Breaking Barriers, Building a Hire Ground

“Working with great leadership and great organizations gives you the keys to the kingdom and to being great yourself. And the more individuals who have jobs, the more we can tackle the systemic ills in our society.” – Rondu Vincent Devin Carsdale is the Associate Director of Sustainability for Strategic Sourcing and Procurement at Bristol Myers Squibb. Devin drives short- and long-term strategy an...

Bruce Katz is the Founder of New Localism Associates, a firm that helps cities finance, deliver, and design innovative initiatives that focus on sustainable growth and inclusion. He received the Heinz Award in Public Policy for his contributions to city planning and influences on the community’s economy and livability. He authored the book The New Localism, which provides a roadmap for change that...

Rachel Muredzwa is the Director of Equity & Inclusion at Ohio State University’s College of Nursing. She is a seasoned DE&I professional, community impact leader, and higher education administrator with over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in inclusive youth development programming. Before working with the College of Nursing at Ohio State University, Rachel served as the Coor...

“Truly passionate, alive people will inspire others to be passionate. Plant those seeds, even if we may never see them become mighty oaks.”- Rachel Muredzwa Rachel Muredzwa is the Director of Equity & Inclusion at Ohio State University’s College of Nursing. She is a seasoned DE&I professional, community impact leader, and higher education administrator with over 20 years of progressive lea...

122 Notes

“I advocate for renewable energy for everyone, for it to be a basic human right, for everyone to have a job in this industry and be part of this transition.” – Robert Blakekoski Robert Blake is the founder, owner, and CEO of Solar Bear, a full-service solar installation company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Solar Bear—Gizis-o-Makwa in Ojibwe—is dedicated to accelerating Turtle Island’s transiti...

Rebecca Rakoski, Esq., is the co-founder and Managing Partner at XPAN Law Partners, a boutique domestic and international cybersecurity and data privacy law firm. XPAN Law is committed to global strategic thinking that reduces risk and leads businesses forward. Rebecca is an experienced litigator who has handled hundreds of matters in state and federal courts and has counseled and defended public...

“Businesses are attacked twice: they are attacked when they get hacked and attacked again when they get sued.” – Rebecca Rakoski Rebecca Rakoski, Esq., is the co-founder and Managing Partner at XPAN Law Partners, a boutique domestic and international cybersecurity and data privacy law firm. XPAN Law is committed to global strategic thinking that reduces risk and leads businesses forward. Rebecca i...

In today’s market, financial performance is no longer the sole indicator of an organization’s success. If a company is making money but forgoes sustainability or has sweatshops, how good of a company is it? Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a critical framework for any organization to understand and track—whether a multinational corporation or a small business.   In this episode, we d...

Becoming incorporated is a monumental step for many businesses and their owners. Incorporating a company can open many growth opportunities: it can help protect business owners amid uncertain times like recessions and ensure a business’s survivability years down the road. So, how do you turn incorporation—a seemingly gigantic, terrifying thing for small businesses—into a simple, manageable process...

“When you’re not incorporated, your personal credit and liability get impacted. You become the business and everything you do on the personal side shows up on the business side, too.” – Adam Moore Becoming incorporated is a monumental step for many businesses and their owners. Incorporating a company can open many growth opportunities: it can help protect business owners amid uncertain times like...

It’s a brand new year, which means it’s the perfect time to sit down and think about our goals and plans for 2023. Sometimes, it can be difficult to look forward. We can get stuck either not knowing what it is exactly we want to achieve or reaching for grandiose goals without a plan. How exactly does one plan and set goals to reach new business heights in 2023?   In this episode, we delve into the...

Lee Henderson is the Americas EY Private Leader for Ernst & Young, a company he has worked with for the past 27 years. As a private leader and advocate for entrepreneurial access, Lee works with teams across the EY Americas Area to support high-growth entrepreneurs and private middle-market companies. In addition to his role at EY, Lee is a board member of The Big Shoulders Fund and the Robert...

In this special episode we focus on Hire Ground, the innovative minority-woman-led B2B software company that sponsors and produces this podcast. Hire Ground gives enterprise buyers the tools to confidently source and manage suppliers while helping diverse entrepreneurs access new business opportunities. Through tailored configuration, data-driven matchmaking, best-in-class management tools, and un...

“Our hypothesis is that by empowering supplier diversity professionals with the technology and support they need, we’re ensuring that the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs will succeed.”~Chloe Guidry-Reed In this special episode, we focus on Hire Ground, the innovative minority-woman-led B2B software company that sponsors and produces this podcast. Hire Ground gives enterprise buyers the to...

Mayank Shah is the Founder & CEO of MSDUK, the UK’s leading supplier diversity organization. As an advocate for supplier diversity, MSDUK pushes for minority business inclusion in corporate supply chains. Mayank has championed supplier diversity over the last 20 years and has worked with over 125 international corporations and 1500 ethnic minority companies. They have delivered world-class eve...

Mishaune Sawyer is the Senior Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at JE Dunn Construction, a family and employee-owned commercial building contractor founded in 1924. She has over 20 years of professional experience and is an expert in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space.   Theresa Schroeder is the Vice President and Regional Community and Citizenship Director at Turner Construction Co...

Darryl Lesure is the Senior Principal Lead at Chick-Fil-A Corporate, a family-owned and privately held restaurant chain with over 2,500 restaurants across 47 states and Canada. Chick-Fil-A is known for its customer service, being named in Newsweek’s 2019 America’s Best Customer Service report. Darryl’s responsibilities as Senior Principal include providing supply chain leadership in innovation, ap...

Gary Sutton is the US Firm Business Diversity Leader at Deloitte Consulting. Gary has over 18 years of sourcing and procurement experience, during which he has served more than 40 commercial and public sector clients. In addition to Deloitte, Gary has worked with the Boston Consulting Group and The Hackett Group. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Howard University and his Master o...

Michael Russell is the CEO of HJ Russell & Company, a family-run construction service business founded in 1952. It is one of the country’s most prominent African-American-run businesses specializing in real estate development, program management, construction, and property management. HJ Russell & Company have completed over 500 projects and managed over 20 properties. As CEO, Michael is i...

“It’s shocking how many small businesses lose out because they don’t follow through with that proposal.” – Reena Bhatia Reena Bhatia is an advisor and the founder and Chief Proposal Architect of ProposalHelper, one of the first companies to offer fixed-price proposal support services. Reena founded ProposalHelper with the intent of helping small businesses—especially minority-owned businesses—have...

Reena Bhatia is an advisor, founder, and Chief Proposal Architect of ProposalHelper, one of the first companies to offer fixed-price proposal support services. Reena founded ProposalHelper with the intent of helping small businesses—especially minority-owned businesses—have their proposals be on the same playing field as bigger competitors.   Charles James is ProposalHelper’s Business Solution Man...

Victor Brown is a partner at Birmingham Business Alliance, a non-profit organization that helps businesses start and succeed in Birmingham. As a partner, Victor addresses the needs of clients and executives in various industries by supporting job creation and providing customized solutions. He also provides expert consulting services to guide businesses in pursuing more excellent opportunities and...

Leonard “Len” Greenhalgh is a Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He has taught at Tuck since 1978 and has been a champion for minority business advocacy for longer. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph. D. from Cornell University. He is also the author of Minority Business Success: Refocusing on The Ameri...

Mark Wilson is the President & CEO of Chime Solutions, a company that prides itself in delivering one of the best contact center solutions in the country by focusing on customer care. Chime is socially driven, unlike other outsourcing companies, giving underserved communities the opportunities they deserve with every transaction. Before it was called Chime Solutions, Mark was the CEO of Ryla T...