Tracy Murnane – Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Through his role as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Director of Purchasing, Tracy Murnane has been involved in many aspects of supplier diversity for 27 years. As the organization has grown during that time to also now include the Zoombezi Bay waterpark and Safari Golf Club, as well as The Wilds conservation center located in Cumberland, Ohio, Murnane credits much of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s success to the support of the Central Ohio community, including the 2.3 million guests who are welcomed each year to the Zoo alone and, in particular, local entrepreneurs and partners who continue to assist in enhancing the Zoo’s operations and mission to lead and inspire by connecting people to wildlife.
As the Zoo has gained recognition as a regional attraction with a global impact, Murnane has remained a strong advocate for increased supplier diversity and economic inclusion of minority-owned and women-owned businesses well qualified to meet the organization’s many daily professional service needs, ranging from printing and office supplies to construction projects and maintenance of the fleet vehicles used to transport staff and animal ambassadors to outreach programs held within schools and other community venues. While Murnane’s educational background in business strategies has assisted him in the procurement of many of these services, it is the relationships cultivated throughout his career that have resulted in a meaningful impact for the Zoo, such as the strong partnerships shared with Ohio Minority Businesses Enterprises (MBE), including Uzuri Enterprise, ServiceMaster By Demarrt, Orchem Corporation, Shamrock Paving, Inc., and Electronic Systems Consultants. Murnane also points to the leadership of Greg Bell, the Zoo’s Senior Vice President of Finance/CFO, and support provided by The Jones Company of America’s Ray Ayton Jones, a valued Zoo Association member, as guiding forces in the Zoo’s increased commitment to working with additional minority-owned businesses, especially over the last five years. The results of these efforts culminated in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium being named the recipient of the OhioMBE Supplier Diversity Award in 2017.
“Together, we have been able to grow our supplier diversity program substantially, and with several upcoming projects at the Zoo presenting us with new opportunities to work collectively to help make a positive difference both for wildlife and people, we look forward to continuing to actively seek out new partners by hosting and attending OhioMBE procurement fairs,” says Murnane.
In addition to his work at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Murnane serves on the board of the Ohio WildlifeCenter (OWC).
Published in OhioMBE – August 1, 2018 – pdf
