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America's Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities - 2004 |
Over 350,000 women and minority owned businesses had the opportunity to vote in the online election. The election was conducted in a secure Internet environment utilizing the latest technology available. Forbes 500 companies and Government Agencies were selected for the awards based on business opportunities they provide to diversity owned businesses. |
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Rank |
Top 50 Corporations |
1 |
Bank of America |
2 |
Lockheed Martin |
3 |
IBM |
4 |
OfficeMax / Boise Office Solutions |
5 |
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
6 |
BellSouth Corporation |
7 |
Dell, Inc. |
8 |
General Motors Corporation |
9 |
Procter & Gamble Co. |
10 |
Coca-Cola |
11 |
United Parcel Service |
12 |
SBC Communications |
13 |
Time Warner Inc. |
14 |
Raytheon Company |
15 |
General Mills |
16 |
Office Depot, Inc. |
17 |
Pepsico Inc. |
18 |
Verizon |
18 |
Hewlett-Packard Company |
19 |
Xerox |
20 |
Adolph Coors Company |
21 |
DaimlerChrysler |
22 |
Toyota Motor Sales |
23 |
Exxon Mobil |
24 |
American Express |
25 |
Avon Products, Inc. |
26 |
Boeing Company |
27 |
Microsoft Corporation |
28 |
Northrop Grumman Corporation |
29 |
Altria Group |
29 |
Walt Disney Company |
30 |
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. |
31 |
Fannie Mae |
32 |
Home Depot, Inc. |
33 |
Sprint |
34 |
Starbucks Corporation |
35 |
Wachovia Corporation |
36 |
AT&T Corp |
37 |
Comcast Corporation |
38 |
General Dynamics Corporation |
39 |
McDonald's Corporation |
40 |
Abbott Laboratories |
41 |
Cisco Systems, Inc. |
42 |
Citigroup Inc |
43 |
Coca-Cola Enterprises |
43 |
Pitney Bowes |
44 |
Major League Baseball |
45 |
Freddie Mac |
45 |
General Electric Company |
46 |
Johnson & Johnson |
47 |
Progress Energy Inc. |
48 |
Pfizer Inc. |
49 |
Verizon Wireless |
49 |
Chevron Texaco Corporation |
50 |
Sempra Energy | |
Rank |
Top Government Agencies |
1 |
Minority Business Development Agency |
2 |
Small Business Administration |
3 |
U.S. Postal Service |
4 |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
5 |
Department of Defense |
6 |
U.S. Army |
7 |
General Services Administration |
8 |
Department of Transportation |
9 |
Department of Health and Human Services |
10 |
Department of Education |
11 |
Department of Housing and Urban Development |
12 |
Department of Agriculture |
13 |
Defense Logistics Agency |
14 |
U.S. Navy |
15 |
U.S. Air Force |
16 |
Department of Veterans Affairs |
17 |
Department of Justice |
18 |
Department of Energy |
19 |
Agency for International Development |
20 |
Department of Commerce | | |
Honorable Mention |
Apple Computer, Inc. |
3M Company |
Best Buy |
Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc |
Cardinal Health |
Motorola |
Computer Science Corporation |
PSEG |
Delta Airlines |
Staples |
eBay |
Target Corporation |
Eastman Kodak Company |
Unisys |
Georgia-Pacific |
United Technologies Corporation |
Harley-Davidson, Inc. |
Waste Management, Inc. |
Johnson Controls Inc. |
Yum Brands | |
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Diversity Businesses Vote on Top Corporations |
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December 20, 2004
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The Power of Choice: Diversity Businesses Vote on Top Corporations
Southport, CT, Dec 20, 2004/ DiversityBusiness.com / Bank of America was today declared as the Top Corporation for Multicultural Business Opportunities of 2004 by over 350,000 diversity business owners. The honor extends to another forty-nine major corporations and is collectively called the Div50. The 5th annual list was produced by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation's leading multicultural B2B online portal. The voting business owners based their decisions on such factors as the volume, consistency and quality of business opportunities granted to women and minority-owned companies. Other large companies at the top of the list are Office Max, BellSouth, Lockheed Martin, Dell, General Motors and IBM.
Top Honors for Top Corporations While other awards and top lists crown companies for overall economic growth, returns to shareholders and similar metrics, the Div50 is an indicator of which organizations provide the best and the most business for diversity-owned companies. In a marketplace that is increasingly as sensitive to diversity as it is to revenues, recognizing the top buyers of multicultural products and services is becoming a natural part of the new socioeconomic food chain. Those organizations that buy the most products and services, most consistently, from diversity businesses, and that sustain the most mutually beneficial business relationships with their multicultural suppliers, should be recognized not only by the suppliers but also by the general public, said Kenton Clarke, CEO of DiversityBusiness.com.
The Business Power of Diversity As minorities gain more buying power and their lifestyles become more affluent, multicultural markets are growing in economic muscle. This in turn attracts more corporations, as they compete for market share in minority communities. The Div50 list has become, by virtue of association, a consumer guide of sorts for women and minority consumers. As a diversity business owner, I appreciate the business we receive from corporate buyers; and in turn, when I buy products and services, either as a company or as a private individual, I am much more likely to buy from the same companies that are supporting my business, or that I know are supporting businesses like mine, said Nancy Connolly, owner of Lasertone Corporation headquartered in Littleton, MA.
The list is circulated to over 1,000 organizations that distribute it to their members and associates; it thus reaches millions of consumers every year. In 5 short years, it has become a highly valued metric of corporate excellence in the diversity procurement space.
The Div50 The Div50 is a listing of the top 50 corporate and organizational buyers of diversity products and services throughout the country. It represents the voices of over 350,000 diversity-owned (women, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Indian and other minority groups) businesses in the U.S., in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. The Div50 is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation's leading multicultural B2B Internet portal that links large organizational buyers to multicultural product and service suppliers.
Over 350,000 women and minority owned businesses had the opportunity to vote in the 2004 online election. The winning companies will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.coms 5th Annual Multicultural Business Conference, taking place March 30 April 1, 2005 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
A complete list of the winners is available at: http://www.div2000.com/div50
About DiversityBusiness.com Launched in 1999, DiversityBusiness.com with over 27,000 members is the largest organization of diversity-owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies and colleges and universities. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. It is a membership-based exchange platform that facilitates contacts and communication, streamlines business processes and provides vital business news and information. DiversityBusiness.com is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. (CCAii.com) of Southport, CT. Founded in 1980, CCAii has garnered many awards by entities such as the Small Business Administration, Ernst & Young and Black Enterprise Magazine.
Press Contact: Odetta Rogers Director of Communications DiversityBusiness.com
Source: DiversityBusiness.com
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