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Focus on Women: Susan Hogan Takes PSEG’s Supplier
Diversity Program to Another Level as it Celebrates a Milestone
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By Felicia Persaud
This year marks the 100th year anniversary of the New Jersey-based Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and despite tough economic times, officials in the company’s 20-year-old supplier diversity program office say spending with minority and women-owned suppliers remains a focus of the utility giant.
According to Susan Hogan, PSEG’s supplier development manager, PSEG’s accumulative spend with minority and women-owned businesses over twenty years reached over $1 billion. In 2003 PSEG set MWBE expenditure goals with MWBE suppliers at $100 million. While this is slightly less than the $102 million spent with MWBE supplier in 2002, it reflects a corporate goal of reducing overall supply chain spend by $40 million, while still keeping MWBE spend at the same threshold. PSEG expects to continue its commitment to Supplier Diversity and establish future supplier diversity expenditure goals that are aggressive and in line with its corporate strategy.
“Public Service Enterprise Group is a $26 billion energy services company with a strong, ongoing commitment to diversity – and an aggressive supplier diversity program,” stated Hogan.
A key area of the company’s future diversity plan will be the increase of PSEG’s spending with MWBEs, revealed Hogan in a recent interview with the Caribbean Business Journal, as well as the upgrading of supplier diversity software, the internal training of supplier diversity associates and suppliers and the advancement of supplier diversity strategy across all levels of the supply chain. “A fully diverse vendor base provides a wide-range of perspectives and capabilities, playing a key role in helping PSEG, better serve our customers, strengthened the economy, encouraged job creation and build shareholder equity.” said Hogan, whose experience as a purchasing agent and supplier development manager has taken the MWBE program to a new level. “By providing opportunities to minority and women-owned businesses PSEG expects to gain a competitive advantage.”
The nation’s largest electric and gas utilities company is also focused on continuing MWBE supplier presentations and supporting advocacy organizations in the process, according to Hogan.
But the PSEG manager stresses “As PSEG looks to the future in Supplier Diversity, we continue to focus on the development and increase of business with MWBEs on the first and second- tier levels in line with established and aggressive corporate goals.”
PSEG also partners with local and national minority organizations regularly, in an effort to fulfill its mission of keeping diversity as a hallmark of the company.
On November 14th, PSEG, the New York/New Jersey Minority Purchasing Council-celebrating its 30th anniversary- and Adel Group, together celebrate historic milestones in their respective organizations history and will all join together for a celebratory gala at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.
“In an effort to more fully support the needs of the NY/NJ Minority Purchasing Council, I am honored to join with them to serve as Corporate Co-Chair at this years NY/NJ Minority Purchasing Council’s 2003 Partnership Awards Gala," said Hogan. The Black Tie Gala will take place at the New York Marriott Marquis, New York City. Ms. Rita Rivas, President of Adel Group will act as PSEG’s MBE Co-Chair. The Gala will recognize and honor outstanding minority businesses, key national advocates, and world-class corporate members. For information on the 2003 Partnership Awards Gala contact 212-502-5663 or log on to www.nynjmpc.org.
“The company takes pride in its active tradition of community support, as well as its impressive service record among the nation’s largest electric and gas utilities,” said Hogan. “While PSEG’s size places it in the top half of the Fortune 500, the company remains close to its roots in one of the most diverse and densely populated areas of the nation.”
Additionally, PSEG provides office space at its Newark headquarters to enable the NY/NJ MPC to maintain a direct physical presence in New Jersey. “We are one of the great beneficiaries of the Council’s services and having them close by is a community service to our customers,” added Hogan.
The Fortune 500 Company’s co-sponsorship of the NY/NJ Minority Purchasing Council’s Small Business Academy in 2004, hosted at PSEG, expands supplier competencies and provides ongoing mentoring support. “By growing and developing our diverse supply base PSEG believes that more MWBEs will receive contracts, strengthen their companies and develop skills that will ensure their success,” said Hogan, who herself sits on a number of local and nationally diverse organizations since joining the company in 1991.
Under Hogan’s watch as supplier development manager, PSEG has increased its expenditures with minority and women-owned businesses by 183 percent, and garnered numerous diversity awards.
The company has also hosted a number of MWBE supplier presentation meetings including IT software, printing and design and contractor construction, which they intend to continue in 2004 in an effort to help suppliers compete more effectively in the bidding process. Minority suppliers who have successfully won contracts as PSEG suppliers include Frank Urban, president, Jordan Kane Floors, a maintenance and carpet-cleaning company with an excellent reputation for quality and Oscar Robertson Document Management Services (ORDMS), a copier and services provider presently servicing PSEG in the tri-state area and recipient of PSEG’s 2001 Supplier Excellence Award.
On the 2nd tier level, PSEG continues to have ongoing success with Circle Janitorial Supplies Inc.-which supplies a number of paper products through Boise Cascade to PSEG. “PSEG’s ongoing history and growth in Supplier Diversity is distinguished by strong leadership and associate commitment, quality MWBE suppliers, world-class initiatives and strategies that include PSEG’s Supplier Diversity Council,” says Hogan. “PSEG’s Supplier Diversity Council (SDC) is a dynamic team of diverse individuals who are active stakeholders in the supplier diversity process. The Council has been in operation since 1995 and aggressively seeks out and aligns diverse suppliers with PSEG business needs. The SDC brings together minority and women business owners, key advocacy groups; PSEG associates and supply chain management leaders to assist PSEG in shaping and refining PSEG’s supplier diversity process to a world-class level.”
It is evident that PSEG has come a long way in the last twenty years in its effort to enhance strategic and business partnerships with women and minority companies. If that is any guide for the future, then the next 100 years should bring tremendous benefits to the people and community it serves.
To begin the qualification process and be considered a potential source, visit PSEG’s web site at www.pseg.com/supplierdiversity and complete the company’s questionnaire.
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