Anne Whelan, CEO of Seafair Capital in St. John's, stands in her office on Military Road on Tuesday afternoon. A native of Placentia, Whelan is holding the St. John's Board of Trade 2015 Business Excellence Award she received Dec. 2 for Entrepreneurial Spirit.
During the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) conference reception this week at the Delta St. John's, president and CEO Anne Whelan announced Seafair Capital's initiative.
The company said in a news release its newly formed diversity spend program will use NLOWE's Supplier Diversity NL online database (http://supplierdiversitynl.com/) to connect with women-owned businesses.
"At Seafair Capital, we intend to use the database regularly, and we are committed to tracking and reporting our spend with women-owned businesses," Whelan said in the release. "We challenge other companies to do the same."
Whelan said she views supplier diversity as a fundamental element to building a successful business, and her company's spending target as an important stepping stone to supporting women entrepreneurs. "We see the potential that diversity spending could have on the social health and economic wealth of our communities. And we believe it's important to put ourselves out there and set the example for other enterprises," Whelan said.
"As a woman-owned business, we know it's not easy getting your foot through the doors of potential client companies. Spending commitments like Seafair Capital's, and initiatives like Supplier Diversity NL, are the kinds of steps the business community as a whole needs to take to help facilitate connections between larger companies and women-owned businesses."
Seafair Capital describes itself as a group of companies operating in multiple sectors that are connected by shared values and growth potential.
