Wednesday November 14, 2012 (Palm Springs, CA)– Tempest CEO, Jessica Firestone, spoke on the Diversity Means Business panel at the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, along with Javara Perrilliat (Vice President, Global Supply Management Owens & Minor), William “Joe” Ruebel (President/CEO, Kerma Medical Products, Inc.), Sam Johnson (Northeast Sub-Area Accounts & Business Development Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP), and telecom industry expert Keith Connolly (Vice President – Consumer Supply Chain, AT&T Services, Inc.).
The panel focused largely on the advantages of choosing diverse suppliers. Mr. Connelly posited that diverse suppliers are “nimble, agile and innovative,” to which Ms. Firestone added, “Diversity opens the door. Substance gives the relationship and company credibility. Innovation and value-add fuels the relationship.”
(Interview with Keith Connolly and Jessica Firestone begins at 7:55)