DEI leaders preach importance of diversity at All-Star luncheon

SEATTLE -- Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell had a wide grin as he was about to speak to the attendees at the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Business Luncheon at T-Mobile Park on Friday.

Harrell, the second person of color to be elected as Seattle’s mayor, opened up with his first-hand experience of how diverse small businesses are the backbone of the Emerald City. Both of his parents migrated to Seattle in search of better opportunities to start a business. The African American side of his family moved from New Orleans to start a construction/property business, while his mother’s family immigrated from Japan and opened grocery stores around the area before branching out into the floral industry.

This is why Harrell understands the significance and honor of hosting MLB All-Star Week. Not only does it allow the city to showcase its beauty and offerings to a national audience, but there are plenty of benefits to the community hosting the jewel event. The DEI Luncheon highlighted fellow businesses in the Seattle area, allowing them to network with each other.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Tuesday on FOX, 8 p.m. ET

“Small businesses’ development is the core of what’s going to make us brilliant as a city,” Harrell said to the crowd. “You have the chance to talk about dispersion stories and why you’re selling. I’m here for you and Major League Baseball is here for you.”

This is the first time since 2001 that the All-Star Game has taken place in Seattle. Since then, MLB has made huge strides in its DEI department. Billy Bean, the senior vice president of DEI and special assistant to the Commissioner, was the main presenter at the event and said that the luncheon is just a small sample of what MLB is trying to accomplish.

“We want to create equity in our employment, recruiting and succession programs,” Bean said. “When we come into cities, we want to be impactful and visible. The more different identities that we’re able to reach, the more we grow the sport. If we have people of color represented, they will relate to people who see a similar lived experience.

“Working for the Office of the Commissioner, we have the chance to be impactful for 30 clubs. … This time we’re going to invest in ways that we feel support the community.”

The event had multiple speakers interact with business owners on how to better grow and protect their businesses. Notably, Ginger Siegel, the North America small business lead at Mastercard International, presented the crowd with the importance of cybersecurity, as 50 percent of all cyber attacks happen to small businesses and can cost up to $200,000 to resolve. According to Bean, this kind of presentation can help a small, diverse business succeed in the future.

“Those thought-starters, really we’re making the people take a minute and think, ‘Wow, this [is] about me taking care of my house,’” Bean said. “I wanted to make sure our sponsors understood the type of businesses that were here. I feel really well about how the whole luncheon went.”

The Mariners have shown their effort to include diverse local businesses at their ballpark. Norma Cantu, the senior director of procurement for the Mariners, said the club held its first diversity fair in 2022 and the attendance has increased for each subsequent fair. In addition, Cantu awarded Tube Art Group, a female-owned family business that is the largest full-service sign company in the Pacific Northwest.

“We didn’t just start this because it was popular,” Cantu said to the attendees. “We’ve been doing this since we built this ballpark in 1999. We are committed to maintaining purchasing practices that promote and expand contracting opportunities for diverse vendors and suppliers.”