Jennifer Rodriguez discusses the impact of Hispanic businesses in Philadelphia. She provides a look at the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s goal to provide programming, education, opportunities and awareness to bridge the gap between minority businesses and the local corporate environment.

LaVette Henderson, Deputy Executive Director of the National Dental Association, highlights how her organization continues to grow and evolve, the importance of creating authentic relationships, and the need for creating and fostering a pipeline of diverse suppliers.

Zabeth Teelucksingh, Executive Director of Global Philadelphia Association (GPA), discusses the importance of Philadelphia being the first World Heritage City in the U.S., and the assets that the city, its residents and the hospitality industry have at their disposal to best leverage this designation.

A. Bruce Crawley, President and Principal owner of Millennium 3 Management, Inc. and a co-founder of PHL Diversity, discusses the circumstances that led to the division’s creation and the importance of minority business access and gives his thoughts on what Philadelphia must do to continue being a leader in attracting diverse meetings and conventions.

U.S. Congressman Dwight Evans, a co-founder of PHL Diversity, reflects on the entity’s evolution and outlook for the future while touching on economic development opportunities within the hospitality industry and the role of diversity and inclusion in workforce development, among other topics

Wanda Paul, longtime finance wizard and a steady presence at the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, is our special guest for this week’s podcast.

Since 1985, Wanda has served as PHLCVB’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, overseeing a multi-million-dollar budget as well as all personnel, administrative and legal matters. During this episode, Wanda describes what is was like to be one of the first female minority executives in the city and recalls the mentors who guided her along the way. She also discusses the importance of supporting minority businesses, her benchmarks for successful diversity practices and some of her favorite convention experiences.

Our guest this week is 26-year-old Malcolm Kenyatta, the senior coordinator of member engagement for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Malcolm's job requires him to build and manage relationships with a diverse set of people from businesses all over the city and beyond and it's clearly a role he relishes. As a lifelong North Philadelphian, he not only has a passion for his own neighborhood, but truly understands the history and character of each section of the city and has an uncanny ability to make connections that are beneficial to both businesses and communities.

Listen as we go one-on-one with Aubrey Kent, associate dean at Temple University's School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM). Aubrey — a Canadian native — tells us about his background and what led him to Philadelphia, as well as his vision for STHM, what was behind the recent name change of the school and the importance of diversity on campus. He also shares some new updates, including the enhancement of international studies for STHM students and the unveiling of two new online masters programs.

This week, we sit down with the man who oversees the management, development and leasing of all the retail, food and duty-free operations at PHL International Airport. As managing partner for PHL Marketplace, Clarence LeJeune tells us what it's like to be the person responsible for millions of visitors' first impressions of Philadelphia and the careful thought that goes into creating a positive and welcoming experience for travelers from all over the world. He also gives us a quick peek at a few exciting new technology and operational developments at the airport.

Ron Davis describes the development and implementation of Parx Casino's diversity strategy, which affects all levels of the company and beyond, including suppliers, staff, the board of directors and neighboring community. Not only does he provide a road map for how to build a successful diversity program, he also describes some of the hurdles faced along the way and how he managed to address and rectify them.