[ 1999-2010 Award Recipients ]

 

On Thursday, March 25, 2010, WBENC proudly co-hosted with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, the 21 recipients of the prestigious America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises award in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Room of the U.S. State Department. The event occurred during WBENC's 2010 Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises: The Opportunity Connection, attracting over 800 and celebrating the 14 Women's Business Enterprise Stars who are exemplary WBEs from across the country.

The 2009 Top Corporations for WBEs are: Accenture; Alcatel-Lucent; AT&T; Avis Budget Group, Inc.; Chevron; Dell; Energy Future Holdings; Ernst & Young LLP; Exxon Mobil Corporation; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; Manpower; Marriott International, Inc.; Microsoft; Office Depot; PepsiCo, Inc.; Pfizer Inc; Shell Oil Company; UPS; and Verizon.
 

(Click photo for enlarged view) Seated L to R: Magda Yrizarry - Verizon; Annette Verschuren - Chevron; Francene Young – Shell Oil Company; Jean Ann Baderschneider – Exxon Mobil Corporation; Lisa Martin - Pfizer Inc; William Fanning - IBM; Maria Lindenberg - The Home Depot; Martha Artiles – Manpower, Inc.; Carol Wilner - AT&T; Kristen Micalizio - Office Depot. Standing L to R: Pamela Prince-Eason - Pfizer Inc; Gilbert Casellas – Dell, Inc.; Alex Gorsky - Johnson & Johnson; James Mallard - UPS; Al Williams - Accenture; Mitchell Adamek - PepsiCo, Inc.; Tim McBride - Microsoft Corporation; Robert Lambert – Avis Budget Group, Inc.; Mike Greene - Energy Future Holdings ; Nicholas De Tura – Alcatel-Lucent; Theresa Harrison – Ernst & Young; Linda Denny - WBENC; Olsa Martini – OLSA Resources. Not Pictured: Arne M. Sorenson, President & Chief Operations Officer, Marriott International, Inc.

The corporations and their guests were joined by 25 high-ranking State Department representatives including: Under Secretary Robert Hormats, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Assistant Secretary Jose Fernandez, and Lorraine Hariton, Special Representative for Business & Commercial Affairs.  Introduced by WBENC President Linda Denny, each corporation had the opportunity to speak to the audience and was then presented with its award by Ms. Hariton.

In his remarks, Under Secretary Hormats emphasized the importance of the award winners efforts when he said, "Before us are 21 companies that have provided global leadership in supporting the growth and development of women's businesses at home and across the globe. And our nation is stronger because of it."  Click here to read the Under Secretary's remarks on the State Department's website.

Front Row – Left to Right: Lauventria Robinson,Vice President, Diversity Business Development, The Coca-Cola Company; Tanya Penny, Vice President, Sourcing and Procurement, Verizon; Monica Luechtefeld, Executive Vice President, ECommerce and Direct Marketing, Office Depot; Francene Young, Vice President Diversity, Inclusion and Talent, Shell Oil Company; Kathy Homeyer, Director, Supplier Diversity, UPS; Lisa Martin, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Pfizer Inc; Cynthia Marshall, AT&T State President, AT&T; Martha Artiles, Chief Diversity Officer, Manpower, Inc.; Betsy Hosick, General Manager Midstream Procurement, Chevron Corporation; Martha Rangel, Senior Vice President, Supplier Development, Bank of America Supply Chain Management. Back Row – Left to Right: Connie Rankin, President of Customized Real Estate Services and Chair of the America's Top Corporations for WBEs Selection Panel; Anthony Carter, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion, Johnson & Johnson; Jens Gruenkemeier, Director, Global Procurement, Dell; John Young, CEO, Energy Future Holdings; Tom Gartland, EVP, Sales & Marketing, Avis Budget Group; Mitchell Adamek, Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer, PepsiCo, Inc.; Kevin Campbell, Group Chief Executive-Outsourcing, Accenture; Nick DeTura, Senior Vice President Quality Assurance and Customer Care, Alcatel-Lucent; Linda Denny, President and CEO, WBENC.
Accenture LLP	Alcatel-Lucent	AT&T Inc.
Avis Budget Group, Inc.	Bank of America	Chevron
Dell	Energy Future Holdings	Exxon Mobil Corporation
IBM	Johnson & Johnson	Manpower Inc.
Office Depot	PepsiCo, Inc.	Pfizer Inc.
Shell Oil Company	The Coca-Cola Company	UPS
		Verizon

