Evergy and Burns & McDonnell have partnered with Ralph G. Moore & Associates (RGMA) to launch Accelerate, a business development program with nearly 40 small and diverse business partners. The program uses a cohort model to strengthen supplier diversity processes, build capacity of diverse suppliers and drive increases in diverse purchases.

“The Accelerate program will provide a platform for mentorship, business development training and ultimately the innovation required to deliver safe, strong critical infrastructure projects,” says Tammy Martin, business diversity program director, Burns & McDonnell. “Our goal for this program is to position Burns & McDonnell, Evergy and our partners for new and expanding opportunities and drive economic development in our community.”

Participants will take part in monthly sessions over a six-month period to develop skills to become more competitive in the construction industry, to increase the volume of work their firm is capable of winning in open competition, and to improve their firm’s financial strength and capacity. Each participant is partnered with a sponsor from Evergy or Burns & McDonnell to serve as a mentor throughout the program’s duration.

“For more than three decades, our leadership team has been committed to and will continue to support increasing opportunities for diverse suppliers and enhancing the competitiveness of the supplier base,” says Valerie Coyazo, lead supplier diversity manager, Evergy. “The cohort model and comprehensive training provided by RGMA through the Accelerate program will provide resources to support the small and diverse companies we partner with in every sector of our business.”

The program’s training will be led by Ralph Moore, president, CEO and founder of RGMA. Moore was the lead training resource for the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) for 24 years. He created the RGMA 5-Levels of Supplier Diversity™ maturity model and the RGMA 10 Components of a World-Class Supplier Diversity Program, which served as the model for the development of the NMSDC Eight Best Practices. Through Accelerate, participating diverse business owners as well as sponsoring participants from Burns & McDonnell and Evergy will receive instruction in 10 critical strategies that work in sync to drive world-class supplier diversity results. The program will run until August and will form the basis of a virtual training program that will expand in 2024.

“Innovation creates a demand for new suppliers who can bring fresh ideas to impact the entire value chain,” Moore says. “As corporations focus on building capacity within diverse business sectors, diverse business leaders must be prepared to develop and scale their businesses for large, competitive contracts. Burns & McDonnell, Evergy, RGMA and the business owners involved in this program are here to collaborate on how we can all pursue opportunities that will transform our business communities.”