The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) recently held its Program Managers’ Seminar here in Puerto Rico. As one of the country’s leading corporate membership organizations committed to helping solve the growing need for supplier diversity, we were delighted when I was asked to speak on behalf of Wovenware in front of corporate technology executives from the likes of Apple, Facebook, Google and others.
Since Puerto Rico continues to recover from Hurricane Maria, we are grateful to the NMSDC for choosing the island for its national seminar and supporting our local economic recovery efforts.
As part of my presentation, I explained the journey that Wovenware has taken to become a successful entrepreneurial firm – expanding from a company solely focused on custom software development, to one fully embracing Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning technology. I also shared stories of how we are helping customers deploy AI chatbots, deep learning tools and predictive analytics – in industries as diverse as accounting, telecommunications, mosquito disease control and government.
Here at Wovenware, we often forget that we are a minority-owned business, since in corporate headquarters, Puerto Ricans are actually the majority. But in fact, when we visit our clients in the mainland U.S. and attend events around the world, we are reminded that we are indeed a minority-based firm, yet we continue to be embraced by customers for the diverse experience, skill-sets and life experiences we bring to the table. Likewise, we’re also embraced for the common commitment to technology innovation, and solving business problems through a relentless commitment to excellence in our work.
As the NMSDC attests, supplier diversity is fast becoming a business necessity, and nowhere is that more evident than in the technology industry. It complements a global business world that must embrace different cultures, communities and ways of doing things; it fosters a workplace that produces happier and validated employees and stronger corporate identities; and by empowering people of all backgrounds, it boosts the economy.
We were inspired by the real interest and sincere commitment of the NMSDC program managers and all other attendees who are doing their part to foster supplier diversity in their companies. We’re also confident that more companies will follow suit since diversity is truly the key to corporate and economic growth.
