Creating Opportunities For The Disadvantaged

Adriene Bruce, Ameren

Adriene Bruce, who leads supplier diversity efforts for Ameren, has always had a passion for creating a more level playing field in the business world.

In fact, Bruce has been working in the field of supplier diversity since the 1990s, leading initiatives for companies such as Kelly Services Inc., Bank One and JPMorgan Chase. She joined Ameren in November 2006.

"I’ve been fortunate enough to identify companies, like Ameren, that share my passion for inclusion and for identifying companies that can win our business and increase our company’s role in providing equal opportunity procurement," says Bruce. "I am motivated by seeing a company move from a firm of limited resources to a thriving employer of people from diverse backgrounds. As those companies grow, they serve a critical role in reviving the communities we serve, and they add immeasurably to the overall economy of the region and the nation. It’s really about wealth creation for disadvantaged families, communities, regions, nationally."

At Ameren, Bruce works to identify diverse suppliers—companies owned, controlled and operated by members of a protected class—so that they can better compete for Ameren’s projects. Her job entails making sure these small companies are ready to win opportunities in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

"I know and believe there are still companies out there that offer a unique niche product or service that will assist them in winning the opportunity," says Bruce. "We just need to match that company with the right opportunity."

When this happens, Bruce says, she knows she has done her job well.

"My most rewarding moments come when I run into someone on the street who says that he or she works for a diverse supplier for Ameren or when I see wealth going into lower-income communities because those companies are bringing jobs into those areas," she says. "Those jobs come through diverse suppliers building facilities in those areas or because those companies are growing due to the supplier diversity process at Ameren. It’s so rewarding when you can see and identify the difference supplier diversity is making in the community."

Helping Others Achieve Success

Carl Trautmann, SCORE

Though Carl Trautmann has earned no money for 20 years of service to SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives), he would probably tell you the satisfaction he gains from volunteering there is greater than any monetary amount you could throw at him.

For the past two decades Trautmann has been giving his time, business expertise and money to SCORE, a national nonprofit organization. SCORE’s 11,000 volunteers help out entrepreneurs who are establishing small businesses and those who have been in business for years. They teach business management classes and provide one-on-one mentoring.

Trautmann has served the organization on almost every level—from clerical worker to chairman of the board.

"I enjoy mentoring for free more than I ever enjoyed working for money," he says. "Because of experiences I have had in business, I can mention an avenue that someone I am mentoring never thought of taking, and I see a light go off and their eyes light up. That brings a great feeling in my heart. It is embedded in my life that giving is much more rewarding than receiving. So I am a happy guy."

Trautmann works mostly with women and minorities through SCORE. He says doing so is a privilege but notes that adversity still exists in the business world.

"I have seen that the playing field is not equal yet, so old guys like me are working on it," he says.

Trautmann says that the ability to learn quickly is necessary for someone who is building an entrepreneurial career but that finding businesspeople with the right qualities can be difficult.

"The greatest challenge is sorting through the many people I talk to to find the few who have the qualities to become a success," he says. "I think it’s important to be a quick learner and a person who is not afraid to take on a challenge and do what needs to be done."

Equipping Small Businesses With Tools For Success

In the United States there are 4.5 million businesses with fewer than 10 employees and about 15 million businesses with the owners as the only employees. In addition, two-thirds of small businesses fail within the first five years.

But Dick Sacks, owner of the Sacks Group and author of "The XII Commandments for Small Business," sees opportunity in these businesses and a need to support them.

"The microbusiness market is highly unattended to and an untapped source of money," says Sacks. "It is a vast, potentially profitable marketplace, and no one does business with them."

So he works to keep small businesses alive, giving them opportunities to succeed in the future. Sacks focuses his energy on giving seminars and running his Incubator Plus program.

"We need to keep businesses from failing so that they can ultimately learn to succeed," he says. "The Incubator Plus program is a portable business incubator. It is community-based, not real-estate-based. Through the program, business owners can get grants, and there’s a focus on networking for continuing education. The program is to empower small-business owners with education. We owe it to the economy to keep those businesses alive."

Sacks says too many people decide to go into business without any preparation. "There is not necessarily an apprenticeship to start a business, and in every other field you practice before you go live it."

He says that sometimes when he is helping a business owner, it is difficult to determine exactly what he or she needs. "You need to know what they need, but the biggest problem is that businesses don’t know what they don’t know. There is so much information out there that without a frame of reference, it is too daunting to find information. We can point people in the right direction, and they have to be motivated enough to take the information, pursue further education and succeed."

According to Sacks, the most rewarding part of guiding companies to success is the gratitude they express.

"Companies find that they can turn to us without fear or embarrassment. We are trying to provide an environment in which people can ask questions and learn, and seeing how much they appreciate it is really rewarding."

Sharing In The Startup Experience

Janet Poppen, Poppen & Associates

For 22 years certified public accountant Janet Poppen has worked with small businesses through her firm, Poppen & Associates, and outside work. She says she finds it challenging but invigorating.

"Because small business is the fastest-growing segment of the economy, this is where all of the action is, and that is very motivating," says Poppen. "You can do a lot for a small company and often see instant results with accounting and organizing offices so that they run most efficiently."

Although she says there is a lot of hand holding in her line of work, especially when it comes to compliance with tax requirements, she also gets to watch companies grow. And for Poppen, that’s the most exciting part of what she does.

"Watching a company move from a startup to getting a paycheck is really rewarding. I can remember watching all the money I made go right back out the door," she says. "So it is an experience I can share with the companies I am working with."

Poppen uses her own business experience to help guide companies to success, but she says she often encounters clients who have received too much advice from other people.

