Business Advocate: Quincy Howard – Central Ohio Transit Authority

 

Quincy Howard

Quincy Howard – Central Ohio Transit Authority

 

An industry expert with more than twenty years of successful experience in Supplier Diversity and Business Development, Quincy Howard has a proven track record of fostering business relationships between private/public companies and agencies and the minority business community.

Quincy did not go to Hampton University as a business freshman many years ago thinking he would be in Minority Business Development, nor that he would be settling in Ohio. But upon graduating from Hampton and moving to Bowling Green, Ohio to work on an MBA, Quincy ended up in Columbus, OH. Doing odds and ends jobs for several months, Quincy stumbled upon a temporary assignment with an agency called the Columbus Regional Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).  Michael Gordon, the Director and soon to be his first business mentor, offered him an opportunity to learn about minority business development and its importance and necessity in business. That temporary position under the tutelage of Michael Gordon sparked Quincy’s passion and drive for the Supplier Diversity field and went on to become his first real job.

After working for Michael and the minority council for five years, Quincy was hired at the Ohio State University where he worked full time as a Grants Administrator in the Computer Science & Engineering Department and in the evenings worked part-time on obtaining a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. Completing his degree and having a number of years of work experience under his belt, Quincy caught the entrepreneurial bug and decided to go in business for himself as a Financial Advisor and Investment Broker. Quincy successfully ran his financial services business for over ten years. In 2010, having survived the 2008 market crash, Quincy’s business showed signs of stress from residual effects of the market crash and it started to decline. Quincy had to make the tough decision and close his business to save his family and his future.

Feeling defeated but not beaten, Quincy began his job search back into corporate America. With a strong skillset, tons of experience, and a lot of prayer; Quincy was hired at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) performing the same work that sparked his passion many years earlier. Now going into his 7th year as a Contracts/DBE Program Administrator, Quincy continues to forge relationships and encourage supplier diversity throughout the transit industry. Quincy has averaged a 20% minority business participation rate during his tenure at COTA and desires to do so much more.

Since being at COTA, Quincy has been introduced to an organization called the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO). COMTO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure a level playing field and maximum participation in the transportation industry for minority individuals, businesses and communities of color through advocacy, information sharing, training, education and professional development. Quincy has held a couple of local board positions with COMTO Columbus and was recently appointed National Chairman of Membership for the national organization. Quincy is responsible for membership recruitment and retention for COMTO’s thirty-nine (39) chapters throughout the United States.

Quincy has immersed himself into Supplier Diversity and Diversity and Inclusion as a whole. He finds reward in giving back to his community and helping others become successful in what they love. When Quincy is not fighting for business equality, he enjoys his wife of 15 years, Melinda, and his teenage daughter, Sydney, and best furry friend, Argo.

Published in OhioMBE – April 1, 2018 – pdf version

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