On March 9, Delta Airlines recognized the contributions of its top small-business, minority-owned and women-owned supplier partners during the annual Supplier Diversity Star Awards.
The event took place at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cynn? Simpson, Anchor at FOX 5 News in Atlanta, emceed the program. Bill Lentsch, S.V.P. ? ACS and Cargo Operations, kicked off the event, which was attended by other Delta leaders and colleagues from divisions throughout the company.
?On behalf of our 80,000 employees worldwide, we salute all of the honorees and thank you for helping us to be the preferred airline for millions of customers across the globe,? Lentsch said. ?Having an event like this really helps drive camaraderie and teamwork.?
For 17 years, the Star Awards program has honored suppliers and Delta team members who champion supplier diversity.
?We are committed to a supply chain that reflects the wonderful diversity of our customers worldwide,? said Greg May, S.V.P. ? Supply Chain Management and Fleet Operations. ?Supplier diversity enables us to partner with smaller companies that bring different ideas and ways of doing things to the table.?
Star Awards honorees are nominated and selected by a review committee based on several categories including quality, value creation, innovation, customer service, cost savings and community involvement.
This year?s winners include:
???? Small Business of the Year ? Scheduling Systems, Inc.
???? Minority-owned Business of the Year ? SodexoMAGIC
???? Woman-owned Business of the Year ? Buzz Export Services
???? New Corporate Real Estate Business of the Year ? Max Gray Construction
???? Corporate Real Estate Business of the Year ? Arconcepts, Inc.
???? Team of the Year ? In-Flight Service
???? TJP (Tiffany Jackson-Pugh) Advocate of the Year ? Mark Petro, TechOps Supply Chain, Strategic Sourcing Manager ? Avionics
?Receiving this award is the biggest honor we have ever had,? said Shirley Ghannam, President and CEO of Arconcepts, Inc. ?Delta?s Supplier Diversity program allows smaller companies to create and do work side-by-side with the larger firms.?
Joset Wright-Lacey, President ? National Minority Supplier Development Council, provided the keynote address, highlighting Delta and its partners? advocacy of and leadership in diversity. In addition, following the event, she met with Supply Chain Management leaders and supplier diversity champions from divisions throughout the company to share best practices and discuss the value of diversity in business development.
?Diversity is becoming a critical part of our society that we have to address strategically and appreciate its value,? Wright-Lacey said. ?Your commitment to diversity and inclusion is making a difference.?
The Supplier Diversity Star Awards program supports Delta?s 2016 Flight Plan goal to embrace diverse people, thinking and styles and increase the diversity of leadership and suppliers.
?We are very grateful for the many suppliers that work so hard to assist us in delivering excellence in every area of our business,? said Karmetria Burton, General Manager ? Supply Chain Management, Supplier Diversity. ?The relationships we share with our diverse suppliers are driven by collaborative engagement. Working together, we are able to achieve mutual success.?
