NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) held its 2015 Business Conference and Expo at the San Diego Convention Center from October 18-21. The four-day event brought together over 6,000 minority suppliers and representatives from some of America's largest corporations.
This year, NMSDC honored Ford Motor Company with the prestigious "Corporation of the Year" award. NMSDC's Corporation of the Year award is the most sought-after honor for major corporations dedicated to improving the overall participation of Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American suppliers. In winning the award, Ford continues to demonstrate its commitment to increasing procurement opportunities corporate-wide for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
NMSDC also presented awards for leadership in Minority Supplier Development, Suppliers of the Year, Regional Council of the year, and Top Performing Corporations.
Reginald Humphrey, manager supplier diversity at General Motors, received the Minority Supplier Development Leader of the Year award in recognition of his impact throughout his company and in the minority business community. A few of Mr. Humphrey's highlights included spending more than $3 Billion with certified MBEs, representing 3.5% growth over 2013. In second tier, they have reached a milestone of $2.7 billion, a 50% increase over 2013. Reginald is also in his second year serving as president of NMSDC's auto industry group.
Four top minority businesses were recognized as National Suppliers of the Year in recognition of their business acumen and excellence in community service. They are: AHRMDCO International LLC in Houston, Texas, in the category for businesses with sales less than $1 million; Beyond Curious Inc. in Los Angeles, California among firms with $1 million to $10 million in sales; Systel Inc. in Alpharetta, Georgia in the category for businesses with sales between $10 million and $50 million; and Zones, Inc. based in Auburn, Washington for firms with sales greater than $50 million.
Twelve minority businesses were honored as Regional Suppliers of the Year. They are Glory Professional Cleaning Services Conveys, Georgia; Picture That, LLC., Stamford, Connecticut; Strategic Management Solutions, LLC., Indianapolis, Indiana; Foresight Construction Group, Gainesville, Florida; Global Strategic Supply Solutions, Livonia, Michigan; Horizon Services Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama; Dynamic Language in Seattle, Washington; VIVA USA in Rolling Meadows, Illinois; CB TECH in Gahanna, Ohio; Hightower Petroleum Company in Middletown, Ohio; Pyramid Consulting Inc. in Alpharetta, Georgia; Dakkota Integrated Systems, LLC. in Holt, Michigan.
The Dallas/ Forth Worth Minority Supplier Development Council earned Council of the Year honors for providing outstanding service to corporations and minority businesses in Dallas Forth Worth.
New to this year's conference awards was the addition of the Top Performers Awards which included six categories: 1) Gazelle Companies; 2) Best Development Programs; 3) Top Tier 2 Programs; 4) Access to Capital; 5) Global Program and 6) Innovation.
The first category, Gazelle Companies are being recognized for their rapid growth pace – the five winners had a growth pace of 25% or more in one year alone. The Gazelle companies winners are: Dell, Exxon Mobile, Merck, Starbucks and Wells Fargo.
The second category, the best development programs are being recognized for having the best minority supplier development program. The Best Development Programs winners are: The Boeing Company, General Motors, and Johnson & Johnson.
The third category, Top Tier 2 programs recognizes corporations with top tier 2 programs. The Top Tier 2 Programs winners are: Walmart, Pepsico and Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America.
The fourth category, Access to Capital, is given to a corporation that has demonstrated a corporate initiative to provide access to capital solutions and unique financial arrangements to minority suppliers. The Access to Capital winner is Comcast.
The fifth category, global program, is given to the corporation with the top preforming global program, the Global Program winner is IBM.
The sixth category, innovation recognizes a new corporate method, initiative, or process to accelerate and positively impact minority supplier development supporting NMSDC's vision. The innovation winner is Johnson Controls Inc.
"The NMSDC Conference offers an environment to identify business opportunities and to attend workshops and seminars to help corporate members and MBEs develop their skill," said Joset Wright-Lacy, President of NMSDC. "This year's award winners are advocates and leaders in the supplier diversity space."
About NMSDC
The National Minority Supplier Development Council advances business opportunities for certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American business enterprises and connects them to corporate members. One of the country's leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.
The NMSDC Network includes a National Office in New York and 24 affiliate regional councils across the country. There are 1,750 corporate members throughout the network, including most of America's largest publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned NMSDC companies, as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. The regional councils certify and match nearly 12,000 minority-owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their products, services and solutions.
The NMSDC network also includes five international partner organizations located in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China and South Africa. For more information, visit www.NMSDC.org.