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Recently, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce’s (Chamber) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council (Co-chaired by Eva Dias and Andre’ Williams) recommended that the City Commission approve groundbreaking legislation to create a database and track the utilization of small and disadvantaged businesses as certified by Miami-Dade County. This legislation is important to create opportunities for qualified businesses that have traditionally not had access or opportunity to doing business with the City of Miami Beach.
Andre’ Williams, a Harvard educated real estate attorney and Co-Chair of the Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Council said this “This legislation was a long time coming but we proposed it because it was simply the right thing to do. We have to create opportunity for qualified businesses of this sort to benefit from contracts with the City of Miami Beach. We are very excited to work alongside the City in this regard.”
Eva Dias, a highly qualified Human Resources professional, whom has spent her entire career leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agendas for the largest Corporations in the world and now as a Co-Chair of the DE&I Council at Miami Beach Chamber, said: “I am thrilled to see this law being passed and truly believe this will benefit our minority business owners and facilitate their access to do business with the City of Miami Beach, particularly after going through such a difficult year. Next, we need to ensure they are aware of it and how they can become certified to do it.”
In order to establish a supplier diversity tracking program, it is first important to identify the agency that will act as the certifying agency, which is Miami-Dade County. They have established certification programs for small businesses in the following categories, which include: Architectural & Engineering, Construction, Goods and Services, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.
The mission of the council is: Diversity and inclusion are core values for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and it is critical that we incorporate these values into all aspects of our work including advocacy, communications, workplace environment, vendor selection, hiring, promotion and retention. In order to carry out the Chamber’s core values, the Diversity & Equity Inclusion Council will foster a shared culture at the Chamber that promotes the goals of accepting, respecting and valuing differences that include attributes such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, sexual identity, ability, language, family circumstances and cultural backgrounds.
This legislation was fully supported by the Chair of the Chamber Robin Jacobs and the Board of Governors.
If you are interested in learning more about the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council or Chamber, email info@miamibeachchamber.com or visit www.miamibeachchamber.com
