Raul Suarez-Rodriguez: Diversity Champion at Merck

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show to everyone in the United States and around the world. Before I thank all these great listening countries, my heart goes out To all of you in the Ukraine, know that we here are thinking about you and praying for you, and you are on our hearts and minds. Which brings me to Kazakhstan, where I was only a few years ago for a week through the State Department. And Veniamin, I'm thinking about you. You're such a great leader and advocate. Cheryl Harris. Oh, Cheryl, Tunisia, and now with the State Department. Cheryl, love you, Cheryl. And Gang Young, South Korea. Gang Young Cho, first person I went to see in South Korea when I was in Asia. I was actually there twice, and he's a wonderful person and a great disability rights advocate, as is Richard Roberts. Who is with not only South Korea, but Okinawa. And I've also been to Indonesia and Japan and to all of you listening, including Nigeria, where I didn't get to go to Nigeria and Tunisia in person, but I did a great program with them because of COVID I could all, you know, not go in person, but I just want to say something. We have listeners in 17 countries, one of which China has a large listening audience, but Mongolia has one person. And you know what, to that one person, you're making a difference. So you make sure you keep spreading the news to other people with disabilities. You know, I am that person, that example of one person One night in a movie theater, one seizure, and you know, look what happened after that. So keep on spreading the news. And then, hey, a special shout out to Yoshiko. Yoshiko Dart, my friend, I love you so much. And Highmark, what a great company. Highmark is such a great company. And they— this show has been on for 18 years. And for many of those years, the lead sponsor has been Highmark, and I love them so much. Well, I want to tell you that when I got ready for the show today, I was smiling, smiling before I even got started. Why? Because I have Raul Suarez Rodriguez on the show, and he knows how much I absolutely love him. Joyce Bender. He is the Director of Global Economic Inclusion and Supplier Diversity at Merck, and he thinks he has the best socks, but he doesn't. I do. And when I go to the Disability:IN conference, I already have all these people in place to come around, check our socks, and of course, wildest socks, hands down. I know I'm gonna win. Raul, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Joyce Bender. I'm just laughing because, you know, that is so true, and I can't wait to get together on our 2022 Disability Inclusion Conference. I can't wait to see you in person. So again, thank you so much for the opportunity. But before I start, I think I want to say happy International Women's Day to every woman that is listening today in the United States and around the world, especially to you, Joyce Bender. I think we need to continue to, you know, advance and accelerate gender equality for a better sustainable tomorrow. So, you know, happy Women's Day.

Thank you. And so to all of you, when I say Raul is such an amazing and special person, 18 years I've been on, 18. He's the only person that's ever said that in 18 years. Because he truly is all about diversity. And you are, Raul, one of my favorites. I know you know that you are. I just love you so much. I couldn't wait to this show today. So I am excited, Raul, that you have become a national disability rights leader. You are a successful, very successful businessman, but you also have your heart and soul in diversity, and that includes people like me, people with disabilities. But I want to start with you. For all of our listeners around the world listening to the show right now, let's start with you, the Rahul story. How did you, you know, where did you grow up? How did you get to where you are today? Let's hear, let's hear about you.

Absolutely, I would be happy to. Like you introduced myself, I am Raul Suarez Rodriguez, and my pronouns are he and him. And I grew up in Cuba. I immigrated. I was pretty much raised, born and raised in Cuba. I immigrated in 1998 to the United States. And, you know, I will tell you, you know, coming from that country over here, the first reaction, actually I was talking to somebody the other day, was about, you know, I was on the plane about to land, And I'm looking down, right, I see a lot of lighting. And, you know, I was reflecting on that. I said, you know what, that was the bright future that was ahead of me at that point in time. But you didn't realize it until you start going into the challenges that you face, right, to continue to navigate coming from another country, not knowing the language, having to go and, you know, get educated first to really get, you know, to be someone, right. You need to go and learn the language. And then after that, you know, going for my degree. So, you know, my family always always, you know, told me that education was critical. So just like I said, coming from there to here, I knew I needed to be someone. And, you know, went and learned English. After that, got into college. Started with a vision of becoming a dentist. And, you know, because that is what I wanted to do when I was in Cuba. But you know what, things change here. And, you know, it was challenging, many, there were challenging Challenges along the way, but, you know, through the help of mentors and people that was working at a restaurant and the owners said, "You know, you have potential for business." And that made me realize that maybe I needed to do a switch. And that's how I switched from, you know, going to medical school in a way to, you know, to go to business. And I went to school, you know, have a conversation with my advisors and definitely I was able to switch majors and, you know, and have my associate's, then I got my bachelor's, and then my MBA. And, you know, it was through my associate's degree when I got an opportunity to really have my first corporate America job, which is assistant store manager at a Kmart store. You remember those, Joyce?

