Communiqué

October

2014

In this issue you’ll find updates about

upcoming PDM’s and an interesting

article entitled “One Year to a Stronger

Supply Chain”! You will also read

about openings for the ISM-Central

Indiana Board of Directors for the 2014-

2015 program year!

january

CONTENTS:

Board Openings 1

Upcoming PDM: February 1

About the Speaker 1

Upcoming PDM: March 2

Upcoming PDM: April 2

Upcoming PDM: May 2

Breakout Solutions Article 3

(317) 889-9225

www.ismcentralindiana.org

customerservice@ISMcentralindiana.org

Newsletter of ISM Central Indiana

Call for board members

Interested in becoming more involved in ISM-Central Indiana? Do you want to help shape the future

of the organization? We will have openings on the Board of Directors for the 2014 – 15 program year,

and the nominations committee is gearing up to find the best possible candidates for those positions!

If you are interested in participating on the Board, or want more information before throwing your

name into the hat, please contact Erica Voetsch, Vice President of ISM-CI at

VP@ismcentralindiana.org, or by phone at 317-441-9200.

Upcoming pdm

February PDM

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2014

Location: Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurants

Speaker: Carol Mosby, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mid-States Minority Supplier Development

Council

Time: 5:30-8:00

Tentative Schedule

5:30 Networking

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Speaker

7:45 Question & Answer

More about the speaker…

Carolyn E. Mosby is president and chief executive officer of the Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council (Mid-States

MSDC).The Mid-States MSDC is an affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council and is one of 24 councils

nationwide that certifies ethnic minority businesses and serves as an advocate for the economic well-being and growth of Mid-

States MSDC-certified MBEs, while also providing a direct connection for corporations who are committed to purchasing

products and services from certified MBEs. Mosby joined the Mid-States MSDC in April 2011 as its fourth president since the

council was founded in 1976.

Prior to joining the Mid-States MSDC, Mosby was Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Kiwanis International where she was

responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for all global marketing, branding, and communications for the

international non-profit. As CMO, Mosby was the first African American executive with the 93 year old organization. Prior to

joining Kiwanis, Carolyn was a consultant for Dell Computers in West Chester, OH, advising Dell’s Ohio fulfillment operations on

public relations, government and community affairs.

Mosby has spent much of her 22-year professional career in Indiana, specifically Indianapolis. Prior to relocating to the

Ohio/Northern Kentucky area in 2006, she was vice president of marketing communications for Veolia Water Indianapolis, LLC,

the operator of Indianapolis Water. This partnership was the largest public-private water partnership in North America.

Mosby has also held similar public relations and marketing positions in the natural gas, steel, telecommunications and not-for-profit arenas as well as spending

four years in Indiana state government working in the Indiana Department of Administration. While with the state, Mosby worked with the Minority Business

Development division; created by legislation her mother, the late Indiana State Senator Carolyn Brown Mosby (D-Gary) authored.

Mosby’s mother was also responsible for casino gaming in Indiana as she was the original author of legislation that was passed in 1990, bringing the first

riverboat casinos to Gary, Indiana.

Carolyn has been very active in the community, having served on as many as 15 different boards of directors at once, including serving two terms as chairman

of the board for Indiana Black Expo, Inc. Elected at age 35, she was the youngest chairman of the board in the history of the organization. Currently she is

member of the Trusted Mentors and Indianapolis Urban League boards as well as a member of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Indiana State

University Black Alumni Council, Indianapolis Hispanic Business Council, Central Indiana Women’s Business Council and the Ind ianapolis Professional Association.

As a consultant Mosby has represented numerous public figures, politicians, athletes, actors and entertainers, corporations and not-for-profit organizations,

advising them on public relations, marketing, governmental and community affairs. Notable among her past clients are former Indiana University Basketball

Coach Mike Davis, the Indiana Pacers, activist Kemba Smith Pradia and Broadway star Chester Gregory.

