Such a proposal would not seem so surprising today, but in 1979 Donna Fujimoto Cole was blown away when several customers she called on suggested she start her own business. Donna was only 27 years old and the business she was encouraged to launch was a petrochemical distributorship in what was a very male-dominated industry. In the late 1970s progressive companies were beginning to look for minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBEs) with which they could build strong and long-lasting relationships. At the time, however, there were not a tremendous number of M/WBEs operating in the petrochemical industry and some that were didn’t demonstrate the staying power large companies wanted to see. It was in this environment that Donna was approached by her largest customers to launch her own business. Those customers even offered to help in small but significant ways – through mentoring and networking. In Donna, they saw someone not only capable of building a strong business but also someone who would operate with integrity, become active in the community, and support other women and minorities in business. Some might have declined what seemed like a risky proposal, but Donna, a second generation Japanese-American, had always been gutsy, confident, determined and smart. She was certainly smart enough to recognize that you don’t say no to your best customers, especially when those customers include the likes of Shell and other major petrochemical companies. So in 1980, Donna founded Cole Chemical & Distributing. Twenty-six years later, Cole Chemical is still going strong and remains a preferred supplier of chemical products to Shell. It has experienced its share of ups and downs like any company would over the course of a quarter century, but Donna is able to manage the occasional bump in the road with the continued support of a few great companies.
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