Honoring excellence at SCMSDC Supplier of the Year Awards
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2014 – Being nominated by corporate partners to compete for Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council’s (SCMSDC) Supplier of the Year Award competition is a huge honor. Considering that 3% of SCMSDC’s certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) are nominated for their outstanding work with corporate members, these suppliers are among an elite group of companies worthy of competing for the prestigious award.
Ranging in size from under $1 million in annual sales to over $5 billion and representing such diverse industries as information technology, advertising, construction and printing, this year’s nominees represent the widespread ethnic and industry diversity in SCMSDC’s 13-county Southern California service area. They were recognized at the council’s annual Supplier of the Year Awards luncheon on July 10 at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel.
“The total number of 38 competing suppliers marks the highest number of nominees in recent years,” according to SCMSDC President Virginia Gomez. “And while competition for one winner in each class has been difficult in years past, competition this year was fierce with the increased number of outstanding nominees.”
“The MBE nominees represent the great strides minority businesses and corporate America can make when working together in open, diverse and inclusive partnerships,” states Charles Harmon, Senior Manager, Corporate Procurement/Corporate Services at American Honda Motor Co., which has been the event’s title sponsor for 24 consecutive years. “Diversity is simply good business, and this year’s nominees and winners exemplify this principle,” he adds.
“It was exciting to see the increase in the number of nominees because it signals and represents corporate members’ recognition of MBEs’ contributions to their companies and the growth of our MBEs,” according to SCMSDC Board Chairman Joe Alderete, director of supplier diversity at Southern California Edison. “It’s wonderful to note this event continues to increase in attendance year after year, as it should.”
As a group, the nominees have gross annual sales of about $16.1 billion and employ nearly 60,000 of which approximately 24,000 are minorities. Nominated by corporate members, they competed for the award in four categories, based on gross annual sales of less than $1 million (Class I), between $1 million and $10 million (Class II), between $10 million and $50 million (Class III), and $50 million or greater (Class IV).
The following received 2014 Supplier of the Year Awards:
- · Class I: Cho Estrada Communications, based in Valencia, provides public relations consulting, writing and editorial services. The firm received a scholarship to attend the UCLA Anderson School of Business Management Development for Entrepreneurs Program, courtesy of Union Bank of California. Cho Estrada Communications was nominated by Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Co.
- · Class II: SuperbTech, Inc. based in Culver City, specializes in contract and staffing services. Southern California Gas Co., which provided the nomination, presented SuperbTech with a scholarship to attend UCLA Anderson School of Business Management Development for Entrepreneurs Program.
- · Class III: IW Group offers advertising production, public relations, event coordination, community outreach and media buying services from its West Hollywood headquarters. The company, which was nominated by Southern California Edison, received a scholarship from NBCUniversal to attend Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth.
- · Class IV: Walton Isaacson of Los Angeles implements corporate marketing and media campaigns. Toyota nominated the firm and presented it with a scholarship to the Kellogg School of Business of Management at Northwestern University.
Runners-up in each category received Winners' Circle Awards. These included (Class I) Décor Interior Design, Inc., a Los Angeles facility resource company specializing in tenant improvements, design, planning, janitorial and grounds maintenance; (Class II) Alameda Construction Services, headquartered in Compton, provides site concrete, asphalt, paving, demolition and grading services; Advantage Mailing, Inc., a printing and direct mailing company in Anaheim; and World Wide Technology, based in St. Louis, Mo., provides technology and supply chain solutions.
Other nominees included:
Class I: DHS Creative, a San Diego firm with expertise in entertainment and special events; and San Gabriel-based Earl Security, an alarm and electrical contractor focused on building safety and security.
Class II: Andry Specialty Vehicles in Torrance formulates and executes special events marketing programs; Avery Group, a full food, facility attendant and janitorial services company in El Segundo; BeyondCurious, a Los Angeles firm that provides digital consulting services for the web, mobile and tablet; Blair, Church and Flynn, a professional consulting engineering firm in Clovis offering land surveying, planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture and construction management; Glow Electric Co. provides electrical, voice/data, energy management and preventive maintenance services from its Torrance office; ICE Safety Solutions, headquartered in Fremont, specializes in safety training; Icon Blue, based in Los Angeles, designs, manufactures, packages and distributes promotional merchandise; Kambrian Corporation offers IT/Telecom products and services from its West Covina base; Kanemura Marketing Affiliates, a Torrance-based distributor of promotional items; Marrs Services, Inc., headquartered in Fullerton, provides construction and project management, engineering, environmental, GIS, drafting and remediation services; Think Ink provides printing, promotion and design services from its headquarters in Corona; Urbanracer.com, a Bayside, New York-based firm provides automotive marketing, events and publishing services; Vobecky Enterprises offers nationwide trucking, construction, tenant improvement, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, demolition, masonry, concrete, painting and wall coverings, flooring installations from its Glendora base; and Zeesman Communications, Inc., a marketing and consulting company in Los Angeles.
