The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City was honored by the Metropolitan Community College (MCC) for its commitment to supplier diversity and received an award for “Turning Contacts into Contracts” during a recent MCC’s Contract Awards Recognition event. The Kansas City Fed was nominated for the award by Superior Moving and Storage, a local woman-owned business.
Representatives from the Kansas City Fed first learned of Superior Moving and Storage at a supplier diversity exposition hosted by MCC. Soon after, the Kansas City Fed enlisted the help of Superior Moving and Storage for a project.
Completing a project with the Kansas City Fed meant so much to the owner of Superior Moving and Storage, Ceil Lynch, that she nominated the Kansas City Fed for the award, which highlights organizations that value diversity in procurement.
“I spoke with Ceil Lynch from Superior at the event and she remembered that we met her on a Tuesday and the Bank called her about the project on a Friday,” said Diana Serrano, a representative of the Kansas City Fed’s procurement area. “It meant so much to her and these are the types of businesses we want to build relationships with.”
Serrano said the Bank’s secret to turning contacts into contracts is communication—with both local women- and minority-owned businesses and business lines throughout the Bank.
“We encourage suppliers we meet to go and register as a supplier for the Bank on KansasCityFed.org,” she said. “Register with us and nationally any Reserve Bank can leverage those services if you offer them in that District.”
Learn more about the Bank's commitment to diversity and inclusion.