Partnership with Certify My Company and new mentoring initiatives are designed to enhance supplier diversity opportunities.

PHILADELPHIA—Aramark, the leading U.S.-based food service provider, today announced a partnership with Certify My Company, to assist self-classified suppliers in obtaining third-party diversity certifications.

The partnership furthers Aramark’s commitment to increase overall spend with small and diverse suppliers to 25 percent by 2025. Aramark’s robust supply chain already includes more than 6,000 small or diverse suppliers, about 18 percent of which are third-party certified as diverse. A diverse business is generally defined as one that is 51 percent owned and controlled by women, ethnic minorities, veterans, LGBTQ, or disabled person(s).

By working with Certify My Company, which provides certification assistance to diverse business owners by guiding and assisting them through the comprehensive process of becoming certified, Aramark will be able to identify and engage with even more certified suppliers.

“We believe our supplier base should reflect the diversity of our employees, clients and customers,” said Autumn Bayles, vice president of Global Supply Chain at Aramark. “Partnering with local, small and diverse suppliers drives economic impact, delivers valuable insight into local market trends and helps us supply products and services that are culturally relevant for our consumers.”

Last year, Aramark’s supplier diversity initiatives supported more than 14,000 jobs across the United States, for a total economic impact of $1.9 billion.

“Aramark has done an outstanding job demonstrating their support and appreciation of diverse businesses and third-party certification,” said Heather Cox, co-founder and president of Certify My Company and an MBE Magazine Summer/Fall 2019 MWBE Who Rocks! “Aramark is a leader in recognizing the direct and indirect benefits of supplier diversity, diversity certification and of course the diverse suppliers themselves.”

In addition to partnering with Certify My Company, Aramark will sponsor Centers of Excellence (COE) programs through regional affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, like the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council (EMSDC), who certify and match minority-owned businesses with local member corporations. The COE programs will promote supplier diversity best practices, knowledge-sharing and procurement opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes, and will provide Aramark team members, specifically those in Aramark’s Employee Resources Groups, with opportunities to mentor emerging Minority Business Enterprises.

As part of its expansive supplier diversity outreach and engagement efforts, Aramark is a member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NSMDC), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and Disability:IN.

To learn about how Aramark is growing with small, local and diverse suppliers, please visit the Nourish Blog. For more information on Aramark’s sustainability plan, visit www.aramark.com/sustainability, or join the conversation on social media, #AramarkBeWellDoWell.