“America’s Top 50 Corporations for Diversity” announced

January 27, 2013 | Chamber News

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DiversityBusiness.com announced the “Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities”. Over 1,300,000 diversity business owners participated in an online election to determine the “Top” fifty organizations and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was named the #1 company for providing business opportunities to diverse business owners throughout the United States.

The honor extends itself to another forty-nine major U.S. corporations which call themselves The Div50. This esteemed, elite list is coveted by the most successful companies in the United States and has become the most recognized and respected in the country. These companies truly differentiate themselves in the market place in a time when diversity is on the rise.

“The diversity practices of the Div50 has changed the course of economic inclusion and thereby the world as we know it”, said Kenton Clarke, CEO of DiversityBusiness.com. “The great diversity and vision of our country and our people have made this possible. DiversityBusiness.com is proud to have been a force in the business world for such positive change and opportunity. The initiative that we have led has been instrumental in equalizing the playing field and for that we are very honored indeed.”

The 13th annual list was produced by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation’s leading multicultural B2B online website. Over 1,300,000 businesses were asked to answer 10 questions about diversity business in the marketplace. Their answers were based on factors such as volume, consistency and quality business opportunities granted to women and minority-owned companies. Other large companies at the top of the list include AT&T, IBM, Northrop Grumman, Dell, Office Depot, Verizon, Cisco, Apple, and Raytheon.

Top Honors for Top Corporations

While other awards and “Top” lists crown companies for metrics such as overall economic growth and returns to shareholders, The Div50 is an indicator of which organizations provide the best and the most business for diversity-owned companies. “In a marketplace that is increasingly as sensitive to diversity as it is to revenues, awarding the top buyers of multicultural products and services is becoming a natural part of the new socioeconomic food chain. Organizations that consistently buy the most products and services from diversity businesses, and that sustain the most mutually beneficial business relationships with their multicultural suppliers, should be recognized not only by the business community but also by the general public. That is what we have accomplished in creating The Div50.” said Kenton Clarke.

The Business Power of Diversity

As multicultural and female owned businesses gain more buying power and their lifestyles become more affluent, multicultural markets are growing in economic muscle. This in turn attracts more corporations, as they compete for market share. The Div50 list has therefore become the consumer guide for women and minority consumers. “As a diversity business owner, I appreciate the business we receive from corporate buyers; and in turn, when I buy products and services, either personally or for my company, I am much more likely to buy from the same companies that support my business or are supporting businesses like mine,” said Helen Levinson, principle of Desert Rose Design headquartered in Elmhurst, Illinois.

The Div50

The Div50 is a listing of the top 50 corporate and organizational buyers of diversity products and services throughout the U.S. It represents the voice of over 1,300,000 diversity-owned (women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native American, and other multicultural groups) businesses in the U.S., in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. It has become the Gold Standard to its members and their associates and reaches millions of consumers every year. In thirteen short years, it has become a highly valued metric of corporate excellence in the diversity space.

The winning companies will be honored during a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s 13th Annual Multicultural Business Conference, taking place April 24 –April 26, 2013 at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A complete list of winners is also available at: http://www.diversitybusiness.com/Resources/DivLists/2013/DivTop50/2013Div50C.htm.

Rank	Top 50 Corporations	Rank	Top 50 Corporations
1	Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	26	Walgreens
2	AT & T Inc.	27	Pacific Gas & Electric
3	IBM	28	Target Corporation
4	Northrop Grumman Corporation	29	Colgate-Palmolive Company
5	Office Depot Inc.	30	Wells Fargo
6	Cisco Systems, Inc	31	General Motors
7	Verizon	32	The Home Depot, Inc
8	Raytheon Company	33	Johnson & Johnson
9	Dell	34	Nordstrom
10	Apple Inc.	35	Comcast Corporation
11	Lockheed Martin	36	General Electric
11	Time Warner Inc.	37	Pfizer
12	Toyota	38	Kraft Foods
13	Boeing Company	39	Hospira
14	The Coca-Cola Company	40	Microsoft
15	Kroger	40	MillerCoors
16	Ford	41	Turner Construction Company
17	J.C. Penney Company, Inc.	42	Ahold USA
18	Altria	43	Accenture
19	Hewlett-Packard	44	Capital One Financial Corporation
20	Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association	45	Hilton Worldwide
21	United Parcel Service	46	New York Life
22	United Technologies Corporation	47	Avis Budget Group
23	Super Valu Inc.	48	OfficeMax
24	PepsiCo Inc.	49	Metlife
25	Chrysler	50	Novation