4 Ways Your Organization Wins When You Work with Women-Owned Businesses

Does anything strike you about the photo above? (Other than the fact that everyone seems to be having a marvelous time?) The image captures one of the many unique and distinguishing qualities that sets The DRG apart within the marketing research and consulting industry. Women make up 75% of The DRG’s leadership team. In fact, we are WBENC-certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

So what does that mean? A lot.

The certification process is rigorous and it indicates an organization is at least 51% owned, controlled, and managed by women. And that offers some big advantages to companies who do business with us and the other 16,000+ WBENC-certified organizations across the U.S.

1. Putting DEI Into Practice

At a time when there is growing emphasis across the board on diversity, equity, and inclusion, working with women-owned businesses is a chance to “walk the walk.” Customers care more than ever about who a company does business with. In fact, according to an August 2020 article by the Harvard Business Review, some companies like UPS, Target, and Coca-Cola have established supplier diversity programs which “can be part of a company’s efforts to maintain high moral and ethical standards.”

2. Meeting Expectations, Broadening Value

A study by The Hackett Group found that diverse suppliers “broaden value.” Their research discovered that when it comes to performance, 23% of diverse suppliers exceed expectations and 76% meet expectations. The study concludes that “the research challenges the attitude of many business leaders who worry that dedicating resources to supplier diversity will divert attention from other strategic activities.”

(Read the press release announcing The DRG’s achievement of WBENC certification)

3. Hiring & Employee Satisfaction

A commitment to working with diverse suppliers can be a selling point in employee recruitment and retention. As the labor shortage impacts so many sectors, this is one more tool available to companies to demonstrate to workers and job candidates that the organization puts value on diversity across the board.

4. Driving Economic Growth

In a State of Women-Owned Business Report commissioned by American Express, the analysis concludes that “women-owned businesses are driving economic growth in the United States.” It goes on to say that “organizations that help women succeed contribute to not only their own success, but to the flourishing of individual businesses and to the economy overall.” In other words, it’s a way to be a part of something bigger.

Together over the last two-plus decades, they have been influencing the success of the marketing research and consultancy efforts of the entire team.

Lanie Johnson, President, Chief Executive Officer

Shelley Ahrens, Chief Customer Officer, Senior Vice President

Nicola Riggleman, Vice President, Business Development

The other essential member of The DRG’s leadership is Ron Rawski who joins his colleagues in supporting the diversity exemplified by the WBENC certification.

Ron Rawski, Chief Information Officer, Senior Vice President

So while The DRG is a woman-owned business, it’s just one of the many factors that sets us apart from our peers in the industry. What really defines us is excellence in serving clients who want to find the deeper meaning behind the data, to make it actionable for strategic decision-making, and ensure it drives success.

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