By Allison Bruce<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n There hasn\u2019t been a better time for securing government and corporate contracts if your company helps meet diversity requirements, but that doesn\u2019t mean those business owners can sit back and wait for customers to come to them.<\/p>\n Instead, those small business owners need to pursue certification, register as potential suppliers with organizations and companies, and do their research \u2014 on the contracts they are pursuing, on their competitors\u2019 capabilities and on what they can offer to set themselves apart in an increasingly competitive market.<\/p>\n That was some of the advice speakers offered and repeated throughout the day to the roughly 200 people in attendance at the \u201cPower Your Business\u201d supplier diversity conference at Amgen\u2019s conference center in Thousand Oaks on Tuesday. The day, which targeted minority, women, veterans and gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender business owners, covered topics from securing government contracts and corporate business to personal finances.<\/p>\n There are legal requirements in place that drive certain government agencies and corporations to pursue diversity in supplier relationships, but that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n Johnson Controls, which has spent more than $1 billion each year since 2002 with woman- and minority-owned suppliers, pursues diversity because it strengthens the company\u2019s supply base, makes it a good corporate citizen and builds the bottom line, said Lorenzo Bell, supplier diversity manager for the company.<\/p>\n \u201cThe No. 1 reason why we do it is because it makes us money,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we make money, our customers make money and our suppliers make money.\u201d<\/p>\n It also lets the company differentiate itself when it approaches its own customers in the automotive, battery or building efficiency industries, he said.<\/p>\n Corporate representatives said it was important that suppliers have certification that recognizes that they meet the requirements as a minority- or woman-owned business.<\/p>\n For veterans, certification is a more muddled process, which includes certification through Veterans Affairs to handle certain government contracts; through state programs, which aren\u2019t recognized at the federal level; and through the Small Business Administration.<\/p>\n That can be a challenge and a headache, as some attendees noted their own experiences with the lengthy process and dismay at not having a single certification recognized across agencies.<\/p>\n There are efforts, such as a single website that would pull together information from across departments and agencies for veteran entrepreneurs, that might help, said William Elmore, associate administrator for veterans business development for the Small Business Administration.<\/p>\n Being certified as a minority-, woman-, veteran- or LGBT-owned business is a quick way to show that a business meets all of the requirements of that certification, but business owners should take advantage of other resources available through the certifying organizations, such as trade shows, networking and directories, said Candace Waterman, senior director of compliance and alliance relationships for the Women\u2019s Business Enterprise National Council.<\/p>\n \u201cCertification is like a gym membership,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t use it, it\u2019s not going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n Other speakers agreed that the certification is necessary, but it\u2019s not what gets a foot in the door as a supplier. That comes from setting the business apart from the competition, building a relationship with companies and agencies and honing \u2014 and specializing \u2014 a quick pitch on what the company can do based on the demands of the contract.<\/p>\n Diane Esqueda is an account manager with Agnew, a translation agency based in Westlake Village that is WBENC-certified. Esqueda said certification often is the added element needed for the opportunity to bid on an account.<\/p>\n She and other attendees said they were at the conference to learn information that would help their businesses and network with others.<\/p>\n \u201cAmgen is one of our clients, a number of organizations here presenting are our clients and the room is filled with potential clients,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n