Black PR Wire Power Profiler on J.L. Armstrong

J. L. Armstrong is the National Manager, External Affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

In support of Toyota's 21st Century Diversity Strategy, he has corporate liaison responsibility for minority advertising and marketing promotions, supplier diversity, community relations, and field operations. He is charged with developing a strategic diversity plan and is responsible for monitoring, augmenting, tracking, and supporting those processes that result in the organization's ability to sustain a competitive advantage by leveraging diversity.

Armstrong began his career with Toyota in 1992 as merchandising manager and was responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs targeting special markets based upon ethnicity, gender, and educational background. Armstrong developed and implemented sports, motorsports, media merchandising, auto show, and promotional clothing/specialty merchandising marketing programs.

In 1998, he was appointed supplier development manager and promoted to national manager supplier development January 2002. Armstrong developed the Supplier Development Department at TMS, which included developing an electronic supplier database accessible to all TMS associates in the interest of increasing the utilization of minority and woman-owned businesses. He developed a Second Tier Supplier Program to ensure that TMS majority-owned suppliers utilize minority and woman-owned businesses, and developed metrics and quarterly reporting systems to ensure that TMS is able to monitor its spending with minority and woman-owned business enterprises. Armstrong was instrumental in taking TMS from $44 million in minority/woman-owned business procurement spend in 1998 to over $83 million in 2001.

Prior to Toyota, Armstrong worked as director of business affairs for Universal Television, MCA, Inc., negotiating deals for the services of writers, directors, and producers in connection with television development and production.

Armstrong graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He is an ordained minister with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and serves on the ministerial staff ofRev. Dr. Cecil Murray at First AME Church, Los Angeles, Calif.

Armstrong is past Vice Chair External Affairs of the Southern California Regional Purchasing Council board of directors, and served on the senior corporate executive advisory board of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC. Armstrong resides in West Los Angeles, Calif.