A core focus of the Greater Houston Partnership’s One Houston Together initiative is to enhance supplier diversity within the Houston region. This work is advanced through quarterly Supplier Diversity Roundtables along with a bi-annual convening of chief purchasing officers within the Partnership’s membership.  Key pathways for removing barriers between minority business enterprises (MBEs) and corporate purchasers are to amplify the work and profile of MBEs and increase introductions and networking between buyers and these companies. Beginning this month at each Supplier Diversity Roundtable, the Partnership will showcase two Houston-region businesses, allowing them to present to Partnership members. Mid-America Contractors and Gilbreath Communications were the two companies highlighted during the November 2023 roundtable. Mid-America Contractors (MAC), Elizabeth Cravens, Owner & CEO Mid-America Contractors (MAC) is a woman-owned industrial services provider for midstream and downstream operations across Southeast Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Founded in 2004 by Elizabeth Cravens with a yearly revenue of $10-20 million, the company’s extensive service offerings include build design, roofing, civil services, mechanical services, pipeline, maintenance/janitorial, and more. The company is also venturing into the storage tank industry. MAC operates in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, and Utah and works with major clients including Motiva, Valero, Shell, Pemex, Total and Exxon Mobil to deliver cost-effective, timely solutions. Importantly, safety isn’t just a priority, it’s a core value, and the firm has a leading safety record in Southeast Texas.  The company believes in the power of relationships with their company, and Craven takes great pride in getting to know her customers as well as their community through MAC’s social responsibility strategy.  View the company's presentation. Gilbreath Communications, Audrey Gilbreath, President & CEO Gilbreath Communications Inc. is an award-winning full-service integrated marketing communications firm located in Houston.  The firm’s founder and namesake, Audrey Gilbreath, is the first African American and woman to be inducted into the American Advertising Federation Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame.  With 34 years of experience interacting with general and multicultural markets, the company designs marketing and communications solutions that help launch and transform brands, grow businesses and engage audiences throughout Houston, the State of Texas and the United States. From the simple to the complex, the Gilbreath Communications team has the knowledge and expertise to support in the development and execution of creative services and communications, public relations, and digital and social media programs; and, on a project-by-project basis for other support service areas, including strategic communications planning and event marketing. Clients include HEB, Metro, NFL, NRG, and Shell. The firm offers clients an invaluable knowledge and understanding of competitive landscape and desired target markets locally, regionally, and nationally, with an intentional sensitivity and respect for diverse the markets the company serves. View the company's presentation.   Learn more about the Partnership's One Houston Together initiative.

HOUSTON (October 4, 2023) – Houston companies have advanced on a set of key metrics that measure progress on removing barriers to opportunity for all, according to an analysis commissioned as part of One Houston Together, an initiative of the Greater Houston Partnership’s board-level Racial Equity Committee. The 2023 Houston Regional Equity & Inclusion Assessment highlights practices local employers use to encourage and create a more equitable and inclusive region. A total of 92 companies and organizations employing more than 265,000 Houstonians across the 12-country region participated in the 2023 assessment with a core group of 64 organizations returning from the 2021 cohort.  Compared to national trends, Houston performs better on gender diversity, most upward mobility categories, and spending with minority businesses. The 2023 results indicate the representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the workforce has increased along with the group’s share of workforce promotions over the last two years. The biennial assessment also demonstrated a significant commitment to adopting best practices that advance diversity, equity and inclusion within an organization. “Houston’s progress across these measures is encouraging. The Racial Equity Committee looks forward to continued movement in the next few years and invites other companies and institutions in Houston to join the effort,” said Gretchen Watkins, co-chair of the Partnership’s Racial Equity Committee and President of Shell USA, Inc. “Houston companies together can help drive action to create opportunity for all Houstonians.” Key areas of progress highlighted by the assessment include: Upward mobility Representation of BIPOC in the workforce has increased by 7%, up to 64% in 2023 compared to 60% in 2021. This closely tracks with Houston census data of 67% BIPOC population in the region  BIPOC share of board seats increased by ~13% and the group now makes up ~34% of board seats compared to ~30% in 2021 BIPOC share of workforce promotions increased by over 15% going from 52% in 2021 to 60% in 2023 Percentage of female new hires has grown by 21% from 54% to 66%, driving female representation in the workforce up to 60%. Additionally, females’ share of workforce promotions grew by 16% from 44% to 51% Supplier Diversity Initiatives put in place appear to have had a positive impact on supplier diversity, with 25% of organizations setting MBE spend targets; up from 9% in 2021 The average number of MBE vendors used by organizations is up 1.7x and is now at ~66 MBE vendors used vs. ~38 in 2021. National average is ~11 MBE vendors In Houston, the average company MBE spend is 5.4% of total budget, compared to 3.6% nationally Maturity of DEI Practices Houston’s “Maturity of DEI Best Practices” continues to average at “proactive” (46% adoption of best practices) across 15 categories, with several categories’ average at “progressive” (over 50% adoption of best practices) Law and Professional Services industries lead DEI best practices maturity, outperforming other sectors in the Houston region on 13 out of 15 categories “Since 2021, One Houston Together has brought together more than 120 companies and organizations to offer peer learning and share data-driven insights, industry benchmarks, and best practices,” said LaTanya Flix, the Partnership’s senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “The improvement demonstrated by the 2023 assessment results is evidence of the business community’s commitment to this important work, while also identifying areas of opportunity where Houston companies can continue to make progress.” Despite a noticeable increase in Hispanics in the workforce of ~15%, Hispanics remain the only group underrepresented at all workforce levels. Also, BIPOC share of promotions to senior management positions has dropped by ~40%, from 55% in 2021 to 33% in 2023. The results also indicate a slowdown in the promotion of women into senior roles and board seats. Despite supplier diversity progress, only 51% of those surveyed report MBE spend, so those reported figures may not be representative of what is occurring across the regional economy.  See full assessment results on an interactive dashboard. View video below for a recap of the results. About One Houston Together One Houston Together galvanizes Houston-region business leaders to drive change in two areas where the Partnership believes the business community can have the greatest impact – creating pathways for talent advancement and leveraging our buying power. By addressing these issues at a regional scale, Partnership members can measure individual and collective progress over time, identify focus areas and reinforce their shared commitment to removing obstacles to equal opportunity. Partnership members participate in Talent and Supplier Diversity Roundtables, Talent Talk, Houston Buyer Cohort, CPO Convening, and industry working groups.  About the Houston Regional Equity & Inclusion Assessment Initially launched in 2021, the biennial Houston Regional Equity & Inclusion Assessment is the first of its kind among major U.S. metros, measuring respondents’ progress on workforce and leadership race and gender diversity, supplier diversity spending, and 15 DEI best practice categories. A total of 92 companies and organizations employing more than 265,000 Houstonians across the 12-country region participated in the 2023 assessment. Boston Consulting Group provided the assessment analysis and reviewed national trends to provide context for the Houston data. Assessment respondents represent the broad spectrum of public and private organizations across key industries operating in Houston. The assessment is based on the Global DEI Benchmarks and used by other economic development organizations across the U.S.