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KCP&L does business with the companies it serves
Many of the utility’s diverse suppliers are local. Working with them means supporting their customers, says the supplier diversity manager
 Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L, Kansas City, MO) sees its supplier diversity commitment as a key component in supporting the local economy and helping it grow. The minority- and women-owned businesses the utility works with supply quality products and innovative services that help KCP&L remain competitive, says Valerie Coyazo, manager of supplier diversity.
And since many of the businesses are local, working with them is also supporting some of the utility’s own customers. “We put a strong emphasis on doing business with the companies in communities we serve,” Coyazo notes.
Since 2004, procurement dollars spent with minority- and women-owned suppliers have increased from 3.4 percent to 7.6 percent of KCP&L’s total spend.
Going high-tech
KCP&L is an investor-owned electric utility. It serves metro and rural areas of northwestern Missouri and eastern Kansas. Its supplier diversity program began in 1999, and in 2008 it went high-tech. “We implemented a registration tool so our suppliers could register online,” Coyazo explains. Suppliers can register at www.kcpl.com/supplier/ index.htm, and “That information automatically flows into an internal sourcing catalog so our buyers and employees can locate suppliers that have the goods and services they need.”
The company also uses an automatic reporting tool to capture spend data, which can be accessed by diversity category and/or company division. Both an internal and an external website are dedicated to supplier diversity.
Ellen Berry, manager of procurement at KCP&L, explains, “As a procurement employee, I find these are terrific tools to help find diverse suppliers. The internal website provides important information, and I can link to other sites that provide diverse supplier information. It’s a great collaborative tool.”
The “Light Source” mentoring program
One important supplier diversity focus at KCP&L is the company’s “Light Source” mentoring program. Company officers and assigned managers mentor one or more local minority and women-owned suppliers, offering guidance on daily business practices, business development plans, training, networking and even referral to other KCP&L business units. Suppliers participate in the program from one to three years.
“Now we’re refocusing the program,” Coyazo reveals. “We intend to bring in more suppliers from distressed areas of our service territories.”
Besides the counseling, mentoring participants are keyed in on contacts with other energy clients. “It really helps to get us on the radar screen of other energy companies and provides us with new opportunities,” says Ronald Harland Sr, president of eVolv Solutions, LLC, a KCP&L supplier. About four times a year he meets with Barbara Curry, human resources senior VP and corporate secretary at KCP&L.
Working with partners
Coyazo notes that KCP&L also works with national and regional partners. Nationally, it’s represented on committees sponsored by the Edison Electric Institute, (EEI, Washington, DC). At the regional level it has partnerships with the Mid American Minority Business Development Council (MAMBDC), the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Black Chamber of Commerce. Coyazo is chair-elect for the Hispanic chamber and serves on a committee of the MAMBDC.
Fair-going and more
Coyazo also represents KCP&L at business opportunity fairs and events hosted by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), MAMBDC, the city of Kansas City, EEI and more. “We set up a booth and bring a procurement negotiator. When we meet with the supplier we can provide them guidance on our supplier diversity initiative, and offer them guidance on doing business with KCP&L,” she says. Suppliers can contact Coyazo through the website, which offers a direct link to her email.
The company accepts certifications from WBENC and NMSDC and their local and regional councils, state and city certifications, and self-certification as accepted by the SBA.
Tier two commitment
“We have a diverse supplier participation clause in all proposal requests,” Coyazo points out. “We strongly recommend that diverse suppliers account for at least 10 percent of the spend for each project undertaken by a majority supplier.”
eVolv Solutions helps with IT
eVolv Solutions, LLC is an IT, document management and output solution provider. The company was launched in 2002 by Ronald Harland, Sr, president, and his sons, Ronald Harland Jr and Eric Harland, who are VPs at eVolv.
The senior Harland has a 1981 BS in sales and marketing from Avila University (Overland Park, KS), and
twenty-six years’ experience in sales and marketing with Xerox Corp in Norwalk, CT. Ron Harland, Jr has a 2001 BSIS from the University of Phoenix (Sacramento, CA) and Eric Harland has a 1993 BS in finance and investments from Kansas State University and a 2004 MBA from Baker University (Baldwin City, KS).
“We provide IT and document management solutions centered around copiers and printers,” says Harland, Sr. “Xerox was a good background for me. I was working as a sales manager when they started looking for diverse partners who knew how to sell their products and services. I took a severance package and started this business, and we’ve since branched out to include Konica/Minolta and HP as well as Xerox.”
The value of networking
Since starting up in 2002 eVolv has gone from $182,000 in annual sales to some $15 million last year. The company was awarded a contract at KCP&L late last year, after being introduced through NMSDC and MAMBDC.
“Our contacts got us the opportunity to make a presentation to senior management,” says Harland Jr. “They liked what they saw and let us compete for a contract, and we won it. Today we provide them with technical personnel, plus copiers and printers, for a segment of their operations, and we were also invited to participate in their mentoring program.”
A great opportunity to grow
The Harlands see the expanding relationship as a great opportunity. “Right now we have eighteen people working at the company, including project managers, administrative assistants, onsite support and software developers,” says Harland Sr. “We anticipate that if we perform well we will continue to be offered opportunities to grow.”
Although the initial copier contract was a drop in the bucket of KCP&L operations, all the utility’s copiers will be up for bid together in two years’ time. “After a competitive bid, eVolv came in with a product and service we needed on short notice and has been successful,” says Berry. “eVolv will have the opportunity to bid for the whole fleet!”
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