Supplier Diversity Program manager brings a legacy of advocacy to the University.
Photo: Arnold Jolivet II and colleague Sheneka Nichols
Arnold Jolivet II, the Supplier Diversity Program manager for the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Services (SSAS), recently was recognized at the statewide Minority Business Enterprise/Small Business Reserve (MBE/SBR) training session.
Jolivet was singled out for his advocacy and connecting minority vendors with UMB and other statewide agencies for which they can do business. The commendation cited Jolivet’s “unwavering commitment, dedicated service, and consistent efforts to support compliance with the SBR & MBE Programs and Small Business Community.”
The event was hosted by the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs, a coordinating office that connects the small business community to greater economic opportunities. It focuses on helping small, minority, women, and veteran preference procurement programs to more than state agencies and departments.
A Legacy of Advocacy
The name Arnold Jolivet is well known among Maryland’s political movers and shakers. Arnold Jolivet Sr. was an institution in local politics, with a 40-year legacy of helping minority contractors and businesses receive meaningful opportunities in government-run construction projects.
Jolivet Sr. was the first executive director of the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, an advocacy program he helped found in 1978. As the association gained traction locally, it grew and evolved to meet the needs of businesses based in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., area. His father’s friendship with local power brokers gave the younger Jolivet a unique upbringing.
“Growing up, I’d walk into my kitchen and there would be Elijah Cummings sitting down with my dad. Or Parren Mitchell. Or Kweisi Mfume. Those were the kind of situations I was exposed to as a kid,” he said.
Like many children who grow up with a high-profile parent, the younger Jolivet set out to do his own thing.
“Having been immersed in minority business advocacy for so long, I felt like I needed to do something else. To find my own path,” he said. “But the more I ran from my father’s world, the more I was drawn back into it. So eventually I started working with my father.”
Jolivet joined the American Minority Contractors & Businesses Association in 2011. A few years later, he founded Jolivet Consulting Group to help small, minority, and disadvantaged businesses through strategic business development and compliance program innovation.
While he was following in his father’s footsteps, he was doing it his own way.
UMB’s First MBE
UMB’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) department is a relatively new addition to SSAS. According to SSAS documents, the Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation creating the MBE program statewide to ensure that socially and economically disadvantaged small business owners are included in the state’s procurement and contracting opportunities, which includes UMB.
In 2023, Gov. Wes Moore issued an executive order to further improve upon the state’s MBE program. The pronouncement stated that each quarter, UMB would report the dollar value and percentage of goods and services obtained from certified MBE and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE) to the state of Maryland. The current regulations set the MBE program’s statewide goal at 29 percent across 70 participating agencies and departments.
In May 2023, UMB hired Arnold Jolivet II to serve as the University’s first Supplier Diversity Program manager. UMB’s status as an anchor institution in West Baltimore, and what it means to the community, is one of the things that drew Jolivet to the position.
“The location absolutely played a part in my decision. The area is a historically underserved and underutilized community,” he said. “Dealing with the graduate schools, especially dealing with the medical school and the law school, offers a unique opportunity to help the nearby community with some services they absolutely need.”
One of the unique elements to Jolivet’s position is his ability to effect change beyond West Baltimore and UMB.
“There is a group of us who participate in MBE liaison meetings where people who are in similar positions as mine can come together from across the state and share ideas about what’s working.
“We also have outreach events, to contact and connect with businesses that may not know how to access markets like UMB. For example, we recently had an outreach event in Baltimore that included College Park, Frostburg, Bowie State, and others. This is important because sometimes if an MBE doesn’t have an opportunity at UMB, I’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, you should talk to my colleague Tony at University of Maryland, College Park, or Sean from the Department of General Services to see what opportunities they have.’
“When someone walks through the door at College Park or one of the other University System of Maryland schools or state agencies and says, ‘Arnold Jolivet from UMB sent me,’ it gives that business credibility. Not just because we know them, but because they know our systems are similar and there is some capacity there for them to do business.”
Volatility in Higher Education
Some of the changes in procurement on the federal level have a direct impact on higher education and have forced Jolivet to get creative in how he approaches his work.
“With hiring freezes and budget constraints, many businesses that relied on schools have had to pivot to see what other opportunities are available to them,” he said. “When I talk to companies now, I also show them how to get certified as an MBE with the state of Maryland. That process empowers them to do business with us or any other state institution or agency.”
While there’s a belief by some that state work can bring complacency, Jolivet not only disputes the thought, but also uses his office to help ensure companies are bringing their A game to every UMB opportunity.
“What I found is that whenever you see the same companies that are doing work over and over again, they tend to be really disciplined,” he said. “They’re usually very good at what they do. It’s about maintaining a spirit of excellence. Now, if there’s ever any fall-off, it’s usually because a company doesn’t have competition, right?
“When we bring in small, hungry companies, we bring that competitive spirit in. All the companies know that they have to be at their best. And in order to be able to retain that business, they also have to offer competitive pricing because there’s a company breathing down their neck that could do the same work if not better for less.
“We’re never looking to hamper a small business. But if we have three or four qualified companies that are competing for UMB’s business, guess what? We’re going to get better pricing and we’re going to get a better product and service as well.”
The Importance of Teamwork
Like his father, Jolivet II is a former college athlete and understands the importance of teamwork. He is quick to point out that he’s just one member of a larger team.
“Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Services has some incredible people,” he said. “Our team at SSAS does an amazing job. When my office brings a minority business in, they’re the ones that take the ball and run with it. I’m just kind of teeing it up.”
While his father’s legacy will always remain a part of his story, Jolivet feels fortunate to be able to carry on the good work his father started.
“I really feel blessed to be at UMB. ‘Everything rises and falls to leadership’ is what John Maxwell said. The commitment to the minority and small businesses here is genuine. I’m grateful for President Bruce Jarrell, Dr. Dawn Rhodes, Scott Bitner, Keith Gagnon, Ron Eshelman, and the entire SSAS team,” he said.
“I’ve never been in a work environment where people genuinely care for each other and the tasks at hand so passionately. There’s a synergy in this group that’s amazing, and I don’t take any of that for granted. Everyone there is doing the work every single day. Their commitment to serving the community and to expanding UMB’s role in making it all work is a blessing. It makes my job so much easier.”
It’s a tradition worthy of the Jolivet name.