John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, LLC, to join the EOC Management Committee as Chair, plus Edison International, Exelon Corporation, and Southern Company join Xcel Energy, Micron, and Air Products to help expand U.S. procurement and supply chain opportunities for small and historically underutilized businesses

NEW YORK | July 18, 2024 ― The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, LLC, has joined the Economic Opportunity Coalition’s (EOC) Management Committee as Chair. In addition, the EOC is an innovative initiative that has received new procurement commitments from Edison International, Exelon Corporation, and Southern Company. The three companies join Xcel Energy, Micron, and Air Product in advancing the EOC’s goal of partnering with the private sector to strengthen domestic supply chains and build wealth in underserved communities through targeted procurement practices. The new developments come ahead of the two-year anniversary event for the EOC next week.

The EOC, with support from Next Street, organizes a working group comprised of companies making the Business Procurement pledge to share best practices, align investments and strategies, and track progress toward meeting procurement commitments. The newly committed companies join the more than two dozen founding corporations and foundations advancing the EOC’s initiatives: Ariel Investments, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Capital One, Citi, Discover, Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Google, Key Bank, Kresge Foundation, Mastercard, McDonald’s, McKinsey & Company, Micron, Momentus Capital, Moody’s, Next Street, PayPal, PNC, TIAA, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Upstart.

“In our role facilitating the EOC’s Business Procurement working group, we commend Edison International, Exelon Corporation, and Southern Company for their commitment to supply chain inclusion within the country’s clean energy future,” said Michael Roth, Co-CEO of Next Street.

Read the full press release here.