supplier base, IBM contracts with nearly 200 minority suppliers out of 6,540, and several BE 100S companies have joined the ranks of
IBM’s top vendors, including staffing firm Act-1 Group (No. 3 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $800 million in sales). ; 2006, 2005; Advertising Diversity Rating: 2; Strengths: Board of Directors
Kellogg Co.; Battle Creek, MI; Packaged goods; Sherri Toney, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion; Started in 1906, Kellogg, producer of the iconic Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and other cereals, employs more than 19,000 people, with black employees comprising 19% of that total. African Americans have moved into the ranks of upper management, with six becoming senior managers and two corporate officers. Ethnic minorities comprise a third of Kellogg’s board. The company also excels in supplier diversity, spending $70 million with African American suppliers, including two companies on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list: Mays Chemical Co. Inc. (No. 27 with $155 million in sales) and Baldwin Richardson Foods (No. 39 with $113 million in sales). ; 2006; Advertising Diversity Rating: 3; Strengths: Supplier Diversity
MGM MIRAGE; Las Vegas; Hotels, casinos, and resorts; Debra Nelson, VP, Corporate Diversity; MGM MIRAGE is the first gaming company to launch a voluntary diversity initiative. Of the company’s 70,000 employees, 41.4% are minorities. MGM MIRAGE is unique in that it also focuses on construction diversity. The company actively recruits women and minority general contractors, subcontractors, and construction suppliers through its Construction Diversity Initiative. Among its recruits is Thor Construction (No. 50 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $84 million in sales). It spent more than $185 million with minority suppliers last year. ; 2006, 2005; Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Supplier Diversity, Senior Management, Board of Directors
Marriott International Inc. ; Washington, DC; Lodging; Priscilla Hollman, Vice President, Diversity Relations; Diversity has been a major part of Marriott International’s franchisee development. In 2005, the hotel chain set an ambitious goal of having 500 properties owned by minorities by 2010; by the close of 2006, the number of hotels with minority or women owners and management had reached 400. Robert Johnson, CEO of RLJ Development L.L.C. (No. 8 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $460 million in sales), increased the number of his properties from 40 to more than 100. Moreover, two of the lodging giant’s 10 board members are black, and 8% of the company’s senior managers are minorities. ; 2006, 2005; Advertising Diversity Rating: 1; Strengths: Senior Management, Employee Base, Board of Directors
Pepco Holdings Inc.; Washington, DC; Utilities; Joy Dorsey, Director, Diversity & HR Strategic Planning; Pepco Holdings is fueling innovation through diversity. With African Americans comprising more than 25% of its workforce, the company is “committed to creating a work environment where everyone and every group fits, feels accepted, has value, and can contribute to the company’s success,” maintains Diversity Specialist Carolyn Lomax. In 2006, Pepco spent more than 11% of its $452 million procurement budget with ethnic minority suppliers and has created successful strategic partnerships with firms run by women, African Americans, and other minorities. ; 2006,