The headlines tell the story:
I do think it's incumbent upon companies to figure it out.
The demographics of America have shifted dramatically,
putting diversity center stage.
Head of the Motion Picture Academy promising change
after a second straight year of all-white Oscar acting nominees.
Corporate America is lagging behind
as the spotlight on diversity intensifies.
We are in the midst of an epic transformation.
Rice University sociology professor Dr Stephen Klineberg,
nationally recognized expert in tracking demographic changes:
Workforce diversity that is so critical for companies
is also central to building the multi-ethnic world
of the 21st century.
Corporations, Klineberg says, have a key role to play.
It means that every corporation, if it’s going to succeed
and position itself with this international and global clientele,
has to be much more representative.
At Shell, the business case for diversity
extends beyond employees to suppliers.
Shell as a customer…
...I can’t really describe how important that has been
to be a part of our résumé and to be a part of our portfolio.
Warren Thompson started his family's hospitality business
in Virginia in 1992.
Within five years it became
the largest minority-owned food service company in the US.
- Hey, Ryan, how are you doing?
But more frontiers followed for this pioneer,
who joined forces with Compass Group,
the largest global player in the industry.
That alignment allowed Thompson to make a play
for the big corporate contracts that had eluded them before.
Shell made it clear to all of the bidders
that minority participation was extremely important to Shell.
So when we, as bidders and vendors, see that come out in the bid process,
it plays very well for partnerships
such as the one that Compass and Thompson created in ’97.
Because we know then that we do not have to educate
a customer on the value of this relationship - they get it.
Thompson now employs thousands in North America and Europe
and with its partner, Compass Group, does $1.3 billion in business.
We've enjoyed a lot of successes,
but we want to make sure that others are better off
because of our successes.
Benita Thompson, Warren's sister, is senior vice president
who manages Thompson's business development team.
Among their guiding principles... diversity and inclusion...
...not just a mantra, but a mission.
We shepherd the process to guide women
and minority-owned businesses into Shell and other businesses
that Thompson Hospitality and Compass operate.
But when you look at the growth rate of those businesses (MWBEs)
and the emerging market potential,
that's the kind of thing when you're talking to
a hard-nosed procurement person, we can point out to him or her
that the myth of supplier diversity costing you more
is just that - a myth.
It's not going to cost you one nickel more.
In fact, it might save you money.
It's really all about good business, right?
So a company like Shell needs to look at every angle to be successful.
Shell Oil company president, Marvin Odum:
The term that comes to my mind is shared value, and that's this idea
of having a company, having a corporation, a group of people…
...that what they do doesn't just supply a service,
that is somehow better for society as a whole.
So as I think about that supplier/buyer relationship,
with a particular business like that,
which then is able to expand
and then is able to do great things in its community
and just basically boost society overall,
that's an amazing outcome from an effort like this.
Shell has set a goal to have 10%,
or at least $1 billion of its US discretionary spend,
go to minority and women-owned businesses by the end of 2017.
An ambitious goal, but certainly achievable...
...and one that could be a game changer.
We’ve got to remind everybody to cast a wider net,
look more broadly at people who are coming with different perspectives,
with different experiences.
and particularly important when the clientele of our companies
is going to be increasingly diverse.
Reflecting that diversity is paramount at Thompson,
the food service provider for 25 historically black colleges
in the United States.
That character part of our company is alive and well…
...Mom and Dad would be so proud of us.
Mom and Dad were both educators, dedicated to learning and giving.
In their honor, the Thompsons donated $1 million
to Virginia State University, their parents' alma mater.
And in typical Thompson fashion, they don't just give money...
...they show up.
- Hi, how are you? - How are you?
Case in point? This local homeless shelter in Reston.
Thompson has come in,
not just coming in to prepare and serve food,
which is their business.
They have held job fairs, do mock interviews with our clients,
and out of that, as part of the process,
they have also hired many of the residents here at the shelter.
- Are you doing algebra, Gabrielle? - No, this one is like, substitution.
They've actually gone to the shelter and they understand
that at any moment that could have been them.
- Have a good day at school? - Yes.
From the boardroom to the family room,
that sense of social responsibility is always there.
I’m teaching my children 'to whom much is given, much is required.'
Family...
...community...
...responsibility.
These are the bonds that will unite society
as the face of America changes at warp speed.
All of us are now minorities, all of us called on to build
something that has never really existed in the world before:
a truly successful, inclusive, equitable, united
multi-ethnic society
that will be Houston, and Texas, and America in the 21st century.
Shell is ready to rise to that challenge...
...are you?