"Part of the challenge with helping startups is that everyone wants to tell them what to do, based on their own business experiences, and the advice they are receiving may or may not be appropriate for their business," says Poppen. "Sorting through extraneous advice is difficult.

"You are not in all of your clients’ offices every day, so you can’t lead them in the right direction at every moment. I am sure that my doctor hates it when I come into his office and say, ‘I read in Reader’s Digest that…’ I encourage gathering outside information, but you have to be careful of the source."

Poppen does encourage her clients to take part in educational programs, which she happens to know a thing or two about.

"I am on the St. Louis Enterprise Centers board and am on the board for the incubator program," she says. "We are developing short educational programs for residents and for outside companies. I am encouraging entrepreneurs to attend these programs and to locate in the incubator facility."

Supporting Cutting-Edge Medical Research

Marcia Mellitz, Center For Emerging Technologies

Marcia Mellitz, president and chief executive officer of the Center For Emerging Technologies, knew she was interested in science and technology while she was working toward a degree in microbiology. But when Mellitz went back to school to earn her Master of Business Administration, she discovered a new interest: business.

After earning her degree, Mellitz established Operation Food Search, a St. Louis food bank, in 1981. She later worked for a Fortune 500 company, but she says she missed the community aspect of her previous work. She also missed dealing with science and technology.

In the early 90s, Mellitz decided to combine her interests by starting the Center For Emerging Technologies (CET), an incubator/accelerator with a focus on biomedical technologies. The facility opened in 1998 with help from former University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor Blanche Touhill and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

Mellitz works to obtain local and federal grants as well as backing from private lenders in the business community. She also seeks grants from and partnerships with universities.

"The companies can’t pay for our services or the cost for space, so we continue raising money," says Mellitz. "We subsidize through public money so that they can keep rent affordable, and we need to provide services to companies, so we raise money for that as well. We are heavily involved in getting medical venture capital funds started. There is a training program in place to increase resources, and that takes funds as well."

Getting individual products on the market might cost tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars, but CET can help emerging companies do so.

"I am motivated because it is an economic development effort and much more," says Mellitz. "The fact that the residents here are developing cutting-edge medical technology is very motivating. They are researching treatments for cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s."

For Mellitz, being part of potential medical breakthroughs is thrilling. "The fact that companies are pushing the envelope in medical research and opening up new areas means that we are adding value to people’s lives," she says. "And there is huge potential for future development."

Giving But Expecting Nothing In Return

Ruth Binger’s philosophy is that it’s best to give more than she takes, and during her 25 years of practicing business law, she has used that philosophy to help small businesses grow. In addition to providing corporate, employment and intellectual property advice, Binger offers business owners wisdom she has gathered in her own career.

"You do not have enough time to make every mistake in the book," she says. "Experienced advice helps you avoid ditches or, if you arrive at one, to gently or abruptly extricate yourself.  I also help identify targeted services and people that businesses should consider in helping them through whatever place they find themselves. Businesses go through cycles—creation; growth; almost losing it all; reinvigoration; and, finally, transfer—and they need different legal help at different times." 

Binger says her contribution to helping small businesses not only results in the growth of companies but also has an impact on individuals and the community as a whole.

"If you look at this strategically, business, including my law firm, creates jobs," says Binger. "If I help owners create jobs, my indirect effect is huge.  Jobs give people not just the necessities of life but the necessities of character."   

Using legal tools and her own knowledge to help companies solve their problems has become a rewarding part of Binger’s career, but she says legal advice may not always be the answer.

"My help is like salt—you only need so much. Applied at the right times, it can make a difference," says Binger. "Law is like any other tool—plumbing comes to mind; you need skill and experience to apply it.  Legal tools are not always helpful.  I frequently fall back on ‘I went to "law" school, not "justice" school.’"

She says she believes support is important in finding success—whether that support is from her, another individual, or a group or collective partnership.

"I truly believe that most businesses need a village to grow," says Binger. "We can all give a bit more to each other’s success and widen the collective pie.  Any businessperson you talk to will tell you about a certain person, certain group, program, etc. that gave him the key to solving his problem.  Those ‘business angels’ learn something every time they give advice, whether they charge or not."     

Staying Motivated By Educating Others

Toni Brown, Monsanto Co.

Toni Brown has worked at Monsanto for 32 years, and she has always appreciated the company’s commitment to inclusion.

"I know my company very well, and its continued internal commitment to diversity is something that motivates me," she says. "From a business perspective we see the changing demographics and the purchasing power of small businesses and therefore the value in spending money with small businesses."

Now the supplier diversity manager at Monsanto, Brown makes it her mission to continue to help small businesses, mostly women- and minority-owned companies, find education and opportunities in the business world.

"In my day-to-day responsibilities, I determine if small businesses can be suppliers of Monsanto," she says. "I attend trade shows and look at the applications that have come through the website. With a name like Monsanto, we also get a lot of cold calls that I look into."

Monsanto’s Supplier Diversity Program has facilities across the United States, and Brown works to identify which businesses have the capacity to meet her company’s needs.

"Smaller businesses are working smarter today," Brown says. "They are joining forces to meet capacity needs and get bids."

When smaller companies do win bids and successful matches with Monsanto are made, Brown says, she feels she has made worthwhile contributions. And when she determines that a small business does not have the capacity to work with Monsanto, she stays motivated by the opportunity to educate minority and female business owners.

"We want companies to receive an education on working with corporations so that they can be successful in the future," says Brown. "We have on-site workshops and coaching, which we are looking to expand. Companies have returned and said that they felt good to be included, part of the process and learn even if they don’t earn the bid."