Mosby is a native of Gary, Indiana and graduated from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN where she completed an internship with the former nationally

syndicated “Siskel & Ebert Show” and earned a bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV/Film Communications. Carolyn completed her first book; an autobiography

entitled, “Unflappable” which was released in 2008 and published by IBJ Publishing. She has also been featured in Black Enterprise, JET and Indianapolis

Woman (cover story) magazines. She has one son, Lance, age eight.

March PDM: Paper to Electronic Conversion

Date: Thursday, March 20, 2014

Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Maggiano's

3550 E 86th Street

Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

Speaker: Spokesperson from RR Donnelly

Upcoming PDM

Upcoming PDM

April PDM: Flexible Staffing Models

Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Oak Hill Mansion

5801 E 116th Street

Carmel, Indiana 46033

Justin Christian from BC Forward, a local consulting and staffing company, will speak about

flexible staffing models and the changing workplace, and dinner will be a turkey dinner at

the Oak Hill Mansion in Fishers.

Upcoming PDM

May PDM: Consulting Investment

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2014

Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Primo's South

2615 National Ave.

Indianapolis, Indiana 46227

Jonathan Weatherly from Towers Watson, a national consulting investment advisory

company will be our speaker. We will enjoy good company and a buffet style dinner.

One Year to a Stronger Supply Chain A step by step guide of the basics

By: Ann Baker, M.P.A. and M.B.A. President, Breakout Solutions, LLC

Happy 2014! Welcome to Supply Chain Basics 101. If you have been following me on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin,

you know I spend a lot of time helping businesses strengthen their core by targeting their supply chain practices. No matter the industry, business makeup or company size, good basic purchasing habits can be applied in a similar fashion across the board. One trick to growth is to leverage the different aspects of supply chain management based on your company’s unique needs. Whether your budget is $10,000 or $10M, basic principles exist that can be used in every company. January is the perfect time to consider a review of how you purchase. Your numbers from the previous year are most likely to be finalized, your annual goals have been set for the year ahead, and now you can take a look at a deeper level of how to meet your goals. Supply Chain is a great place to start. Over the course of this year, I am going to walk you through a couple basic practices that you can implement immediately to help boost your company’s operations with little effort. Get your pens and paper ready because there will homework for you to bring to class. Today, I will introduce you to a roadmap or an overall list of areas where you can begin. As we move through 2014, I will use each month’s columns to discuss in greater detail a different category topic and provide suggestions on how to establish or strengthen each part of your program. Are you ready for some FUN? Let us begin:

1. Know your numbers. How much your company spends on material and services is important to know, but also focus on other aspects of your business. How does your spend match up to your budget? What does your cash flow look like? How much of your supplier base is attributed to diverse suppliers? How much time does it take to move through your purchasing program? Understanding these (and other) basic concepts will establish the foundation of your supply chain program. Your February assignment is to put a dashboard together of data important to you. You will use it thorough the year as we move between each category. Remember, you need good data to make improvements.

2. Understand the value in building and maintaining relationships. Supply Chain and Purchasing hold the unique position of being both a customer and a service provider. By operating in these dual roles, your supply chain team should be focusing on establishing relationships with the supply base to help the suppliers better understand your needs. In addition, internal relationships, Supply Chain’s customers, are equally as important since they are the reason a supply chain exists. There are ways to establish each type of relationship and grow them to benefit your company. SWOT out both the internal and external relationships your company has with both suppliers and internally. In March, we will dissect the good from the bad. We will then offer tips to best establish and maintain relationships on both ends that provide a seamless flow of communication and services.

3. Establish a Supplier Qualification Process. Why do you use the suppliers you do? How do you know they are good or bad suppliers? Who is involved in the selection? What criterion is used to select a supplier? The selection of a supplier is critical to long term success of your company. In April, I’ll help you identify key qualities and provide a tool or two that you can implement immediately.

When you qualify your suppliers, you increase the integrity of your supply chain program and strengthen your internal operations.

