About us
The BEAM Difference
BEAM is a nonprofit that strategically sources minority-owned businesses, with an emphasis on creating supply chains and employment for the community.
Our mission is to create generational wealth in the local community through business growth.
BEAM's portfolio companies are Best-in-Class Pittsburgh-based suppliers:
1
Established Businesses
- 3+ years in business, with the capacity to grow
2
Job Creators
- Committed to inclusive growth and hiring other minorities
3
High Potential Leaders
- Who serve high-potential industries
4
Able to Create a Supply Chain of Their Own
- Committed to using minority vendors to grow
5
Strategic and Customer-Oriented
- Resulting from BEAM's business health assessments, rigorous strategic planning, risk management and coaching services
Collaborative approach
Historically, Buyer-Supplier relationships are transactional and at times even adversarial. BEAM is changing the game, by partnering with corporations and suppliers to collaborate for greater success.
According to McKinsey, companies that regularly collaborated with suppliers demonstrated higher growth, lower operating costs, and greater profitability.
*https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/taking-supplier-collaboration-to-the-next-level
Four "core" strategies
Build businesses that match anchors needs
MWDBE business development process
1
Owner
Meet with owner to determine engagement process
2
Leadership team
Meet with leadership team & strategic partners (ie. senior leaders, professional service partners, partial owners, etc.)
3
Strategic planning
Triage current challenges, determine strategic direction, and prioritize objectives
4
Implementation
Begin work with clearly defined outcomes and timeline
5
Measure and adjust
Continuous advising and sustained monitoring as the business begins to achieve results
Our board
Will Allen
Chair / Co-Founder of BEAM
Magarac Venture Partners
Blayre Britton
President
CDI Printing
Robert Cherry
Chief Executive Officer
Partner4Work
Jason Hazelwood
Managing Director
Reed Smith
Majestic Lane
Chief Equity Officer
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
David Malone
Chairman and CEO
Gateway Financial
Tricia Warrick
Vice-Chair / Co-Founder of BEAM
Vistage Worldwide
Shon Yates
Executive Vice President of Energy and Utilities
Ardmore Roderick