I do.

I remember. There are a few Kmarts out there, but yes. I remember. Right here, right now, the blue light special. And then, you know, that was the company that, that was the company that really got me to, you know, to expand, you know, into corporate America. So I got into there, then CVS Health was joining the market in Florida where I was residing at the time. And, you know, I got an opportunity to transition from Kmart to become a store manager at CVS. So while being a store manager at CVS, I had an opportunity to do an internship with P&G, with Procter Gamble, and, you know, that experience was amazing. And after that experience, I came back and said to my leadership, I do want to go to work for the CVS, you know, company headquarters. And, you know, I never forget this. The district manager told me, you really want to go to Woonsocket? You know, I didn't pay no mind to it, and I said, whatever it takes, right? If that's what I wanted to do, I was going for it. And a year or almost 2 years after that, I got the opportunity to relocate from the Florida market to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where I got to start working in operations. And then from operations, I joined, transitioned to supplier diversity, which is the work that I do today, not with CVS, but for Merck. And it was through my experience where I was able to transition from that operational role to that supplier diversity role. And I say that experience is because when I came from that very diverse community in Florida and went to Rhode Island, I totally was challenged by, you know, the, the, the lack of diversity, the lack of inclusion. And because I related to that, I expressed that I really want to be part of the movement, not necessarily become, you know, a problem. So I just wanted to continue to advance what I was facing myself because at times I felt discriminated. I felt like I didn't belong and I needed to change that. And, you know, that's how I got to, you know, be part of, you know, Supplier Diversity. And I have been doing— believe it or not, Joyce, I have been in Supplier Diversity almost a decade. I'm going to be celebrating my 10th anniversary in July. How about that?

Wow, that's great, Raul. Congratulations. You know, and for any young person listening to the show, I hope you heard all of this because Raul is very successful today, a very successful executive, and he speaks at conferences and, you know, magazine covers. And I mean, he's just very successful. But did you notice he was willing to start at Kmart, a retail, as if you had a chance to start at Target? See, it's all about your desire and quench. To move up and to improve yourself. And everyone has to start somewhere. But look, look, you know, and the same thing. Did you hear about when he'd have to move? None of this, oh, I don't know if I'll go there. I don't know if I'm going to be— he went. See, that's the thing, initiative and flexibility. You know, look at him.

I would, I would I would add drive and determination, right? You have to have that drive to really, you know, push yourself to, to, to do the extra and be determined, because if you're not, then you will not succeed. And, you know, I think that's, that's important as, as, you know, those listeners, they're trying to, you know, look forward. I think that's a way to— and then, you know, always stay positive and be focused.

Oh, I agree 100%. But like, you're that example of a role model that did everything you're saying. And I have to ask you, Raul, how many Cuban restaurants were there in Rhode Island?

I, I found one that— you know, you are so close. And, um, yeah, and then, um, it closed. And then when we went there, actually, I got family that came and, um, to visit, and I took them there. And, you know, That was an authentic Cuban.

Oh yeah, I bet that was really authentic Cuban. You know, when we go to— where is it, Dallas? You better know, better find out where we can go get a little appetizer because I love Cuban food. So, you know, you're going to be in charge of that, Raul. That's going to be your job to find that out. Where are you?

I have homework to do.

You have— yes, get out that computer, go to Google. When you order your socks, when you order your socks, you find this out.

Oh no, I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready. So I'm ready for the challenge.

Begin. Let that challenge begin. So Raul, uh, where are you now? Where, where do you live now?

So I'm, I'm based in Fort Myers, Florida.

Boy, quite a difference, huh?

Absolutely, yes. I went from then when I moved to Rhode Island, I got out of Rhode Island for this role at Merck, and then I went to New Jersey and then Pennsylvania, Easton, PA. And then during the pandemic, I got some challenges with the family, so I got an opportunity to come down here, and I'm now working remotely from home.

Oh, that's good. That's good. Well, that is one thing that has changed the world of work. It is amazing how that changed with the pandemic, isn't it?

