Engaging a minority business is so much more than more than a transaction; it is an integral part of the DNA of progress. Supporting MBEs is one of the many ways we can pave the path to a more equitable, prosperous and diverse world.Since 1972, the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s mission has been to to advance business opportunities for certified minority business enterprises, while also connecting them to corporate members. They help to support and elevate minority owned businesses, large and small, to solve the growing need for supplier diversity.

Populus Group proud to be a Certified Minority Owned Business (as well as a Veteran Owned Business) and an active member of NMSDC, both nationally and regionally. This year, we are honored and thrilled to be included in the elite group of MBEs in NMSDC’s Corporate Plus program. 

What is the Corporate Plus Program?

NMSDC’s Corporate Plus program is a collective of highest caliber MBEs nationwide. NMSDC started the Corporate Plus program to help identify MBEs that are able to fulfill national contracts and have proven experience doing so, all while demonstrating a commitment to supplier diversity.  Corporate Plus MBEs must be nominated by one of their customers for whom they have fulfilled large regional or national contracts and complete an extensive application demonstrating proven experience delivering services and a commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts.  This year, Populus Group was nominated by Omnia member, Medtronic.

What does Corporate Plus mean to us?

In addition to the recognition of our service by our partner, Medtronic, we believe this designation can help us reach other companies that may be struggling with their national or large regional program, while still celebrating and mentoring local, small diverse suppliers.  We’re looking forward to ongoing engagement with new and existing companies to help solve contingent workforce challenges and achieve diversity spend goals.

We pride ourselves on our service delivery, but also on our supplier diversity strategies, including our supplier mentorship strategy.  We truly believe everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed, and if we can help other small diverse suppliers achieve their goals and success, we are living our mission.  As a Corporate Plus member, we can help companies who have large regional or national scale programs utilize small, diverse suppliers in their markets, while providing them the skill and management of a proven, experienced national provider.  We can also mentor these small, diverse suppliers with access to larger customers to help them grow into larger and larger organizations themselves.

Outside of this additional reach and supplier diversity initiatives, other benefits for our customers include:

• Dedicated education and training opportunities
• Exclusive meetings and sessions at NMSDC events to help keep us at the forefront of industry trends and innovations
• Access to networking with other Corporate Plus members to share best practices
• Participation in the Board and subcommittees to ensure our customers’ voices are heard
• Tracking and reporting on business development and MBE usage to look for areas of improvement and measure current successes

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion continues to grow and expand each year. As a minority owned business, we understand and appreciate the value diversity can bring to the workplace, marketplace and community. Studies show diversity offers strategic benefits, from increased innovation, productivity and profitability, to attracting and retaining more diverse talent. This is something we know on a personal level. But the impact of diversity in the workplace is much greater than that. It is through intentionally developing a diverse network and community of support that we can continue to connect more people to the opportunities that will help them succeed. Once again, we are honored and elated to be a part of this elite community of Corporate Plus members; together we can help to create a more diverse and empowered collective of businesses and individuals.

More About NMSDC

NMSDC matches more than 13,000 certified minority-owned businesses to a vast network of corporate members who wish to purchase their products, services and solutions. The corporate membership includes many of the largest public and privately-owned companies, as well healthcare companies, colleges and universities. Twenty-three regional chapters across the county help to support local economies and businesses with a network of support and opportunities.