppliers. It offers an enhanced resource for new suppliers to build relationships and understand specific procurement requirements. The Web site can be accessed at http://supplierdiversity.daimlerchrysler.com
Since 1983, the company has sourced more than $27 billion to minority- owned companies.
