NMSDC Names DaimlerChrysler Corporation of the Year

Key Minority Businesses Also Recognized

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3 -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) presented DaimlerChrysler with the prestigious "Corporation of the Year" Award on November 1, 2006, at its conference in San Diego, in recognition of the company's exemplary achievements in the area of minority business development.

The award is regarded as the most significant honor to a major corporation for the utilization of minority suppliers. Since NMSDC was founded in 1972, hundreds of major corporations have launched initiatives to increase their business relationships with minority suppliers.

DaimlerChrysler increased its spend with minority businesses (Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American) to $1.9 billion for 2005 despite overall purchasing reduction.

DaimlerChrysler has several initiatives in place to develop suppliers, including financial assistance, business assessments and mentoring, educational fellowships and technical training. The Second Tier Program requires all suppliers (minority as well as majority) to establish a minority supplier development process.

Joan Kerr, executive director of supplier diversity programs at AT&T, received the MBE Coordinator of the Year award in recognition of innovative supplier development activities and leadership across industry groups and across the country.

Four top minority businesses were also recognized as national "Suppliers of the Year" for excellence in business acumen and community service. They are: Creative Marketing Resources, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Delaco Steel Corporation, Dearborn, Michigan; Pinnacle Technical Resources, Inc., Dallas, Texas; and 3i People, Alpharetta, Georgia.

"These are some of NMSDC's most competitive awards, given to minority-owned suppliers who distinguish their businesses by demonstrating sales and employment growth while overcoming significant obstacles as a result of heritage or background; consistently offering superior products at competitive prices; and significantly contributing of the growth and development of this country's communities," said Harriet R. Michel, president of NMSDC. "These businesses have met and often exceeded the most exacting standards of the corporate America."

Twelve minority businesses were honored as regional "Supplier of the Year." They are: ASV, Inc., Torrance, California; All-N-One Services, Humble, Texas; AlphaGraphics, Edison, New Jersey; Burrell Communications Group, Chicago, Illinois; Chrysalis Packaging and Assembly Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Global Consultants, Inc., Morristown, New Jersey; KHRAFA Engineering Consultants, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky; Logical Integrations, Inc., Roswell, Georgia; New Era Builders, Cleveland, Ohio; Primus Software Corporation, Duluth, Georgia; Trillion Communications, Bessemer, Alabama; United Building Maintenance, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois.

The Houston Minority Business Council was awarded the Council of the Year award, for providing stellar services to hundreds of corporations and minority-businesses in the Houston area.

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 39 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 15,000 minority-owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase goods and services.

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