Happy Birthday, Richard Chacon!

At the 2016 Northwest Mountain Supplier Diversity Council’s Award's Reception and Dinner in Seattle, Washington with Richard, my brother, Dr. Rayburn Lewis, and his wife, Elizabeth.

In my nearly 25 year consulting career, I led nearly 300 engagements; and others led projects under my company’s brand, as well. All-in-all, a good run doing work I loved. What I most often reflect on are the relationships I made with clients, consultants and small business owners who came together to co-create some amazing work.

One of my very first clients was Richard Chacon, who at that time was leading supplier diversity at Union Bank. We met at a gathering of businessowners in San Jose, California. I had the first-time businessowner luck of being seated next to him at the luncheon! In his kind and generous way, he inquired about my firm and corporate background and promised to stay in touch, and he did. If you’ve owned a business and met supplier diversity folx, that offer isn’t always carried out!

In short order, Richard reached out to see if I had the capacity to take on a project. My answer, you ask? But, of course! And just like that, Union Bank became one of my first clients. He not only socialized my firm within Union Bank, he introduced me to others leading supplier diversity efforts at PGE, Apple, Wells Fargo and more. He encouraged me to get certified in the Pacific Northwest where he had influence. Additionally, he introduced me to large, multi-million dollar certified businesses with the idea that supporting smaller corporations was a revenue stream worth pursuing.

In 2012, I rolled my 1st company, Flyin’ West, into my 2nd one, Ashton212. The first client I shared that news with was Richard. My business partner and I invited him to dinner to share what was happening. Always interested in what I was up to, and with no hesitation, Richard introduced Ashton212 into Union Bank and once again fought for visibility across the organization. While we didn’t win every opportunity that came our way because of Richard, he always had my firm on his list of women- and minority-owned and certified companies with the expertise and capacity to support major corporations.

In March 2016, the certification in the Pacfic Northwest paid off! On the strength of our relationship with Union Bank, Richard nominated Ashton212 for an award from the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council. Ashton212 did not receive an award but the mention of our name on the list of nominees was asset-building. He hosted my brothers and their wives at the Union Bank table and what a night we all had!

It is people like Richard who made my life as a small business CEO easier. He knew the rigor of being in a service relationship with a global organization and made sure all of his small businesses were ready. His willingness to make introductions, write letters of recommendation and provide joyful banter on the hardest of days makes him one of my most favorite people on the planet.

Thank you, Richard, not only for what you did over an impactful career, but for who you are. A long-term client and a lifelong friend. Happy Birthday!

P.S. He hung up his weekday gig in 2023 and is how enjoying his well-earned retirement! Read my interview with Richard at the time of his retirement.