CANTON, Ohio (Feb. 23, 2022) – Aultman renewed its commitment to diversity with the announcement of its supplier diversity guidelines to further expand opportunities for construction, supply and equipment projects with businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans and the disadvantaged/disabled community.

The purpose of these guidelines is to encourage and promote opportunities with minorities, women, veterans, historically underutilized business enterprises and other certified disadvantaged businesses. These guidelines are also designed to assist the growth of diverse prospects by creating product and service opportunities with Aultman Health Foundation.

“Within our products and services projects, Aultman is committed that all prequalified and preapproved contractors, subcontractors and suppliers have an equal opportunity to participate,” said Rick Haines, president and CEO, Aultman Health Foundation. “We’ve always believed in this mission, and these guidelines are a way for us to formalize and enhance the process across the Aultman system.”

The new guidelines allow for colleagues to be responsible for identifying, qualifying, selecting and managing the direct purchasing process for products and services to ensure that qualified diverse suppliers are appropriately included. Furthermore, it helps to hold those businesses responsible for the same.

Under the guidelines, all bidders are required to use good faith efforts to locate and engage the services of businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans or the disabled/disadvantaged, who are ready, willing and able to supply labor, materials and services in connection with any Aultman construction, supply or equipment project. These goals are not race- or gender-based quotas; each bidder must determine – when submitting their bid proposal – how to meet or exceed these goals, as well as to be most competitive and competent.

“These forward-thinking guidelines will help ensure that Aultman is offering equal opportunities to all businesses they work with, while also helping to encourage all those businesses to do the same,” said George Lemon, community leader, entrepreneur and Army/National Guard veteran serving the Stark County Minority Business Association. “It’s an important step in making sure everyone has a seat at the table for construction, supply and equipment projects.”

Haines and Lemon were joined by other community leaders such as Ron Ponder, local radio personality and television producer, as well as Leonard Stevens, entrepreneur and president of the Stark County Minority Business Association, to create and approve these guidelines.

About Aultman Health Foundation
The Aultman Health Foundation is a not-for-profit healthcare organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The integrated healthcare system includes Aultman Hospital, Aultman Orrville Hospital, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, the locally managed health insurance provider AultCare, The Aultman Foundation and Aultman College. With 1,032 beds, over 1,000 providers and a team of more than 7,000 employees, Aultman is Stark County's largest provider of healthcare services. For more information, visit www.aultman.org.