Why register as a diverse supplier? TLC Springwater's story helps answer that question . . .

"Why should I register?" is a question we are asked every day here at DIR. The bottom line is that it makes good economic sense and it will, eventually, save you time as you're out prospecting for new clients. When you register with DIR as a diverse-owned business, your information becomes part of a database that is accessed and searched daily by thousands of buyers at major corporations. Take a look at this short video about how registration helped TLC Springwater in Cleveland, OH grow their business.

Keep in mind that the portal of information DIR manages is only one of a few that major corporations around the world use for sourcing, searching and managing information that they'll eventually need for reporting either inside or outside their organization. The information that you provide is crucial to their future contracting opportunities and that's just one of the reasons they rely on DIR for information validation and verification. In a nutshell, suppliers provide the information, DIR makes sure it stays current and valid.

DIR's client list continues to change, of course, and there are other supplier portals 'out there' that are used as well so don't be surprised if your business grows to the point of being asked to create profiles in numerous databases. Take your time, keep an 'excel' file or other cheat sheet with the often-requested information, and be sure to use a contact email that is not unique to just one person in case there are personnel changes.

Supplier registration at DIR or at one of DIR's clients is free, relatively easy (although time consuming), and comes with additional benefits such as:

• certification expiration alerts by e-mail
• the ability to update your profile once for multiple corporations
• seeing posted opportunities from a variety of corporations
• space to upload marketing information
• 24-7 secure access

When you're ready, you can register here. Thank you!