NMSDC Names AT&T Corporation of the Year

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Top Minority Businesses Also Honored

MIAMI, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) honored AT&T with the prestigious "Corporation of the Year" award last night at its Awards Banquet, capping its conference and business opportunity fair in Miami.

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, AT&T continues to demonstrate its 41-year commitment to increasing procurement opportunities corporate-wide for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

Supplier diversity objectives are among AT&T's core principles. The company not only ties its diversity initiatives to performance and top company metrics, but it also incorporates them in its procurement processes and official methods and procedures. In 2009, the company spent more than $5.1 billion with certified minority suppliers, which represents an 8 percent increase from 2008 – despite a challenging economy. Since spending its first billion with MBEs in 2000, AT&T has met or exceeded that number every year except one, an accomplishment that led to its induction in the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

"AT&T's performance in minority supplier development is among the best in corporate America," said NMSDC president Joset B. Wright. "Supplier diversity is firmly embedded in the company's culture and internal processes. Year after year, AT&T demonstrates its support of minority businesses through its procurement activity and participation in educational opportunities for MBEs across the NMSDC network. We are pleased to recognize their commitment to supplier diversity with this award."

AT&T is a long-time supporter of NMSDC's Advanced Management Education Program offered in partnership with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Over the past 10 years, the telecommunications company has provided $200,000 in scholarships, making it possible for many MBEs to attend executive education programs. AT&T has also sponsored MBEs for inclusion in NMSDC's Corporate Plus® program, a designation for minority businesses that have demonstrated success in executing national contracts and have capacity for more.  

At its banquet, NMSDC also presented awards for individual leadership in Minority Supplier Development, Suppliers of the Year and Regional Council of the Year.

Michael K. Robinson, director of global supplier diversity for IBM, received the Minority Supplier Development Leader of the Year award in recognition of exemplary development programs for minority business owners, as well as exceptional leadership and impact throughout corporate America. IBM's spend with minority suppliers is more than $1 billion annually.

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:  Cherokee Data Solutions in Claremore, Oklahoma, in the category for businesses with sales less than $1 million; All(n)1 Security Services in Atlanta, Georgia among firms with $1 million to $10 million in sales; Reggio's Pizza Inc. in Chicago, Illinois in the category for businesses with sales between $10 million and $50 million; and Pinnacle Technical Resources, based in Dallas, for firms with sales greater than $50 million.

Eleven minority businesses were honored as Regional Suppliers of the Year. They are Accolades, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia; AKRAYA Inc., Sunnyvale, California; commVerge Marketing, Milford, Connecticut; David Mason & Associates, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri; Diversified Security Solutions, Racine, Wisconsin; Hightowers Petroleum Company, Franklin, Ohio; ICE Safety Solutions, Fremont, California; Primus Software Corporation, Duluth, Georgia; SAI Systems International, Shelton, Connecticut; SBM Site Services, LLC, McClellan, California and Tiger Controls, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council earned Council of the Year honors for providing outstanding service to hundreds of corporations and minority businesses in Michigan. 

Richard A. Hughes, vice chairman of NMSDC's board of directors and chief purchasing officer at The Procter & Gamble Company, and Terry J. Lundgren, board chairman and chairman, president and chief executive officer at Macy's, Inc., received appreciation awards for their long-standing commitment to minority supplier development and their leadership within NMSDC.

A special highlight of the evening was the presence of NMSDC founding chairman Robert Stuart, who gave heartfelt remarks about his participation in establishing the National Minority Purchasing Council—as it was named in 1972—and witnessing the growth and continuing success of the organization today.

About NMSDC

Providing a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses is the primary objective of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, one of the country's leading business membership organizations. It 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 37 Regional Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including America's top publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions. The Regional Councils certify and match more than 16,000 minority-owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their goods and services. 

For more information about NMSDC, call (212) 944-2430 or visit the Web site at www.nmsdc.org.

SOURCE National Minority Supplier Development Council