Absolutely. It has definitely changed the way, you know, organizations are looking at how to manage talent and how to really, you know, work, you know, on a remote environment, right? It's different, but, you know, I believe it's important, you know, is allowing organizations to actually expand the diversity and inclusion efforts because now, you know, if you, if you value those that are working remotely, you actually can get talent, right, that is diverse and can bring the value to the table in terms of what they're looking for.

Yeah, yeah, that is so true. So, Raul, how about if you tell everyone about your role at Merck, what you do, and it is a big job.

Absolutely. Thank you, Joyce Bender. So, so at Merck, I lead the Global Economic Inclusion and Supply Diversity Program. So what is that in a nutshell? So we are— my program is at the epicenter of our procurement practices. We are creating economic opportunities for the underrepresented communities by procuring products and services from women, LGBT, minority, service-disabled veterans, veteran and disability-owned businesses. When we do that, we are creating a circle of inclusion where we're impacting lives. We're job creators as we provide opportunities for the diverse supplier community. You know, and I'm proud to be leading this program since 2018 when I came over from CVS. So we pretty much are here to equip, empower, and educate each of our procurement organizations to ensure that they are including those suppliers, right, in our procurement activities. If the suppliers don't get included, then opportunities won't be available for them. So that's pretty much in a nutshell what I do. Others would ask me, so what does that mean? I say, well, I'm an advocate and an influencer. I'm advocating on behalf of all the diverse suppliers that, you know, we support. And at the same time, internally, I'm influencing because I need to make sure that we bring to the table the value that diverse suppliers, you know, bring to, you know, bring to their organizations like Merck, right? So that's pretty much the job that I do today that, you know, I'm really passionate about. I love what I do and I know you could tell that, Joyce Bender, because you know me. But, you know, it's just— so rewarding to see, you know, when you provide these opportunities, the impact that we drive to the supplier, to the supplier's employees, and to the communities and the society in which this, you know, this supplies operate, right? And that's the beautiful part about that. And not only that, it's just like personally I can relate to that, right? If you heard my story, you really understand that You know, I went through those challenges, so I can relate to what, you know, Supplier A or Supplier B is going through in order for them to really, you know, get their business going. So I really put my heart in what I do, and I think, you know, this program is amazing.

Yes, and you work on a global basis, right? Raul, you work globally?

That is correct. That is correct. So our company operates in the United States, and we're known as Merck. And outside the United States and Canada, we're known as MSD. We're about, you know, 130-year-old company, and we operate in many countries around the world. We actually have presence, you know, in Canada, Puerto Rico, Latin America, the EMEA region and the JCAP region. So we definitely, you know, have a global footprint on this work that I do, right, which is providing economic opportunities for the underrepresented suppliers.

And Raul, to that, could you tell our listeners more about Merck? You know, Merck is an absolutely great company that I've always felt so highly of, especially from when I read Good to Great by Jim Collins. But could you tell our listeners what does Merck do? And you've already given them a good idea that you're large, but like what lines of business? What, what is Merck? What does Merck do?

Yeah, absolutely. So as I said, we are 130, 130-year-old company. We're known as Merck in the United States and Canada, and outside that we're We're known as MSD. And what we do, we are, our mission is to save and improve lives. What we're doing is we're inventing for life. We're bringing forward medicines and vaccines for the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of saving those lives. We demonstrate our commitment to our patients and population health by increasing access to healthcare and, you know, enriching policies and programs and partnerships to really allow us to do that. We continue to be at the forefront of research preventing, you know, diseases that are threatening people and animals because we do have an animal health division. I think, you know, many people don't know, but yes, Merck also has, you know, we have a human health division and an animal health division. That includes, you know, supporting cancer, infectious diseases, just as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases. And we aspire to be the premier intensive, research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. So that pretty much in a nutshell, you know, what we do, Joyce, as a company.

And a great company. How does it feel, Raul, to work at a company where you know you are saving lives?

Well, it feels amazing. It feels so rewarding because, you know, it's a company that, you know, as you heard me say, We know and believe that we have an important role, right, to really be responsible to improve that access to medicine and vaccine by improving the quality of the health of the people that we serve, right? So, not only our employees, right, but our partners, our suppliers, which is the work that I do. And, you know, I'm really proud to be a part of this organization because, you know, we also have a program, you know, for helping helping patients to access, you know, medications. We have patient engagement. We have, you know, diversity in clinical trials. So, you know, all around it is an amazing company, which is true to its purpose of, you know, improving and saving lives.

Yeah, that is so great to work someplace, isn't it, where, you know, you're making a difference and a big difference. Now, like, how many employees approximately does Merck have, Raul?

