Building Corporate Contracting Success: Key Lessons from Delta Air Lines’ Supplier Diversity Manager, Makeda Mathews

In November 2025, during the NAWBO Columbus luncheon, I had the privilege of interviewing Makeda Mathews, Supplier Diversity Manager at Delta Air Lines. Her insights were both practical and inspiring, especially for business owners seeking to break into corporate supply chains. While government contracting often dominates supplier conversations, Makeda reminded the audience that corporate contracting is its own ecosystem with its own rules, expectations, and pathways to opportunity.

Here are a few of my key takeaways I believe every business owner should consider as they position themselves for corporate partnerships.

1. Know Your Customer Before You Knock on the Door

Makeda emphasized one principle above all: do your homework. Corporate buyers expect suppliers to understand their operations, culture, preferences, and pain points long before they show up to pitch a service.

This means researching:

• The company’s strategic priorities

• Current supplier initiatives

• Industry trends influencing their decisions

• What they value most—cost, innovation, sustainability, customer experience, or speed

Walking into a conversation informed sets you apart. It shows readiness, respect for their time, and a genuine desire to be a solution, not merely a vendor seeking a sale.

2. Corporate Opportunities Rarely Live on Public Portals

Unlike government contracting, where solicitations might be publicly posted, corporate contracting relies heavily on relationships. Makeda was clear: if business owners are waiting to see opportunities online, they are already too late.

Corporate buyers:

• Routinely source from known networks

• Rely on internal referrals

• Prioritize suppliers they’ve met and built trust with

For this reason, Makeda encouraged business owners to invest in networking, not as a seasonal task, but as a strategic discipline. Attending events, building authentic relationships with employees across departments, and staying consistently visible is the pathway to discovering opportunities long before they’re “official.”

3. Openness Can Create Opportunities You Didn’t Know You Had

One of the memorable stories Makeda shared involved a cleaning company that initially turned down an opportunity because they weren’t sure they could meet the specific requirement: cleaning planes between flights.

Instead of writing them off, Makeda connected the company with the airport to start with facility cleaning. During this time, the company learned the aviation standards and processes needed. With commitment and curiosity, they eventually grew into a full-fledged aircraft cleaning provider for Delta.

Her permeating message was that growth requires flexibility. Innovation often begins with simply being open to learning something new.

Sometimes the opportunity doesn’t look like the contract you envisioned, but it can lead you to the one you dream about.

4. Opportunities Are Everywhere If You’re Positioned to Receive Them

Makeda closed with a powerful reminder: opportunities are often one conversation away. The key is being present, involved, and attentive to what may be possible.

Organizations like NAWBO Columbus, industry associations, airports, chambers, and business councils are rich with the very relationships that lead to corporate work. Showing up consistently creates the visibility corporate decision-makers need before they can trust you with a contract.

For assistance preparing to pitch to corporate buyers, visit www.aventienterprises.com or see our Contract Success Lab for guided support.