Terrence Payne’s 48-year-old family grocery store was lost in a blaze of urban rage during the L.A. riots. A bid to rebuild it was strangled by red tape. A subsequent consulting operation struggled against closed doors.

Out of thoses experiences was born E-DiversityXchange, software now used by clients like the Port of Los Angeles for tracking hundreds of millions of dollars in contract and subcontract awards to ensure that small and minority businesses are actually receiving their share of the work.

Payne’s company, Taylor’s Marketing & Management, has provided the port with an important tool for ensuring that smaller businesses aren’t forgotten when major contracts are awarded and projects finally get underway, said Margaret Hernandez, who directs the port’s contracts and purchasing.

–

Read the full

Los Angeles Times

story.