Round Rock, Texas-basedc Dell, Inc. has worked hard with its innovative marketing strategies to make Dell a household name. Dell has supplied more computers to small- and medium-sized businesses than any other manufacturer in the United States for the past 10 years running. It also sets the standard for using veteran-owned businesses as suppliers. Cyndi Hopkins, manager of Global Supplier Diversity said  Dell is constantly looking for a pipeline of quality diverse suppliers that offer unique value and can scale with the company long term and that’s exactly what they find in vetrepreneurs.

“We’ve found that the military experience provides the best business training ground for our veterans,” Hopkins said. “Running a business requires the same discipline, resilience, flexibility and creativity as being successful in the military. Veteran suppliers bring unique value and solutions that provides a good customer service.  It is a special honor to be recognized as one the Best 10 Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses.  It reinforces the message that the work we do is valued and appreciated and it emphasizes that Dell’s policies regarding diverse business inclusion in our supply chain are understood and respected.  We are extremely proud of this recognition.”

Supplier diversity has a significant impact on Dell’s customer experience and business growth. Hopkins said diverse businesses are innovative, flexible, and help Dell meet dynamic customer needs.  Furthermore, diverse suppliers are a growing customer group. Dell’s investment in diverse supplier relationships translates into loyal brand advocates and revenue growth opportunity in the emerging diverse marketplace.

“Our diverse supplier relationships are critical to our business and to our ability to deliver the best possible IT solutions to our millions of customers worldwide,” said Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Inc.

In the past two years, Dell has implemented a Supplier Diversity Steering Committee, led by Chief Procurement Officer, Kevin Brown and has included diverse spend targets in all CPO staff performance plans, reinforcing the executive staff commitment and accountability.  This added commitment has allowed the firm to achieve record spend.

Hopkins said Dell looks for suppliers who are realistic about their company’s products and services and who can articulate their competitiveness at the local, regional, national and global levels. 

“We are interested in suppliers who offer unique business solutions and value-added services that differentiate them from their peers,” Hopkins said. “We want to make a shift from driving transactional diverse spend with many diverse suppliers to identifying core strategic diverse suppliers aligned with Dell’s business strategy.”

Stat Box:

Company Name: Dell, Inc.

2010 Revenues: $61 Billion

Number of Employees: 96,000

Supplier Diversity Manager: Cyndi Hopkins

“It is a special honor to be recognized as one the Best 10 Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses.  It reinforces the message that the work we do is valued and appreciated … We are extremely proud of this recognition.”

– Cyndi Hopkins, manager of Global Supplier Diversity, Dell, Inc.

Learn More
For additional Information about the Dell Supplier Diversity Program visit www.navoba.com/Dell-info

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