An Optimist, Risk-Taker and Trailblazing Entrepreneur

The Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) is proud to induct Mr. Ronald Hall, Sr. into the Minority Business Hall of Fame. The MMSDC would not be as renowned of an organization as it is today without Mr. Hall’s unfailing dedication to the success of the Council and the minority business community.

Many have remembered Mr. Hall as an automotive industry giant. Today, we recognize him as being so much more. He carried a mindset that embraced his passion for what he believed in – remaining optimistic about his endeavors despite the risks and failure he may have faced along the way. Mr. Hall was a man of optimism. He focused on what was possible and how he could make a difference. The current MMSDC is the result of that optimism. During his tenure as President of the Council, Mr. Hall negotiated to have over 20 companies begin or improve contract benchmarks for minority-owned suppliers – again ensuring they had equal access to economic opportunity. He worked tirelessly to grow the number of constituents from 400 to more than 1,600 and helped position MMSDC as one of the premier minority business development Councils in the nation. Thanks to his leadership and extensive work with the MMSDC, minority businesses across Michigan now have even more access to opportunities with the major corporations across multiple industries.

Mr. Hall was not afraid to take risks and was not deterred by failure. His first foray into entrepreneurship ended in the failure of his two Bonanza steakhouse franchises in the late 1980s. After dissolving the steakhouses, Mr. Hall joined New Detroit, a nonprofit organization that supports minority-owned businesses, as Vice President. In 1993, he became the Chief Executive of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council where he was at the forefront of a movement to get the Big 3 automakers and other large multi-billion dollar suppliers to do more business with minority-owned companies and to cultivate entrepreneurs in the communities that they depended on for a large percentage of their sales.

During his tenure with the MMBDC, Mr. Hall met and established strong business relationships with Board members from large companies including General Motors and Johnson Controls. When Mr. Hall was invited to form the joint venture with Johnson Controls, which later became Bridgewater Interiors, he mortgaged his family’s home to come up with his share of the equity. The risk paid off as Mr. Hall grew the minority-owned venture into a $2 billion supplier of automotive seating parts with more than 2,000 employees and plants located in Detroit, Warren, and Lansing, MI and Estaboga, AL. Those plants support seating platforms for Ford, General Motors and Honda. Mr. Hall also served as President and CEO of the equipment leasing company, Renaissance Capital Alliance, and was former Chairman and CEO of New Center Stamping. He also owned the travel agency, Departure Travel Management.

Mr. Hall was also very passionate about helping others, especially in the pursuit of equal economic opportunity for all communities. He was not satisfied with success alone; he truly believed in giving back to his community. Over the years, Mr. Hall served as Assistant Vice President of New Detroit Inc., a coalition created to encourage more minority involvement in major projects throughout the city. Mr. Hall also served on the Boards of Fifth Third Bank’s local operations, Boy Scouts of America – Southeast Michigan, the American Diabetes Association, the Booker T. Washington Business Association and the former Detroit Renaissance (now Business Leaders for Michigan). He was also active with the Southeast Michigan Junior Achievement and the Michigan Boys Basketball Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Mr. Hall provided input on Small Business initiatives at state and national levels and served as a Board Trustee of his alma mater, Western Michigan University. A generous philanthropist, Mr. Hall supported numerous civic, community, arts, youth, and sports organizations and institutions. He was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternities.

In acknowledgement of the significant contributions that Mr. Ron Hall, Sr. has made to benefit the minority business community in the State of Michigan, and especially his dedication to the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, there is no question that he be honored as one of the inductees into the Minority Business Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony for the 2016 Michigan Minority Business Hall of Fame honorees will be held during the MMSDC ACE Awards on October 6th, 2016 at the Detroit Marriott in the Renaissance Center. The event celebrates major corporations, educational institutions, government agencies and minority businesses for their continued success in minority supplier development.