Art McClellan is the Director of Supplier Diversity and Development at the Lear Corporation. Under his stewardship, the Lear Corporation has become a leader in diverse supplier relationships in the world of Fortune 500 companies, with more than 5.1 billion dollars spent on diverse suppliers across the last decade. McClellan says that he has been able to help foster this growth through implementing what he calls the “rule of 1” – a rule that says that all sourcing opportunities developed by the Lear Corporation must include at least one candidate from a diverse category such as a racial minority or a member of the LGBTQ community.
Generating organizational buy-in for such a rule has proven crucial. McClellan ultimately believes in development above all else, which is why he is also a primary sponsor of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council’s Academy. This Academy mentors minority business enterprises in best practices and has graduated more than 30 local businesses in the last year, with solid plans for their future growth. He has also worked with the MMSDC to develop and implement the InFuse Corporate Mentoring Program, a 12 month program that provides education in best practices to minority business owners throughout the community.
Favorite Quote: “The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.” — Simon Sinek