TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 14, 2021) – Moffitt Cancer Center’s Supplier Diversity Program is honored to receive the Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The award was presented during the annual National Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards Ceremony.
The Distinguished Supplier Diversity Award not only highlights the cancer center’s dedication and commitment to diversity but also recognizes the organization for its business practices which have a significant impact on the growth and development of minority-owned firms.
Desiree Hanson, manager of Moffitt Supplier Diversity, says this particular award sets Moffitt apart from other cancer centers.
“This national distinction by the U.S. Department of Commerce recognizing Moffitt for its impact on minority-owned firms speaks volumes,” says Hanson. “We are extremely proud to be the recipient of this award.”
Moffitt’s supplier diversity team works with registered diverse businesses identified as minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, LGBT and disability owned business enterprises to ensure that they have access to opportunities. Hanson says the goal of the Supplier Diversity Program is to ensure that diverse companies have an opportunity to do business with the cancer center.
“I commend Desiree and her team for the hard work they do every day to ensure diverse small businesses have a chair at the table,” said Dr. B. Lee Green, vice president of Diversity, Public Relations and Strategic Communications for Moffitt Cancer Center. “While Moffitt’s mission is to prevent and cure cancer, a core part of who we are as an organization is diversity, equity and inclusion. The work we do through supplier diversity represents that on a community scale that should make all of us here at the cancer center proud.”
While working with diverse vendors isn’t something new for Moffitt, those vendors have been highlighted recently as the cancer center builds a new state-of-the-art expansion hospital near its McKinley outpatient center, expected to open in 2023. Moffitt remains focused on hiring minority, women, veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned business enterprises.
Moffitt is committed to a supplier diversity goal of 15 percent over the span of this project, or $54 million. As of October 2021, over 90 percent of that goal had been met and the facility will likely exceed projections. Nearly $10 million in contracts have been awarded to veteran-owned businesses, while more than $9 million will be spent with women-owned vendors and over $10 million with African American-owned businesses.
Throughout the construction, more than 5,500 people will work on the project, creating a local economic impact of $120 million in salaries. Roughly 59 percent of those workers call Hillsborough County home. The remaining live in nearby Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties as well as 20 other counties throughout the state of Florida.
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About Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt is a Top 10 cancer hospital and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 7,000 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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