Rodney K. Strong on Atlanta’s Legacy of Inclusion and the Fight Ahead

Rodney K. Strong has spent more than four decades shaping how public agencies and private companies open doors for small and minority-owned businesses. This fall, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) will honor him with its Blue Legend Award on September 19, 2025, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, recognizing a lifetime of work that has changed the way cities, states and Fortune 500 companies think about contracting and inclusion.

In a recent conversation, Strong described the award as “a validation of the work I’ve done and the path I chose,” adding that the most satisfying part of his career is seeing policy translate into real opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Strong traces his professional north star to his childhood in Memphis. He grew up hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ask, “What good does it do a man to have integrated lunch counters if he can’t buy a hamburger?” That line; economic access as the next chapter of civil rights stuck.

By the time Strong arrived at Morehouse College, he was volunteering on the campaigns of Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young. After law school at the University of Memphis, he returned to Atlanta to take on what he calls his “dream job” as Director of Contract Compliance for the City of Atlanta, appointed by Mayor Young in 1984.

Those years left a lasting mark on the region. “Atlanta grew because we created opportunity,” Strong said. “If you look at our peer cities in the 1970s; New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis and Atlanta, only one decided to make inclusion a governing practice. That choice attracted talent and investment.”

He credits vision and courage from city leaders, paired with an already-strong Black business community and higher-education cluster, for creating conditions where inclusive procurement could take root.

Strong is widely regarded as one of the country’s foremost experts on procurement disparity research, the rigorous, data-driven studies governments use to determine whether their contracting practices are fair and to justify corrective programs when they are not.

“The law hasn’t changed,” he noted. “It is still illegal to discriminate in public contracting. Governments must show where disparities exist and adopt lawful tools to address them. You can’t do that without data.”

That point carries fresh urgency. Strong says some agencies are pausing programs due to political pressure or confusion about broader debates over DEI. His response is consistent: keep the facts front and center.

“What we’re seeing in some places is an attempt to conflate different areas of law,” he said. “A program designed to ensure non-discrimination in contracting is not an ‘illegal DEI program.’ It’s good governance and it must be grounded in evidence.”

His firm, Griffin & Strong, P.C., is currently advising several jurisdictions on how to maintain legally sound inclusion programs. In St. Louis, for example, he and his team reviewed recent data, met with stakeholders across the spectrum, and drafted a path to lift a temporary pause on the city’s program. “You need current analysis, clear legal grounding, and open dialogue,” he said. “That combination can move communities forward.”

Strong emphasizes that supplier inclusion is not only about fairness, it’s a competitive strategy.

“Companies that open their supplier base get better pricing, more innovation and a stronger, more flexible supply chain,” he said. “When organizations only buy from the same handful of vendors, complacency creeps in. Opening the process creates real competition and better results.”

He has seen this play out at the highest levels. After a major equal employment case two decades ago, The Coca-Cola Company undertook significant changes. Strong was later engaged to support inclusive procurement on the World of Coca-Cola project. “The atmosphere was different,” he recalled. “They invested in culture and accountability. That’s not just optics, it affects quality and cost.”

The same philosophy guided his supplier diversity consulting on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena projects, where inclusive goals were paired with performance expectations. “The goal is always excellence,” he said. “Inclusion helps you get there.”

Strong also addressed a gap he observes between how minority communities engage as business owners versus consumers. “It takes organization,” he said, recalling the coordinated boycott tactics of the civil rights era. “Change doesn’t happen by accident. Communities have to set expectations and hold institutions to them.”

Despite today’s headwinds, Strong is optimistic because the track record is clear. When governments and corporations collect the right data, enforce fair processes and invite more qualified suppliers to the table, everyone benefits: taxpayers, shareholders and communities.

“What gives me confidence,” he said, “is knowing that the case for inclusion is a business case. The organizations that embrace talent and competition will outperform those that don’t.”

As GMSDC marks its 50th anniversary year, honoring Strong is also a reminder of Atlanta’s own history, bold choices that turned policy into progress and set a standard for the nation. The work continues, and the formula he describes remains straightforward: evidence, access, accountability and the will to act.

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