FMCRC Letter of Concern To Ford:
Lack of Diversity in Minority Tier 1 suppliers
Copy of FMCRC Certified Letter:
May 17, 2010
Ford Motor Company
Mr. Alan R. Mulally
CEO
RE:
1) Ford Access to
2) Ford Tier 1 Supplier Racial Diversity Complaint: Zubi Advertising
Dear Mr. Mulally:
We have concerns regarding the serious lack of diversity of a Ford Motor Company Tier 1 Supplier (Zubi Advertising) and the lack of efforts by Mr. Armando Ojeda to resolve both this issue and the lack of access for
With the current economic crisis, there have been significant market pressures for corporations to decrease current operating expenses to mitigate projected losses. The net result in the procurement arena is that there has been a tremendous loss of minority Tier 1 suppliers due to supplier consolidation in response to corporate cost cutting. This has had a tremendous impact on the creation of jobs for our communities.
With this negative economic impact upon
We have made several attempts to acquire diversity information from Zubi Advertising (Ford Tier 1 supplier) with no success. From the lack of response from Mr. Ojeda, it appears that Ford Motor Company has no interest to assure that there is diversity within your supplier base. With the case of Zubi Advertising, I am personally offended that a Latino business has no interest to live by the very principal (diversity) that allows them to have a major client such as Ford Motor Company. We have information that demonstrates the Zubi Advertising has a marginal record with providing African American businesses an opportunity to do business with them.
The economic distress of minority communities may be one of the most pressing issues not only facing
We are requesting a meeting with senior Ford Motor Company to discuss this issue in more detail.
Please have a representative for your company contact Ms. Millie Ramirez of FMCRC to make arrangements for this requested meeting. She can be reached at (941) 284-0688. We thank you for your consideration on this very critical matter.
Cordially,
Al Pina
Chair
FL HQ:
www.fmcrc.org
admin@fmcrc.org
(941) 284-0688 Office
Copy: Glenda Gill (Executive Director, Rainbow Push)
Roger Campos (CEO, Minority Business RoundTable) John Gamboa (Greenlining Institute) Winnie Tang (President- Organization of Chinese Americans, South Florida Chapter) Elaine Black (President-Liberty City Trust) Ron Frazier (Chairman- BAC Funding Corporation) Joy Bruce (President, Asian American Bar Association) Raul Espinosa (President- Fairness In Procurement Alliance) Reggie Clyne Esq. (Co-Chair, Florida Coalition of Minority Bar Associations) Johnson Ng (Executive Director, United Chinese Association of Florida) Val Dagani (Founder, Filipino American Coalition of Florida) Doug Mayorga (President, Florida Minority Chamber of Commerce) Rolando Sanchez-Medina, Esq. (Immediate Past President, Cuban American Bar Association) Kerth J. Conze, Esq. (President, Haitian Bar Association) Jay Kim, Esq. (Asian Bar Association) Dr. Rubio Armesto (President, Cuban American Publisher’s Association) Glorious J. Johnson (Council Member, City of Jacksonville) Dorothy Hughes (President, Gateway Economic Empowerment Coalition) Eddie Stanton (President, Mad Dads Inc.)
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Rainbow Push Statement on National Latino Automotive Council Launch:
Glenda Gill-Executive Director of Rainbow Push
“Rainbow PUSH is pleased to be a collaborative partner with FMCRC as we seek to build bridges and bring about economic reprocity with the global automotive industry and ethnic businesses which includes dealers and suppliers of product and professional services. The ethnic marketplace now comprises over $100 billion purchasing power of both new and used vehicles. We look forward to our continued advocacy of inclusion, diversity and building strategic partnerships with each other and the global automotive industry”
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FMCRC Chair Al Pina organizes Latino automotive suppliers into national council and voice:
PRESS RELEASE
For Information
Contact
Ms. Erica Cardenas
Cardenas Public Relations (602) 451-8719
FMCRC CHAIR LAUNCHES NATIONAL LATINO AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER COUNCIL TO ADDRESS SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LATINO BUSINESSES IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
(
) – FMCRC Chair Al Pina accepts request by dozens of Latino suppliers to assist Latino automotive suppliers to organize into a national voice and body. States Mr. Pina “Latino automotive suppliers have been devastated by this recession. We have lost a significant number of our largest businesses that were the foundation of job creation for Latino communities. We look forward to working with both Rainbow Push and the National Association of Minority Automotive Dealers to develop and expand the National Latino Automotive Supplier Council.” TAMPA ,FLORIDA
The National Latino Automotive Council will comprise of key Latino Automotive Suppliers from across the
and be headquartered at the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment Coalition Tampa office. The council’s initial planning session will be held at the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers annual conference in United States July 22-24. Chicago
The automotive supplier industry will see a wave of consolidations as federal bailouts for automakers and a recession that has hurt automotive sales. “There are too many suppliers” states Mr. Earl Hesterberg, CEO of auto retailer Group One. A recent survey revealed that over 200 auto suppliers are being processed through liquidation. The lack of access to capital will accelerate the number of liquidations within the automotive supplier network.
A recent survey of Latino automotive suppliers confirmed that there have been tremendous losses of Latino and minority automotive suppliers. “Ten years ago we faced the inequalities and financial hurdles of establishing a base of Latino suppliers among the Big Three American and International auto manufacturers. Today, the gains of the past decade for Latino auto suppliers have been erased due to the recession. We as a body have never had a voice but that is about to change with Al Pina’s ability and willingness to organize our suppliers. Through this new body, it is our hope to bring access, opportunities and survival for Latino Automotive Suppliers” said Fred Flores, CEO of DSS-Staffing and a member of the newly formed council.
The 800 billion dollar purchasing power of 35 million Latinos in the
should be enough to convince industry leaders that Latino automotive suppliers are a critical link to job creation and consumers. To ensure traction within the automotive industry and other key industries, the National Latino Automotive Supplier Council will work with two key minority advocacy organizations “This Latino council will work with and through both the Rainbow Push Automotive Initiative and the National Association of Minority Automotive Dealers to ensure that the Latino suppliers understand that they are part of a national minority community that have common goals and issues” states FMCRC Chair Al Pina. United States
The National Latino Automotive Supplier Council will recruit over 150 current Latino automotive contractors that are expected to participate in the annual Rainbow Push Automotive Summit in Detroit (August 2010). The National Latino Automotive Supplier Council has adopted the following goals:
1) TO ORGANIZE LATINO AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS INTO NATIONAL VOICE-BODY
2) TO PROVIDE INCREASED ACCESS TO AUTOMOTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
3) TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO CAPITAL
4) TO DEVELOP JOINT VENTURES THAT WILL ENABLE LATINO AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS TO DIVERSIFY INTO VERTICAL INDUSTRIES AND MARKETS
5) TO DEVELOP LATINO AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS ABILITY TO COMPETE
“We look forward to the leadership of Al Pina to assist our Latino automotive suppliers. We are willing and able to assist with creating jobs and developing our nation’s economy. All we need is access and opportunities to do so” states Beth Ardisana, President of ASG Renaissance.
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