Richard J. Hernández is a nationally-known e-commerce consultant and supplier diversity expert based in Chicago. He heads E-MBE.net, an e-commerce consulting company focusing on helping small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses succeed on the Internet. Mr. Hernandez is a nationally-published author in the area of supplier diveristy. He writes on supplier diversity and e-commerce issues for the Chicago’s Minority Business newsletter, the National Association of Purchasing Management InfoEdge magazine, Corporate Corridors magazine and Contract Management magazine. He is the member of the Chicago Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce technology committee. He also has a Web site, www.e-mbe.net, which provides 60 free basic and advanced e-commerce tutorials for small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Previously, he was a Vice President of Education for a business-to-business e-commerce company. Mr. Hernández was also a Senior Sourcing Specialist with the BP Amoco Corporation in Chicago, IL. He was responsible for developing strategies for locating diverse suppliers for all business units, Web site management, training, and supplier outreach programs to achieve a $1 billion corporate supplier diversity goal.
Formerly, a Corporate Supplier Diversity Manager, for the US Postal Service where he conducted a ground-breaking national econometric study which estimated the percentage of revenue the Postal Service received from the minority community. He wrote a new section of the USPS Procurement Manual titled “Supplier Diversity”. Mr. Hernandez also helped the Postal Service analyze and develop policies and procedures after the Adarand v. Pena court decision. This was done by analyzing numerous disparity studies from across the United States and working with the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Education and Defense Fund (MBELDEF), who filed a supporting brief with the Supreme Court.
Mr. Hernandez was also a Procuring Contracting Officer (buyer) with the US Air Force with an unlimited warrant. He was the lead buyer for services and construction.
Mr. Hernández achieved the elite designation of Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) from the National Contract Management Association (NCMA). He has also earned an Advanced Professional Designation in Logistics Management. Mr. Hernandez graduated from the Air Force academy with a degree in Business Administration / Management.
Mr. Hernández’s other achievements are as the author of the textbook "Negotiating a Quality Contract”, reviewer of two contracting textbooks, and editor of a contract management newsletter for 2 years. He has also written three other books, to include:
- Small Business Website Development Guide – M/WBE Edition
- 8(a) Survival Guide
- M/WBE Mentoring Handbook
He is also a Fellow in the National Contract Management Association
