Leveraging diversity: adding value to the bottom line.(Ameritech Chmn. Richard C. Notebaert speech)(Transcript)

Address by RICHARD C. NOTEBAERT, Chairman of Ameritech

Delivered to the National Black MBA Association, Detroit, Michigan, September 17, 1998

Thank you, Bob. And thank all of you for honoring both Ameritech and me with your gracious invitation to join you this afternoon.

I'm very glad to be here and I'm especially pleased that the National Black MBA Association selected Detroit for this milestone 20th anniversary conference. Your presence is an impressive affirmation of your regard for this legendary city. And as a big fan of the strides Mayor Dennis Archer and other city leaders are making on behalf of Detroit and its residents, I applaud your support.

By being here, you advance Detroit's efforts to drive economic power a requisite for this city and every city that intends to play a vital role in 21st century America. By the same token, your conference agenda over the next four days is designed to foster the development of your economic power - not just as individuals, but also as members of the broader African-American community.

As it happens, I've recently had a number of opportunities to consider that very topic. It came up, for instance, when Jesse Jackson, Sr. stopped by my office a couple of months ago.

At one point in our conversation, Jesse talked about the stages of advancement toward a society where diversity is fully valued. He said the first stage was emancipation - the end of slavery. The second stage was the right to vote and the third stage was the political power to actively participate in government - to be part of city hall, the Governor's office and Capitol Hill.

Jesse was clearly focused, though, on the fourth stage - which he described as the ability to participate fully in the prosperity that this nation enjoys. In other words, economic power.

A few weeks later, this theme developed more fully at Chicago's Rainbow/Push Coalition's LaSalle Street Project. In that meeting, business leaders from throughout the city met to address the issue of full participation by minorities in the economic fabric of our community.

One of the speakers that day was Bill Daley, the brother of Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley, but better known - at least outside of Chicago - as the United States Secretary of Commerce.

Bill brought up Fortune magazine's list of the 50 best companies for minority employees that Bob Cooper mentioned earlier. And he reiterated Fortune's finding that over the past five years, those 50 …