Yeah, we have about 70,000 employees around the world.

Wow. Yep. Yeah, well, I know you are one of the big pharmas, as I said, that I think so highly of. I wanted to mention something to that note. In 1987, and this is again Good to Great by Jim Collins. Merck made a decision to donate met— metizen. Is that how you pronounce it, Raul?

Metizen. Yep.

Yeah. To all people in Africa to prevent river blindness. Now, to me, this was an absolutely amazing company donation because it is forever. And as I said, it was discussed in the book Good to Great. Really, that is what I remember about Merck. That's what I've always remembered about Merck way back. I mean, even before I met you, this is why I always thought, wow, this is a great company, because they didn't have to do that. It certainly wasn't to make money. And you know what? It saved people from being blind. So, you know, that's just like the soul or spirit or something of this, uh, company. Why do you think that is, uh, Raul? Why do you think Merck is like that?

Well, it's just, it's just because, you know, I have to go back to our founder, right? So where he said, and, and I quote, medicine is for the people, and if we never forget that, um, medicine is for the people and not for the profit, and if we never forget that the profits will follow. So I think that's the foundation of who we are as an organization, right? And because of that, it's why we put such, such of those great programs together, like the one that you just mentioned, Joyce Bender, the Mectizan donation program, that to your point, it has been going for the last over 30 years, right? And we committed to donate as much as needed for as long as needed to help with eliminating the river blindness that affected Africa, Latin America,. And then we expanded that for LF. And, you know, I can share that we had over 3.4 billion total treatments donated, reaching over 300 million people annually in 48 countries. So amazing program that we continue to do. And that is how we showcase our, you know, our social responsibility in a way, right? We care for We care for the people.

And that is amazing. That is really amazing and wonderful because, you know, you love, you love a company. You know, when a company says we care about people and they do something like this and, you know, wow, they mean it. They really do care about people. Look what they're doing. I mean, to me, that is such a big thing. Now, do you attribute this spirit of, I'll say, servitude or generosity at Merck to the founders? And if so, how do you think that has perpetuated and continued on the way it has?

Well, I think it's embedded on how we do business and how we operate, right? And it comes from, to your point, it comes from those founders, right? You know, And that's in the forefront of everything that we do, right? Because we have that legacy of invention that, you know, began, you know, years ago, right, when the company— when the company was, you know, created. So, you know, it is. It is part of— it's part of who we are. It's in our DNA.

Well, what a great DNA to have, huh? That's something you can always be proud of when you work at a company and they do something like that. I mean, it's just— really special. And I'm sure that even the people that work there in leadership roles have that same attitude. As you said, it's embedded in the DNA.

Absolutely, absolutely it is. And we have, you know, this is not the only program that we have, Joyce. We also have a program that is Merck for Mothers, which is, you know, helping, you know, helping, you know, mothers— my God, I have a twisted tongue right now— which, you know, which is, you know, giving, you know, access to women to have safer pregnancies and delivery. So, you know, it has to reduce maternal mortality worldwide. So we have around the globe, so, you know, it is about 500 million initiatives you know, that has been going in 48 countries as well, with over 160 partners that we are working with, you know, around the globe. And then, you know, it is about over 10 million women that we have reached through the Map for Mothers program, right. So we really, you know, that shows that we really care from that moment, right. So, yeah, that is another amazing program that we have with Map for Mothers.

Well, that is wonderful. Um, okay, well, hey, it's on the half hour, and every half hour we have our news break with Perry Jude Radesik, who by the way is the CEO of Disability Rights Pennsylvania, which I'm so honored to be on the board of, but is also my newscaster on what's going on in the world of disability today. So Perry, welcome to the show. What, what news do you have for us today?

