Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council
Office Depot, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The ODP Corporation (NASDAQ:ODP), a leading provider of business services, products and digital workplace technology solutions to small, medium and enterprise businesses. Through its banner brands Office Depot® and OfficeMax®, as well as others, the company offers its customers the tools and resources they need to focus on their passion for starting, growing and running their business through over 1,200 stores, an online presence and thousands of dedicated sales professionals. Thanks to the leadership of Carmen Deale, who heads up the company’s Supplier Diversity program, Office Depot is a strong corporate member of the GMSDC, an engaged community partner and an active supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Office Depot was founded in South Florida more than 30 years ago and is currently headquartered in Boca Raton. Historically, Office Depot has been known as a retail company that focused on office supplies. However, that all changed when the current CEO, Gerry Smith, joined the company in January 2017 with a vision to transform the business to an integrated B2B distribution platform, offering customers more than just office products. The company’s multi-year transformation strategy is rooted in strengthening its B2B business, developing more predictable revenue streams and leveraging assets to drive long-term profitable growth. Office Depot is dedicated to understanding the customer’s unique business needs and applying the full advantages of its skills, scale, strength, and capabilities to help businesses unleash their full potential.
Carmen Deale, a 15-year member of the ODP team who has led Supplier Diversity for 5 years, was named Advocate of the Year by the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council in 2020 in recognition of her commitment. Deale understands the critical importance of ODP’s engagement at the GMSDC. “We are committed to being a leader in utilizing diverse suppliers all across our system, and there is not a more robust minority supplier community than in Georgia,” she says. “We see a great deal of potential for growth in our partnership with the GMSDC.”
Deale is a proud champion of inclusive procurement practices, and a driving force behind the company’s innovative Diversity Catalog, where decision-makers throughout the business can quickly and easily access a cross-referenced list of diverse suppliers in every category. ODP is also the curator of a unique celebration of Black History Month, where each week a virtual event tackles a different diversity theme and features a prominent speaker in an interactive forum. Hosted by the Women of Color and Men of Color Associate Resource Groups at Office Depot and Blacks in CompuCom, the series puts a focus on leadership, supplier diversity, HBCUs and Black Excellence.
Among the many accolades Office Depot has received in recognition of its supplier diversity efforts are awards from the Florida Council, WBENC, MBN Magazine, the Human Rights Campaign, Diversity Plus Magazine and Hispanic Network Magazine. Deale is most proud of ODP’s recognition by the FSMSDC for its Humanitarian Award in 2019, presented to the company that best exemplifies ‘Doing Well While Doing Good.’ Office Depot is blazing the trail in doing business with Georgia MBEs, a critical element of helping our communities rebound in 2021. For more information or to register as a diverse supplier, visit the Office Depot website.
