Breaking Barriers, Building a Hire Ground – Episode 131: The Importance of Economic Inclusion with Johnny Howze at Southern Company

“The more diverse the decision-making body is, the more factors you can get into the decision.” – Johnny Howze III

Johnny Howze III is the Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Southern Company, an energy company that produces clean, safe, and affordable energy for its 9 million customers. Johnny’s responsibilities include overseeing operational functions and power delivery. He has over 20 years of experience in plant operations and leadership positions, including running various coal-fired power plants that served millions of customers.

Johnny joins us today to discuss why he prefers the term “economic inclusion” over “supplier diversity.” He divulges Southern Company’s efforts in helping small businesses work with them, especially regarding the services they will need in the future. He explains his economic takeaways from the pandemic and why a diverse team allows for better decision-making. Johnny also dispels the myth of the costs associated with working with small businesses.

This week on Breaking Barriers:

• What Southern Company provides
• Johnny’s role at Southern Company
• Southern Company’s Net Zero Plan by 2050
• The company’s beliefs on nuclear energy generation
• The goods and services diverse listeners should provide in the future
• How they make sure they have a diverse supply base
• The economic disparities in America and the wealth gap unearthed by the pandemic
• Involving everyone in the future of energy
• Having a diverse team when it comes to making the right leadership decisions
• Why Johnny prefers the term “economic inclusion” over “supplier diversity”
• Dispelling the myth about diverse suppliers being more expensive
• Johnny’s advice to small businesses interested in working with large corporations

Connect with Johnny Howze III:

• Southern Company
• Johnny Howze III on LinkedIn

This podcast is brought to you by Hire Ground

Hire Ground is a technology company whose mission is to bridge the wealth gap through access to procurement opportunities. Hire Ground is making the enterprise ecosystem more viable, profitable, and competitive by clearing the path for minority-led, women-led, LGBT-led, and veteran-led small businesses to contribute to the global economy as suppliers to enterprise organizations.

For more information on getting started please visit us @ hireground.io today!

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