The conversation we had last week and hone in more on COVID-19 and employment accommodations, particularly remote work. And really, it was 2 years ago that businesses were forced to turn to remote work to maintain operations. And so remote work or telework was an accommodation some people with disabilities had requested prior to the pandemic. But were often denied due to outdated thinking on the part of many managers related to productivity. I think the pandemic showed that many— showed many businesses that remote workers are just as productive, if not more so, working from home. So here we are, pandemic restrictions have eased, employers are asking their employees to report back to the office. So what is the current state of remote work and accommodations related to COVID-19? Well, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued guidance to employers on jobs that may only be performed at the workplace. If you want to look at this guidance, go to disabilityrightspa.org and click on today's advocacy matters segment. We have that guidance for you. In that guidance, the EEOC states that there may be reasonable accommodations that could offer protections to an individual whose disability puts that person at risk from COVID-19 and who therefore requests such actions to eliminate possible exposure. So navigating reasonable accommodations in the workplace can be hard. If you are in the position now of having to report to work but are worried about your disability,— and possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, the best thing to do is to reach out to one of the 57 protection and advocacy agencies across the U.S. They're organizations just like us at Disability Rights Pennsylvania. Their lawyers would be happy to review the current guidance from the EEOC, look at the Americans with Disabilities Act, and discuss your specific circumstances. So, it is possible, Joyce, to get a reasonable accommodation to continue remote work, but just like any accommodations request, employers are going to ask questions to determine if you meet the definition of a disability under the ADA and discuss how the requested accommodation would assist you to keep working. So, again, if you think you need an accommodation related to returning to work, refer to these fact sheets by the EEOC and call the P&A in your state for more information. So visit disabilityrightspa.org and you'll get links to everything we talked about today.

Thank you so much, uh, Perry, because that was one of the questions that I had asked you about. What happens if, uh, you know, you have now a disability from COVID and due to anxiety or mental health issue cannot go back. So, I guess in that case, you need to get an accommodation from your doctor to talk to them about.

You would have to engage in the interactive process with your employer and make sure you qualify under the definition of disability under the ADA and start that interactive process with the employer.

All right. That's good advice. And once again, Go to disabilityrightspa.org to advocacy matters to read that in more detail. And Perry, thank you so much for that update.

Hey, thanks, Joyce. We'll talk to you next week.

All right. So, Raul, now your, your career, you went in different areas, but you ended up in supplier diversity, you know, Was it your background that caused you to be so interested in this? You know, as you were saying, what you went through in your life from Cuba to coming to the United States, what was that it? Or, you know, what, what, what made you so interested in this?

Actually, it is interesting, Joyce Bender. So we, like I said, I went to, from Miami to Rhode Island, right? So I faced that cultural shock as I transitioned. At the time, a mutual friend of ours, David Casey, was just joining CBS Health as the Chief Diversity Officer. And I will never forget, it was February of 2011 when he was presenting during the Black History Month, and he projected what his vision was in regards to the D, diversity, equity, and inclusion program for, for CBS. I connected really well to what he was saying, right? So I took it upon me to really start having a conversation because I really want to, because I was facing what I was facing as being a different person, right, through the challenges of the relocation, of the culture shock. That I said, you know what, I connected so well with him, I need to be, you know, part of that movement. I need to be part of that solution, right? And I went to the you know, each organization has the affinity groups. You know, many call them ERGs. Others, like us here at Merck, we call them Employee Business Resource Group. And I connected with the Latino Portuguese networking group. And, you know, within that, I, you know, I created a network of individuals, right? And I started sharing how his presentation impacted me, and I wanted to be part of the ENI. And, you know, through the conversations and, you know, and connections, I was tapping a shoulder once and say, "Hey, Raul, I know you want to be part of D&I. However, this— there's a role available. However, the role is in supply diversity." Joyce Bender, I tell you, I didn't know what supply diversity was, but that was the case. So I— he said to me, that individual said, "Check the role and see if you would like to pursue." And take— and if you are, move forward because, you know, with your passion on what you want to do, you really, you know, you'll be good for this. And I went for the role and I got the role in 2012, and that's when I started in the supply diversity space. You know, I was transitioning from operations and then going into procurement. Even though I didn't have a lot of procurement background, however, I think having that operational mentality allows you to really operationalize what you're trying to do in procurement, right? In procurement, you're trying to make sure that you are driving that inclusion, you're driving cost savings, etc., etc., right? So, but having that connection and the network that I was bringing from my other roles really allowed me to fit really well within, within Supplier Diversity. And the moment I started, I started to, realize the impact that the function was doing for the community, that did it for me, right? It was just like perfect, perfect match. And also having a great, having a great leader, right? Monette Napig, which is the person that actually hired me. She took a chance on me. I recently made a post about this on LinkedIn. I was watching a post from the TEDx conferences, and there was a click about someone that was really looking at a resume. Is a resume everything to it, right? And sometimes it's not, right? And you could have two candidates with the same type of, you know, skill sets and requirements for the job, and, you know, you start looking at what you typically look, right? The degree, what university do you want to, and then, you know, you don't take chances on people, you know, that may have the right skill set, not necessarily experience, and you need to go outside the four walls to really get to hire the right individual. I think she did that, and, you know, I applaud her for doing that. And, you know, she taught me well, and I'm excited. I consider her a mentor and excited that she gave me that opportunity because, look, you know, as you go along in your journey, I think you need to appreciate those that are there for you, both on a mentor in a sponsor capacity because definitely, you know, those are the ones that are going to, you know, help you, you know, grow professionally. And that's what happened to me. I have been fortunate as well to have people along the way that had provided me that opportunity to, to continue to grow.

