Avis Group Honored Among 16 Top Corporations For Its Work With Thousands of Women-Owned Businesses
3 October 2000
Avis Group Honored Among 16 Top Corporations For Its Work With Thousands of Women-Owned Businesses
Avis Is Only Automotive Transportation Company Among 'Sweet 16'
Cited by Women's Business Enterprises National Council
GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Oct. 3 Avis Group Holdings, Inc.
is being honored today among 16 top American corporations for its
work with thousands of certified women-owned businesses in a variety of
fields, it was announced Monday by the Women's Business Enterprise National
Council (WBENC).
Known as the "Sweet 16," or America's Top Corporations for Women's
Business Enterprises, the prestigious award is based on WBENC's annual survey
and analysis of corporate best practices among women's business supplier
diversity programs. Avis Group, a world leader in comprehensive automotive
transportation and vehicle management solutions, is the only company with
major operations in the vehicle management and car rental industries to be so
recognized.
"WBENC's mission is to expand market opportunities for women's business
enterprises in both the private and public sectors," said WBENC President
Susan Phillips Bari in making the announcement. "The Top Corporations list is
a benchmark from which to gauge the growth and impact of corporate supplier
diversity programs among these women's endeavors. We send our heartfelt
congratulations to Avis Group for helping to set the industry pace." The
award is being presented to Avis at "Forum 2000", a WBENC conference on
diversity in New Orleans.
"We are, of course, honored to be named to the 'Sweet 16'," said Avis
Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer A. Barry Rand. "Avis Group and its
24,000 employees understand the richness that diversity can bring to a large
corporation. Our focus on diversity includes a commitment to supplier
diversity, and our interaction with thousands of certified women's enterprises
is proof of our commitment. Our efforts are not only the right thing to do;
they make good business sense."
The WBENC recognition is the latest in a series of honors for Avis Group
and its focus on diversity. In June, Fortune magazine recognized Avis as one
of "The 50 Best Companies for Minorities." Ranked eighth on the list, Avis
was judged on a number of criteria, including supplier diversity.
The other corporations named among the "Sweet 16" this year are: American
Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Cinergy, JC Penney, Johnson & Johnson,
Pepsico, SBC Communications, Shell Oil Companies, Texaco, Texas Instruments,
The Chase Manhattan Bank, TXU, United Parcel Service and Xerox.
The WBENC is issuing a 30-page report summarizing the 16 corporations'
supplier diversity programs and the Corporate Best Practices survey. A copy
is available by contacting WEBNC at: 202-872-5515 or info@wbenc.org.
Avis Group Holdings, Inc. is one of the world's leading service and
information providers of comprehensive automotive transportation and vehicle
management solutions. The Company operates the second largest general-use car
rental business in the world, with locations in the United States, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American Caribbean region. In 1999, the
Company acquired PHH Vehicle Management Services, the world's second largest
fleet management and leasing company, together with Wright Express, the
world's largest fleet card provider.
For additional information and news, please log onto the Avis Web Site
(http://www.avis.com) or call Company News on Call at 1-800-758-5804, Access
Code #078975.
The Women's Business Enterprise National Council, with national
headquarters in Washington, DC, is dedicated to enhancing opportunities for
women's business enterprises. In partnership with women's business
organizations throughout the United States, WBENC provides access to a
national standard of certification and provides information on certified
businesses to purchasing managers through an Internet database -- WBENCLink.
For more information about the 2000 list of America's Top Corporations for
WBEs, visit the WBENC web site at http://www.wbenc.org.