4. Build a Supplier Diversity Program. Supplier Diversity Programs are all the rage right now, and for good reason. Businesses are starting to recognize the power a woman based business brings to the table. They also recognize that minority owned companies are the heartbeat of the local economy. The great news here is that small and large companies alike can initiate a diversity program. In May we’ll discuss the pros and cons of a supplier diversity program and I’ll offer tips to help you establish and grow your own.

5. Know your Competition and Customers. Executives spend a lot of time evaluating the competition in terms of what they bring to the market, how they go to market and what their next greatest achievement will be. They also spend a lot of time researching customers’ buying habits. Not many stop to think about their competition and customers from a supply chain perspective. Your homework for June is to develop a list of what you want to know from your customers and about your competition. We will take a look at how your supply chain can be a useful tool to capture this data and use it to strengthen both sides of your operations.

6. Benchmark. In July, you will be half way through the year. You should be rolling up numbers and comparing them against your target goals. We will take a look at your mid-year numbers and discuss how you improve and meet your year-end targets and how benchmarking within your supply chain will help you get there.

7. Practice Best Practices. How is this different from Benchmarking? Benchmarking is the research. Putting them to practice is a best practice, but only if it reaps the desired results. In August, I’ll have a few good stories to share with you regarding how companies develop their own best practices based on their own operations and research. Continually improving is the theme of this month. Never stop reaching for new and innovative practices.

8. Hold Supplier Reviews. In September, you are about to enter into the final fiscal quarter. You will no doubt be pulling back on some spend and looking for ways to maximize other areas. Supply chain is an ideal area to look at when reaching to meet annual targets. It starts with knowing the performance of your suppliers. We’ll discuss holding a review with your key suppliers and how to discuss performance. This is the time of year that a face to face discussion with your suppliers can yield significant results. It is likely they are also trying to reach annual targets so discussions are lively and interesting.

9. Implement a Contract Management System. October is when you should be taking a look at your

supplier contracts. How did he contract perform for you this year? What will you need for next year? What are your contractual and financial obligations going into the next year or two? Your financial and operations teams are going to need to understand where your liabilities and obligations are so they can assess and plan for the next year. Is there consistency in your contract document form? If you don’t have a program to manage your contracts, this is the time to set one up. We’ll discuss the different aspects of a contract management system and provide a brief overview of how to implement one quickly for your company.

10. . Understand your Market and Spend Indices. I call this the year end wrap up. We’ll take a look at all your hard work and that final push to the end of the year. I will also help you set up a system to track important KPIs for the next year that can build upon the foundation established over the course of this year.

As with any initiative, making changes and growing or strengthening any business takes time, dedication and work. Stick with me through the year for ways to make these initiatives easier and more acceptable to your teams. It is my hope that you find this series enlightening and useful and I look forward to having you follow the articles each

month. For those of you who would like to have a more hands on and in depth look into your supply chain practices, give

me a call or send an email. My team is ready to help you build a stronger company. Every company is different. Every

solution is different. At Breakout Solutions, we specialize in helping you develop your solution.

Strategic Sourcing – The Management of Insurance Suppliers

Ann’s expertise lies with strengthening the supply chain and purchasing power of her clientele to achieve

streamlined results. Educated in Indiana’s heartland, Ann earned a B.S. in Legal Administration and an MPA

at Ball State University. In 2008, she earned her MBA. Her professional vita includes collegiate teaching,

editorials, influencing public policy and coaching businesses. As the owner of Breakout Solutions LLC, Ann

leverages 20 years of regulatory, supply chain, lean six sigma & business expertise with flexible solutions

customized to the client. Ann has worked with a mix of small businesses, large firms and not for profit

organizations. Ann has been recognized by the IMSDC for her efforts to promote the interests of minority

businesses in Central Indiana. She is a member of NAWBO, ISM, and Rotary. She has been featured in

InSource Magazine and delivers Keynote Addresses numerous social and business interest groups. Ann

may be reached via Ann@BRK-OUT.com or give her a call at (317) 663-4873.

At Breakout Solutions LLC, We Have Your Solution.

(317) 889-9225

www.ismcentralindiana.org

customerservice@ISMcentralindiana.org

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