Humana Throws the First Pitch Event to Connect Minority-Owned Businesses to Top Humana Suppliers

Humana’s Supplier Diversity Mentor Protégé program connects diverse suppliers with Humana’s Prime Suppliers

The Supplier Diversity Team of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) hosted the First Pitch, a virtual forum where participants from the Humana Mentor Protégé Program had the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to current top 50 prime suppliers.

The event is an extension of Humana’s Supplier Diversity Mentor Protégé Program. Launched in 2019, the program’s goal is to overcome barriers that typically inhibit or restrict the success of minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ-owned, disability-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises by encouraging relationships with various Humana departments and external partners. At Humana, we want our vendors and suppliers to help drive innovation, improve quality, sustain growth, and advance our vision of a world where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. And we strive to attract qualified, certified suppliers who reflect our customers, employees and communities we serve.

The First Pitch gives diverse suppliers from the program’s past and present an opportunity to pitch their business ideas to current Humana top prime suppliers and receive exposure to potential business opportunities and valuable feedback as they continue to grow their businesses. “Humana is proud of the development, exposure and opportunities that have come as a result of the Supplier Diversity Mentor Protégé Program which launched in 2019,” said Holli Turner, Director of Supplier Diversity. “We are equally excited to present a platform that further encourages the utilization of diverse and small businesses with Humana’s Top Prime Spend Suppliers.”

Condrad Daniels, a program participant from HJI Supply Chain Solutions said, “We at HJI Supply Chain Solutions, a proud alumni of the inaugural Humana Mentor Protégé Supplier Program, are proud to participate in the Humana First Pitch event. Humana’s decision to lean into the supplier diversity challenge of equity and opportunity is the only way breakthrough happens. I respect how Humana leans into the audience they want to capture and acknowledges the gap that exists with action, not just words.”

Humana is dedicated to promoting and supporting the growth and development of diverse businesses including minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ-owned, disability-owned, veteran-owned, and small businesses. The company proactively fosters relationships with diverse and small business enterprises because it recognizes the shared benefits of knowledge and expertise that positions Humana and these businesses partners to grow together. Partnerships are critical to drive forward our Supplier Diversity Program, which promotes an inclusive and equitable approach to procurement that ensures we invest our dollars with a balance of partnerships with historically underutilized businesses. Humana is working to increase its diverse supplier base through an inclusive and equitable approach to procurement. In 2021, Humana spent $345 million with diverse suppliers, an almost 9% increase over the previous year. To read more, please visit Humana’s 2021 Impact Report.

Click here to read more about Humana’s Supplier Diversity Program.

About Humana

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

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