Wow, Raul, you know what? I could use little, little sound bites or little segments of this show for the Bender Leadership Academy for young people with disabilities when we're trying to teach them about the world of work, your middle name should be initiative, although it could also be determination. Because now, here's another example. You heard David Casey speak, and what do you do? Oh, I'm interested in this. I'm going to go. I'm going to do this. I'm going to get to that ERG group. See, what I'm trying to tell all of you listening, he didn't wait. For someone to one day walk in and say, "Hey, why don't you do this, Roel? That's how you can get into diversity." Now, he did it. And that's what everyone has to remember. Initiative is doing something without being asked. And no wonder you've been so successful, Roel, with that passion and drive and determination you have. It is no surprise to me. That you are so successful, and you can be very proud of what you did from coming to this country, from Kmart to right now. That's why you're where you are.

I love that. I love that. Kmart to right now. Well, look where you are now. I'm gonna use it. No, no, no, no, definitely. No, no, it sounded, it sounded good.

Yep, yep. Well, You know, I had the great pleasure and blessing of meeting Raúl at Disability:IN. And I still remember one of those conferences where this man comes up to me and says, "You don't remember me, do you?" Like, this is the worst thing anyone can ask you. "You don't remember me. You don't know who I am." And it was Raúl. And we became friends and we, you know, got closer friends and we've been friends and I'm just so lucky and blessed to know him. But Raul, Disability:IN, you're so involved with that organization. Tell us what you think about Disability:IN and how you believe they are making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

They are definitely making a, you know, changing and making a difference in life for people with disabilities. Absolutely. Because, you know, when I look at Disability:IN, they look at everybody, right? They look at the next-gen talent that they are trying to promote and equip and get ready to jump into the workforce and looking at the supplier side of the house, right? So I am so proud to say that, you know, I started with Disability:IN pretty much early on as soon as I joined Supplier Diversity Joyce Bender because, you know, it was an underrepresented group of suppliers that were not being taken in consideration, you know, as, you know, as it needs to be, right? Because, you know, we need to make sure that, you know, we drive equality on what we do. And, you know, I think, you know, that was one of the kickers for me where I said, well, why we're not, covering this community? What is it that, you know, we're not doing business? And then that's how I joined Disability IN to really, again, be part of that movement. And I joined the Procurement Council. So I have been leading the Procurement Council for more than 5 years now, you know, which is part of their Disability Supplier Diversity Program, which is, again, is getting— they do certify suppliers to really validate that their business is managed, operated by a person with a disability, which is really important for us because again, we want to make sure that our data has integrity. And by partnering with an organization like Disability:IN, it provides us a peace of mind that suppliers that we are doing business with that are people with disabilities or any other diversity category that, you know, they have been vetted. And we love the site visits that Disability:IN does. So it's a validation that really matters for many reasons, right? And I'm proud that, you know, in the last 5 years we have tripled the numbers of disability-owned businesses that have been certified by Disability:IN because what is that doing is we're making a bigger pool of suppliers that may have better opportunities to do business with organizations like Merck or any other organization that is a member of Disability:IN. Also Disability:IN brings programming, you know, not only they do certify that validéis that your business is certified as a DOBE, as a disability-owned business enterprise, but also they're putting development opportunities for DOBEs to ensure that, you know, they're ready to do business with an organization like Merck, right? And that's what I like, you know, about them the most. It's just like they're there to support the community and ensuring that, you know, Everybody have equity, but also equity and equality, right? Equity in a way that everybody has the same resources really, you know, accomplish what they're trying to accomplish, and equality that everybody's being treated, you know, fair along the way. So, and that's one of the things that disability does really well.

Yeah, and Disability-Owned Business Enterprises You know, you were— you mentioned that, Raul. I know how important you believe they are. I was the first disability-owned business enterprise. I cannot believe what has happened, because when I started, I mean, we're talking like 10, 20 people. I mean, when it got to 50, it was like, wow, 50. And now look at it today. It is amazing how that program has grown. And Raul, for people listening to the show right now with disabilities that, you know, are entrepreneurs but are not yet certified, could you just talk for a minute about why it's important to be certified and what can happen then when you meet people at the conference?

Absolutely, yes. So it is important if your business plan is to expand your business with Fortune 500 organizations that are committed to do business with diverse suppliers including disability-owned businesses, I think it's really important because I think I was, you know, alluding to this a little bit earlier is provides organizations like ours that peace of mind that you are who you are. But it's not only that. You also, you know, by becoming certified, you have access to many other organizations that you may not have access to today, right? Because I believe Disability:IN has more than 100 corporates that are members of their community. By doing so, They provide you— that certification will provide you that vehicle to really be part of and get access to this organization. Also, as you heard me said, there's development opportunities, right? And I think I will use what you just said about me, Joyce Bender, is like initiative. You know, yes, you want to get certified, but don't think that because you're getting certified you're going to get, you know, everything done the next day. It does take time, right, because, you know, you have to ensure that you have the right capabilities, that you are meeting with the right individual for those organizations that are members of Disability:IN, and it has to be a match between what the business is looking for and what the capabilities of the Dolby is, right. And if that happens, definitely you have an opportunity to do business with that organization. But, you know, use that as a marketing tool to really expand your business opportunities across whatever areas you do support as a business. And I think that's why it's important because it gives you access. It's a marketing tool. It provides you development opportunities as a business owner or as your business, as other individuals that work under you. And I think that's why I will say it's important to be certified by Disability:IN.

Yes, I agree. And you know, you can't— you have to reach out to them. Once again, initiative. But you got to go to these conferences because that's the only way you're going to meet everyone. You know, when you go to the conference, you meet someone like Raul or David Casey or Regina Hayward, you know, or Nedra Dixon, whomever it is. From all these huge Fortune 500 companies, you're not going to meet them if you aren't there. And as Raul said, and I want to tell you, it's not that you walk in and meet someone and— what's my favorite thing? Sign the contract.

Sign the contract. It's not.

It's not that you walk in and this immediately happens. I'm really glad Raul said that because, you know, First of all, they have to have a need, and you have to have the ability to deliver. But you've got to get to know them, you know. I mean, they don't know you. It's— it can happen immediately, but there are times that, you know, it doesn't happen immediately, and you have to be patient, and you have to just work it. I don't know if you know this, Raul, but I am now the master mentor, and I've been having these sessions Joe Houghton asked me to do this with the Dobies, and so we have our last session that will be coming up and one in before the conference. And one of the things I tell people, what I talk about is preparation, being prepared, you know, knowing who you want to meet, knowing the people, knowing about the company. Go to LinkedIn, read about everyone. But. Don't go in with this attitude of, okay, like, when are you going to get back to me? I mean, when am I going to know? I mean, how fast am I going to know? You have to be patient. I mean, am I right about that, Raul?

Absolutely. You have to be patient, persistent, and professional, right? The 3 Ps. And I think it's just important that you're patient because procurement, you know, procurement works, you know, each corporation is different, but, you know, we don't procure products every day or services every day because we probably have a contract already in place. So we have to wait for that contract to go out to renewal in order for us to issue a new RFP where is that when the corporation can get you invited so you could actually, you know, be included and eventually win the business, right? So you have to understand the cycle and the process. But those are the type of questions, talk about preparedness like that you said, right? Joyce Bender, that's what you need. You need to come prepared to target your corporation depending on what your business is and what your business do. You need to come and say, "Hey, this conference I'm going to target 3 corporations." Because, you know, you want to make sure that you know them well, right? And then next year, okay, 2 out of the 3 didn't work out, but I'm going to add 3 more to the list. Have a strategy in place to really start getting connected, and the question that you ask to us is, When is your, you know, next RFP? When should I follow up with you? This is critical. Joyce, you know, you know this because I think I told you before, only 2 out of 10 suppliers will follow up after they connect. You know, you need to follow up. If you don't follow up, again, you know, we have a lot of stuff that we are working in internally, so we may forget. But if you ask the person like me, hey, is it okay to follow up? Every quarter? Is it okay to, you know, semi-annually depending on what the, you know, what you want to follow up on? Is it 6 months? You know, you ask that question and we'll be fine to tell you. Because, you know, it's our intent to ensure that we are, that we have an inclusive supply chain. By doing so, it's just like we need you to be ready. And but, you know, you have to be persistent and patient. Absolutely.

