Chrysler Group's Matchmaker Program Celebrates 15th Year Creating Value for Minority Businesses and Communities

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Sep 18, 2014, 10:00 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Annual trade fair grew to more than 2,900 participants in 2014
More than 270 minority, women, veteran and majority-owned Chrysler Group suppliers participated in the day-long program
Matchmaker has generated more than $2.1 billion in new business opportunities for exhibitors since 2000

Chrysler Group LLC continued to demonstrate its historic commitment to supplier diversity and minority supplier development, hosting the 15th annual Matchmaker event today at the Company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Matchmaker provides minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses access to Chrysler Group's Tier 1 suppliers and to decision makers in the Company's procurement organization. The program has generated more than $2.1 billion in new business opportunities for exhibitors since 2000.

Matchmaker continues to be the much-copied, premier networking trade event in the automotive supplier community. This year's Matchmaker attracted more than 2,900 participants. More than 270 minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and majority-owned Chrysler Group suppliers participated in the day-long event.

"Chrysler Group is as committed as ever to creating a diverse and sustainable supply base that directly reflects our customers," said Tom Finelli, Vice President, NAFTA Purchasing and Supplier Quality, Chrysler Group LLC. "Our commitment to diversity is deeply rooted and fully engages our entire team, including our extended enterprise partners. This enables us to better understand and satisfy –- perhaps even to better anticipate — the tastes and needs of diverse customers and communities."

Chrysler Group's supplier diversity goals require that 10 percent of a Tier 1 supplier's procurement buy be sourced to certified minority suppliers. Chrysler Group itself spent $2.1 billion with approximately 200 minority suppliers in 2013, representing 6.9 percent of the Company's total annual purchasing. Since 1983, the Company has purchased nearly $52 billion from minority-owned suppliers.

"Programs like Matchmaker enable Chrysler Group to operate efficiently and sustainably, and to bring innovative new products to market that resonate with a diverse customer base," said Kevin L. Bell, Senior Manager - Diversity Supplier Development, Chrysler Group LLC. "These programs also ensure that the economic benefits of our business are shared with members of our diverse communities."

In addition to its robust business-to-business feature, Matchmaker offers minority-owned suppliers unique opportunities to participate in a wide range of development seminars designed to give these suppliers knowledge that can help strengthen their businesses. The seminars, led by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and others, cover such topics as access to capital and minority business services, merger and acquisition strategies, the use of various computer programs designed to assist Tier 1 and minority suppliers to do business with one another and the implications of federal healthcare reform for small and medium-sized businesses.

Chrysler Group continues to support several organizations that assist Tier 1 suppliers with achieving their minority-owned and women-owned sourcing goals. These organizations include the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. In addition, Chrysler Group supports veteran-business ownership through membership with the National Veteran-Owned Business Association.

About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., designs, engineers, manufactures, distributes and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, and the SRT performance vehicle designation. The Company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C and Mopar products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler Group's culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat's complementary technology that dates back to its founding in 1899. Chrysler Group became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat on Jan. 21, 2014.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chrysler Group's product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger and Viper SRT, Ram 1500 and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

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