By Farrah Turenne
Job seekers and entrepreneurs will get an unprecedented chance to hit it out of the park on Tuesday, July 24 as Major League Baseball hosts its first-ever “MLB Diversity Summit” at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place here in Chicago.
This sports diversity employment and business opportunity trade fair and supplier event will provide unprecedented access and a unique opportunity to network directly with human resource and procurement executives from MLB’s central office, all 30 MLB clubs, the MLB Network, MLB Advanced Media, and all the minor league baseball clubs.
“The MLB Diversity Business Summit will connect a diverse and inclusive group of individuals with human resource, procurement and other executives throughout the industry. We are looking forward to welcoming the many talented students, professionals and business owners who will participate in this groundbreaking event,” says Wendy Lewis, Senior Vice President, Diversity & Strategic Alliances for Major League Baseball.
The agenda for the event will include league-wide networking, exhibit floor access, special presenters, workshops and executive roundtable discussions. And after the day’s activities, all attendees will head out to U.S. Cellular Field to watch the White Sox take on the Minnesota Twins in a scintillating night game!
(A limited number of job seeker and supplier registrations remain. For more information and to register, visit www.mlb.com/diversitysummit.)
The MLB Diversity Business Summit is the premier sports employment and supplier diversity trade fair. This one-day event will allow job seekers and entrepreneurs the unique opportunity of meeting with MLB’s clubs at both the major league and minor league levels, as well as with sponsorship partners. The day will be packed with national MLB representation, exciting speakers, matchmaking sessions and networking that allows unprecedented interaction.
“The purpose of the job fair is not only to provide opportunities for attendees, but also to demonstrate the variety and scope of careers that can be found working in the industry,” says Lewis.
“Procurement contract opportunities range from stadium operations, transportation and promotional items to design and printing services,” she explains. “Employment opportunities include marketing, administration, finance, sales, office operations and human resources. Also, a wide range of opportunities exist in addition to what is listed.
“Everyone who has an interest in pursuing a career in sports is encouraged to attend. Anyone who has an interest in working with Major League Baseball will benefit vastly from this opportunity to directly engage with decision makers and human resource professionals.”
Lewis urges attendees to bring their A-game, along with a stack of resumes and/or business cards, and says that successful attendees will be contacted on an individual basis for further engagement.
Noting that the event is being co-hosted by the Chicago White Sox, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig said, “Major League Baseball is pleased to co-host the MLB Diversity Business Summit, giving our game another opportunity to connect with a diverse pool of individuals and businesses.
“I thank the Chicago White Sox for their support and hospitality, and we hope that everyone involved will benefit from the direct interaction afforded by this inaugural event.”
White Sox owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf added, “It is an honor to join with Major League Baseball and co-host the MLB Diversity Business Summit this summer in Chicago.
“Diversity is critical to success in business and in baseball. From purchasing the best products available to acquiring and developing the very best talent in the front office, the White Sox are committed to diversity throughout our business operations and throughout our ballpark.”
Explaining how the event came about, Lewis noted, “The MLB Diversity Business Summit has been a major goal of MLB and has been in development for some time.
“MLB has consistently listed diversity as one of its main priorities and the hope is that this inaugural event will help to provide additional opportunities to engage minority and women owned businesses and individuals. This will be the first time in professional sports that an event like this has been staged at a diversity engagement level.”
Wendy Lewis joined baseball in 1987 as the Manager of Human Resources for the Chicago Cubs. She came to baseball from the Chicago Tribune, where she was an employment specialist and a senior educational sales representative. Before joining the Chicago Tribune, she was the personnel coordinator for Lutheran Child & Family Services.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
As Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Recruitment and Diversity for Major League Baseball, Office of the Commissioner, Lewis’ responsibilities include directing the recruitment process and workforce needs for MLB’s Central Office overseeing MLB’s Diverse Business Partners Program (DBP).
The DBP Program is an economically-driven business initiative established to cultivate new and existing partnerships with minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
Wendy directs the activities that support MLB’s Central Office and its member clubs to ensure that a greater number of businesses have an opportunity to participate in the procurement process for desired goods and services.
Since the formation of MLB’s Diverse Business Partners Program, millions of dollars have been spent with thousands of minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
As head of recruitment, Wendy directs the staffing process and manages the workforce diversity reporting for the Commissioner’s Office and its 30 clubs. This diversity reporting is a key element of the strategic plan for Major League Baseball’s workforce and marketplace diversity objective.
Prior to Wendy’s current position, she was the Vice President of Human Resources and Office Operations for Major League Baseball, Office of the Commissioner.
Her responsibilities included directing the recruitment, compensation, benefits, performance planning, and training and development for Major League Baseball’s Central Office in New York.
One of the minority vendors the MLB uses that Lewis most happily touts, is our own Olympia Fields-based Especially For You Gifts, founded by Debra Harris.
Harris’ partnership with MLB began locally with the Chicago White Sox in 2002. She would (and still does to this day) supply baby gifts to congratulate employees. There have even been some players that have been basket recipients for one reason or another.
From a purchasing manager to the top executive management, baskets have infiltrated all ranks of the White Sox organization. Additionally, the White Sox have requested baskets to gift to some of their esteemed clients.
The turning point for Especially For You Gifts, recalls Harris, was when she met Wendy Lewis at a supplier event hosted by the DBP group at the 2003 All-Star Game. From then on, Especially for You’s exposure hit the stratosphere.
It was through that introduction to Lewis that the company was exposed to other diversity managers at other clubs. Now, nearly nine years later, Harris is proud to say that for the last three years in a row, her company has provided gift baskets for the All-Star Game and has strategically positioned itself as a highly-regarded MLB DBP.
As a DBP for Major League Baseball, Especially For You Gifts has a proven track record of growth within the franchise. The company has expanded from working solely with the Chicago White Sox to working with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers. Harris’ other notable clients include Pepsico and Kellogg’s.
The idea of the MLB Diversity Business Summit on July 24 is to find more Debra Harris’. You just might be one of them!
(Megan Miraval of MLB contributed to this story.)
MLB Diversity Summit Schedule of Events
7:00 am – 8:00 am : Registration
7:50 am – 9:30 am : Breakfast/The Business of the Game – Owner’s Panel
MLB Diversity Network Part I
9:40 am : Ribbon Cutting & Remarks
9:45 am – 12:45 pm : The Workforce Connection
Job Seekers meet w/Club HR Representatives
Resume Portal Uploads
Business Briefings, sessions on:
Baseball Operations, International, Licensing and Sponsorship, MLB in the Community, Internships, Doing Business with MLB
9:45 am – 12:45 pm : The Supply Chain Connection (Match Makers)
Pre Registered vendors meet w/Club Buyers
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm : Lunch / Technology Roundtable
MLB Diversity Network Part II
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm : The Supply Chain Connection
Vendors meet w/Club Buyers
Diverse Business Partners Portal Registration
Business Briefings, sessions on:
Baseball Operations, International, Licensing and Sponsorship, MLB in the Community, Internships, Doing Business with MLB
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm : The Workforce Connection (Match Makers)
Pre Registered Job Seekers meet w/Club HR Representatives
6:30 p.m. White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins
