DTE Energy receives multiple honors for Supplier Diversity program

DETROIT, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy has received top honors from three national magazines for its supplier diversity program. Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Women's Enterprise (WE) USA and Black EOE Journal have all recognized DTE for its work in promoting and valuing diversity in the workplace.

"We take our commitment to diversity very seriously at DTE," said Tony Tomczak, DTE Energy director of Supply Chain Management. "In addition to the mentoring we provide our suppliers, we also put our dollars to work. Last year, DTE spent $302 million with certified diversity suppliers, a significant increase compared to 2012. We are honored to have our efforts acknowledged."

Diversity/Careers' readers and online visitors voted, making DTE one of the Best Diversity/Supplier Diversity Companies of 2014.

DTE is among the 2014 WE USA 100 Corporations of the Year for its "commitment to growing and developing women-owned enterprises" and "positively impacting the manner in which our world does business."  

Black EOE Journal polled hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies for its Best of the Best-Part 2 survey. DTE has once again earned the distinction of having a Top Supplier Diversity Program.

DTE has made a concerted effort to conduct business with Michigan-based suppliers as a participant in the Pure Michigan Business Connect Initiative. The company has taken its commitment one step further by also seeking out Michigan suppliers led by minorities and women.

"Independent research has shown that companies who focus on supplier diversity generate a 133% greater return on procurement investments than their counterparts," said Mona Lisa Faris, president and publisher of the Black EOE Journal. "The difference is a minority business enterprise's ability to deliver equal value at a lower operating cost than their larger competitors."

Again this year, DTE Energy expects to spend more than $300 million with certified minority suppliers.

About DTE Energy
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan.  The DTE Energy portfolio also includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects and energy trading.  Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.

SOURCE DTE Energy