Bill Grize, CEO of Stop & Shop, knew he had a problem and he wanted to fix it. His $6 billion company was a purchasing powerhouse and yet it only did a relatively small amount of business with entrepreneurs of color. Despite his personal belief that diversifying the company's supplier base not only was the right thing to do, but also was good business, Bill knew that Stop & Shop did not reflect this view in its business practices. Compounding the problem were hundreds of buyers making thousands of independent purchasing decisions with little regard for such corporate issues as "supplier diversity." Making changes that would make a difference would not be easy, but then Bill had not become CEO of Stop & Shop by shying away from tough issues.

So when The Business Collaborative called its first meeting of prospective members, Bill was there. When TBC held its first meeting at Stop & Shop, Bill was there. From the beginning, Bill's support of TBC had been strong and enthusiastic. Fortunately so, since one of the first pieces of advice that TBC gave Bill was that his initial approach to addressing this issue was a recipe for disaster. Bill's first instinct had been to select one of the company's fast-tracking African American managers in which he had confidence and give him the responsibility for supplier diversity, as well as employment diversity, and back him 100%. TBC pointed out to Bill that although admirable in its intentions, without additional staff support and the proper systems in place, this approach would not only de-rail his manager, but also prove to be ineffective. If opening up access to Stop & Shop for entrepreneurs of color was his goal, then a better, more comprehensive approach was required.

It did not take Bill long to re-group. He focused on putting the necessary reporting systems in place, building on existing relationships with entrepreneurs of color and solicited advice and assistance from other sister supermarkets in the $40 billion AHOLD USA corporate family. As a result of his leadership, Stop & Shop hosted AHOLD USA's first Supplier Diversity Synergy Initiative, the first comprehensive step in creating greater access for entrepreneurs of color.

Locally, Stop & Shop and TBC are exploring ways to have an impact with entrepreneurs of color close to home. Says Bill, "Although our primary business is distributing food, Stop & Shop is growing and with growth comes opportunities for being more inclusive. I believe in the work that TBC is doing. I look forward to working with TBC to create more opportunities, improve access and to make a difference."