And I wanted to tell you something, everyone, that Raul did. He had me come in and speak to his suppliers about eye disability, which I thought was such like a really great idea of how to make this happen. No matter who the doobie is, even if at this present time you don't have an opportunity, You know, you could still help the Adobe by doing something like that, which I have shared this with other people because Raul was the first person that thought to do it. And I think it is really a great way to get that, you know, to expand out. But once again, patience. What is this? Patience. Persistence.

Professionalism. Professionalism. Professional.

Yeah, I like those 3. I like that. That says it all right there. Well, Raul, before we end the show here today, I wanted to ask you, who is your role model? Because it's obvious you have great drive and passion. Who is your role model?

Well, I think, you know, it's my mom without a doubt. So, and again, you know, happy International Day Month if you're listening. So she, you know, I think I get something from her. So she was the youngest of the 6 kids. And my grandfather, who I did not get the pleasure to meet, he, you know, he was a pharmacist. And they have a little small pharmacy in the town that they lived in Cuba. And then, again, being the youngest of the 6, so she really got attached to my grandfather. And now, being a pharmacist, you know, He would get her to go to work with her every day, and she was engaged in there. And she could not afford the university or going to school at that point, but it was a point that for working individuals there is programming. And she wanted to be a doctor, right? And he definitely encouraged her that, you know, you could do it. And if this program is available to you, you definitely can do it. And guess what? My mom went there. She was 28 when she got to medical school and she became a physician in Cuba. And, you know, that says a lot, right? And, you know, she's one of the ones that said, you know, education is important. You have to. And then she did it, I can do it too. And, you know, she definitely has— she definitely is my role model.

Well, what a great role model. And you know what, first thing I thought of, your grandfather was a pharmacist. Now look what you do. You work for a farm.

Absolutely, yeah, there's definitely, there's definitely—

isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing when you think about it? Well, Raul, before we leave today, and thank you so much for being with us, you know how much I love you, thank you, and thank you for caring about people with disabilities. What message do you have for our listeners today?

Yeah, I think we have covered a lot, Joyce. I think, you know, I love those those 3 things that I, that I said about persistence, professionalism, you know, and, and, oh my goodness, we are, we are missing one of the Ps. But in addition, in addition to, in addition to that, it is just like whatever it is, you know, go forward.

Persistence.

Stay focused.

Persistence, patience, professionalism.

Absolutely persistent. Yes. So absolutely, you know, those things are important. And again, I think, you know, one of the key messages today is take initiative, take charge, you know, and be determined to go for it. And if you fail, fail fast, but, you know, give it a try because you never know, right? I came to the World Supply Diversity not knowing what it was going to be for me. And look at me. You know, I'm going to be 10 years in the field, right? So I think that's what I would, I would say to listeners today. And again, if you are Adobe and you're listening and you want to do, you know, business with a large corporation, ensure that you are looking at who the people are in that organization that you need to be connected with, right? Ensure that you understand the performance on that company because, you know, sometimes We get suppliers that come and they don't even know what their organization is. You need to learn that company, the performance of the company, what is the company all about, right? And we talked a lot about that today. I think we also need to understand, you know, the processes. I think it's important for DOE or any suppliers to really understand how the process works because that's how you can align to, you know, that process and ensure that you're ready for when that comes. And then another one would be the pipeline, right? So you need to understand how the organization is moving in order for you to not only understand the process but align to that pipeline, right? Because I think it's important that as a business leader you understand that in order for you to be, you know, to be a supplier of that supplier and, you know, drive that forward. So, and be open for any type of opportunities, right? As Joyce Bender said, there's tremendous amount of opportunities to work as a second-tier supplier, right? This is a supplier to Merck, right? So we have a relationship with Supplier A, and that Supplier A is going to need to subcontract some of the services to support us. So within that, we can influence that Supplier A to really do utilize suppliers on behalf of us because they hold the main contract. So, and there's nothing wrong to do business as a second-tier supplier because guess what? What that's going to do to you is going to get you ready to become a supplier, a Tier 1 supplier.

Oh, that is— yes, that is such, such great advice. Such great advice. Well, Raul, we end every show with a quote, and you're going to love this. I know you are. The man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything, said Teddy Roosevelt. President Teddy Roosevelt. Uh, thank you, Raul. I know we have to go because the show has come to an end, uh, but please tell everyone about this show and have them listen to it again and again. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific Time and 2 PM Eastern Time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.