To help “local and diverse” suppliers participate in one of golf’s major championships within the $84.1 billion golf industry, the PGA invited businesses owned by minorities, veterans and other groups to learn how they could partner with larger prime, or “tier one,” suppliers that will be engaged in the 2019 Championship when it’s held on Bethpage State Park’s Black Course on Long Island in May.
The PGA of America welcomed local and diverse suppliers to Farmingdale, N.Y. on November 1st, to provide sourcing opportunities in support of its 101st PGA Championship, which will be held at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course May 13-19, 2019.
Minority-, women-, LGBT- and veteran-owned businesses were invited by the PGA to potentially participate in one of golf’s major championships within the $84.1 billion golf industry. Through outreach to diverse business organizations, the PGA provided opportunities for diverse and locally owned suppliers to interview with larger prime, or tier one, suppliers engaged in the Championship.
“We are pleased with the results of our outreach and are proud that high-quality partnerships are being forged as a result of the event,” said Sandy Cross, the PGA of America’s Senior Director of Diversity & Inclusion. “These partnerships will bring value, service and innovation to the PGA Championship supply chain. Our prime suppliers appreciate PGA providing a comprehensive process for identifying qualified diverse suppliers.”
Championships generate substantial entertainment and tourism dollars for host cities and surrounding area, and building a supply chain representative of the consumer population in these cities is imperative, the PGA of America noted. More than 71 percent of participating suppliers at the event were local to the New York area, and nearly a third were from the Northeast region, including New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
“We show up and perform, especially when we have an organization like PGA advocating for us,” said Darrell Searcy, President of Chandler, Campbelle, & Daschle (CCD), a minority-owned business and past participant in the PGA’s supplier inclusion event. CCD now works with a prime supplier, The Convention Store, to deliver logistics and transportation for fans at championships.
“This gives us an opportunity to be introduced to businesses where we wouldn’t normally have an opportunity,” Searcy added. “We have to create a good value proposition as to why it makes sense to work with us.”
PGA partnered with Radius Sports Group, a woman-owned business, in early 2018 to elevate its supplier inclusion program, including outreach and facilitation of supplier inclusion events supporting PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup.
Additional efforts include building a more robust database of local and diverse suppliers to potentially provide goods and services to the PGA directly as a prime supplier. Local and diverse-owned businesses may register within the database and be advised of future bid opportunities through the PGA social responsibility site, PGASupplierInclusion.org.