Class III: GDM, a Chino-based provider of construction equipment, tools and materials; PromoShop, Inc., a Los Angeles firm specializes in promotional and marketing services; RMI International, based in Paramount, offers security services; and Trinity Sterile Systems, a Salisbury, Md., company that manufactures, sources and distributes medical equipment.
Class IV: Agile Sourcing Partners, based in Corona, is a sourcing and supply chain solutions supporting utilities, suppliers, and manufacturers in the gas and electric industries; APR Consulting, a staffing solutions provider headquartered in Diamond Bar, offers talent acquisition, payroll, vendor managed services, recruitment process optimization and business process outsourcing; Collabera, a Morristown, New Jersey firm offers IT staffing, consulting and solutions services; GKK Corporation, based in Irvine, is an architecture and construction firm focused on healthcare, education, government/civic and hospitality/mixed-use projects; Rose International, Inc. provides workforce services and information technology solutions, staffing, vendor management, payroll processing, application development, operations support and project management from its headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo.; SBM Management Services, a McClellan, Calif.-based company offers facilities and janitorial services; SHI International; based in Somerset, New Jersey, a global provider of computer software, hardware, peripherals, networking products, accessories and a broad range of IT lifecycle services; Technology Integration Group, system integrator, professional service provider and value-added reseller of computer systems, supplies, accessories and peripherals, headquartered in San Diego; The Matlet Group, a Pawtuckett, Rhode Island-headquartered printing, packaging and fulfillment company; and ZeroChaos of Orlando, Fla., offers contingent workforce solutions.
This year’s keynote speaker was Myles Kovacs, a leading voice of the influential, trend-setting youth segment who propelled his DUB Publishing, Inc. and family of companies into a $50 million-plus business. Organizations such as Best Buy, Chrysler, Microsoft, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, NASCAR and Pepsi partner with DUB for advice and leadership on products and innovations that connect with youth and the urban mindset young adult culture and build buzz through celebrity affiliation.
Kovacs spoke of his journey from “street kid in East L.A.” to running a highly successful business and some of the challenges he had to overcome. In addition to his business, he gives motivational speeches and devotes his time to charitable organizations, including Make-A-Wish Foundation, SEMA Cares, Child Help, Victory Junction Gang Camp and Tony Hawk Foundation.
Michele Ruiz, president and chief strategist at Ruiz Strategies, a consulting firm that develops content messaging strategies, served as the event's Mistress of Ceremonies.
Through the Supplier of the Year program, established by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), corporate members nominate outstanding performing certified MBE suppliers to compete for the award. MBEs are judged by a selection committee, comprised of SCMSDC corporate members, on their demonstrated business growth and development; employment and job creation; consistent high quality operations, products/services and business performance; procurement/purchasing spend with MBEs; mentoring and other forms of assistance to MBEs; regional council involvement and more.
Local nominees compete in the regional competition, and if selected as winners at that level, move on to national competition. Regional and national winners are recognized at the NMSDC annual conference and awards dinner.
Corporate members providing 2014 nominations were American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; IBM; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Kaiser Permanente; Los Angeles World Airports; Macy’s; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Nestle North America; Southern California Edison; Southern California Gas Co.; The Walt Disney Company; Toyota; Turner Construction; and WellPoint.
In addition to American Honda, other sponsors included (platinum): NBCUniversal; Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Co., Toyota; World Wide Technology; (gold) IW Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation, Walmart; Walton Isaacson, WellPoint; (silver) AT&T; Chevron, East West Bank; The Walt Disney Company; and Verizon. In kind services were provided by GDM and table sponsors included Alameda Construction Services, Inc.; APR Consulting; BeyondCurious; Décor Interior Design; Glow Electric; Kambrian Corporation; Rose International; Technology Integration Group and Zeesman Communications.
About SCMSDC
Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council is the premier organization strengthening economic ties between large, public-, private- and foreign-owned corporations and minority men- and women-owned business enterprises. As the region’s leading minority business advocacy organization, SCMSDC represents the interests of more than 600,000 minority businesses in its 13-county service area in Southern California. The council offers nationally recognized certification to minority-owned businesses, strategic networking between corporate members and certified firms, and education, information, and skills development to help minority businesses enhance their capacity. Headquartered in Los Angeles and one of 24 affiliate councils in the National Minority Supplier Development Council network, SCMSDC has made a positive impact in the minority business community since its founding in 1973. For more information, visit www.scmsdc.org.