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| Native American Business Alliance Honors DaimlerChrysler and General Motors | |
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| May 12, 2004 |
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DETROIT, May 12 -- The Native American Business Alliance
(NABA) announced this year's recipients of its most prestigious business
awards -- "The Corporation of the Year" and "The Advocate of the Year" --
during its 2004 Conference held on the Santa Ana Pueblo Indian Reservation at
the Hyatt Tamaya near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 25-27, 2004.
For the first time, two companies shared "The Corporation of the Year" award -- DaimlerChrysler and General Motors. "It was a very difficult decision, but both companies clearly deserved the honor," said Paul Bresette, NABA President. "Both DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have been incredibly supportive of NABA since its inception. In fact, NABA would not be where it is today without their support," he said. The honor of "Corporation of the Year" is awarded to the company that, by its actions, provides clear opportunities for Native American Businesses to compete fairly for new business contracts and exemplifies the mission of the Native American Business Alliance: * to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships between private and public businesses with Native American-owned companies and * to educate the communities about Native American culture, paving the way for future generations. "We are honored by this recognition," said Tom Sidlik, member of the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management responsible for Global Procurement & Supply. "The Native American Business Alliance has been a great partner and their efforts have helped us reach our own supplier diversity business objectives here at DaimlerChrysler." "This honor reinforces our commitment to invest in and mentor minority suppliers," said Bo Andersson, vice president GM Worldwide Purchasing, Production Control and Logistics. "In return, our minority suppliers, including those owned and operated by Native Americans, are demonstrating they can compete with the best automotive suppliers in the world." "Advocate of the Year" honors went to Mr. Paul Schupmann, Senior Manager, Minority Supplier Diversity from General Mills. "Mr. Schupmann was a unanimous choice for 'Advocate of the Year,'" said Paul Bresette. "He was selected for his unfailing willingness to provide fair and equitable opportunities for Native American-owned businesses that wished to work with General Mills." In addition to the two major awards noted above, a special honor, "The Eagle Spirit Award," was given to the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico for their outstanding assistance organizing this year's conference. The Native American Business Alliance was established in 1995 by four Ohio based businessmen seeking to provide Native American-owned businesses a fair opportunity to compete for business with other companies. In 1999, NABA moved to its present offices in Bingham Farms, Michigan in suburban Detroit. NABA's more than 200 Native American owned member companies are part of a growing business community in the United States. The latest census figures indicate there are 197,000 Native American owned businesses in the U.S. which generate more than 34 million dollars and employ 300 thousand people every year. This was NABA's fourth annual conference and the second gala dinner. Last year's "Corporation of the Year" award winner was UPS. For more information about the Native American Business Alliance, please call: Jackie Gant, National Executive Director, at 248-988-9344 or visit NABA's website at http://www.native-american-bus.org Source: Native American Business Alliance |
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