Seated Left to Right: Ranjini Poddar, President, Artech Information Systems, L.L.C. and Top Corporations Selection Committee Chair; Pamela Price Eason, Vice President, Worldwide Procurement, Pfizer Inc; Karen Sciafani, Executive Vice President and General Council, Avis Budget Group, Inc.; Elisa Garcia, Executive Vice President, General Council and Corporate Secretary, Office Depot; Laura Reiling, Business Manager, Corporate Procurement, Chevron Corporation; Kathy Homeyer, Director, Supplier Diversity, Corporate Procurement Services, UPS; Cheryl Stevens, Vice President, Supplier Diversity, Energy Future Holdings and WBENC Board Chair; and Maureen Merkle, President of Procurement, AT&T. Standing Left to Right: Tanya Penny, Vice President Sourcing and Procurement Operations, Verizon; Bill Couper, Market President, Bank of America; Nick DeTura, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain and Procurement, Alcatel-Lucent; William Fanning, Director of Global Procurement Operations & University Relations, IBM Corporation; Mitch Adamek, Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, PepsiCo, Inc.; William J. Alcorn, Senior Vice President, Controller, Chief Purchasing Officer, JCPenney Company, Inc.; Ken Carty, Vice President and CPO, The Coca-Cola Company; Laurie Acreman, Strategic Improvements Manager, Global Procurement, ExxonMobil Global Services Company; John Jefferson, Director of Diversity,Shell Oil Company; and Linda Denny, WBENC President and CEO.

Alcatel-Lucent	AT&T	Avis Budget Group
Bank of America	Chevron Corporation	Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU Corp.)
Exxon Mobil Corporation	IBM Corporation	J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
Office Depot	PepsiCo, Inc.	Pfizer, Inc.
Shell Oil Company	The Coca-Cola Company	UPS
		Verizon

Ceremony Participants (front row seated left to right): Maureen Merkel, President, AT&T Procurement; Linda Denny, Interim President, WBENC; Joseph Hill, Executive Vice President, Strategic Sourcing Executive, Bank of America; Elizabeth Hosick, General Manager, Global Procurement, Chevron Corporation; Gwendolyn Turner, Supplier Diversity, Pfizer Inc; Linda Drake, Chief Executive Officer, TCIM Services, Inc.; Back row standing left to right: Tanya Penny, Vice President, Verizon; Carolyn Walsh, Vice President, Southwest Region, UPS; Michael McGranaghan, Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Johnson & Johnson; Scott Buchanan, VP, PepsiCo Global Procurement, PepsiCo Inc.; Robert McCormes-Ballou, Director, Vendor Development & Diversity, Office Depot; Ingrid Saunders Jones, Senior Vice President, Corporate External Affairs and Chair of the Coca-Cola Foundation; John Wilder, Chairman and CEO, TXU; Karen Sclafani, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Avis Budget Group, Inc.; Michael Robinson, Program Director, Global Supplier Diversity, IBM Corporation; John Jefferson, Director of Diversity, Shell Oil Company; and Jean Baderschneider, Vice President, Global Procurement, Exxon Mobil Corporation.

AT&T	Avis Budget Group, Inc.	Bank of America, N.A.
BellSouth Corporation	Chevron Corporation	Exxon Mobil Corporation
IBM Corporation	Johnson & Johnson	Office Depot, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc.	Pfizer, Inc.	Shell Oil Company
The Coca-Cola Company	TXU Corp.	UPS
Verizon

WBENC announced its seventh annual list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises on March 23, 2006 in a ceremony in the historic Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Building in the White House Complex. Before receiving their awards from WBENC President Susan Bari and Top Corporations panel chair Sharon Evans CEO of CFJ Manufacturing, attendees heard remarks by David Sampson, Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

Ceremony participants (front row seated left to right): Lisa Barry, Vice President and General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Chevron Corporation;Mei-Chan Duan, Director, Supplier Diversity and Supply Chain Social Responsibility, IBM Corporation; Lisa F. Martin, Vice President-Global Sourcing, Pfizer Inc;Susan Phillips Bari,President, WBENC;Sharon Evans, Chief Executive Officer, CFJ Manufacturing; Tanya Penny, Vice President – Procurement, Verizon;Monica Luechtefeld,Executive Vice President Business Development and IT, Office Depot Back row standing left to right: Ricardo A. Gonzalez,Manager and Vice President, WW Purchasing, Eastman Kodak Company;Randall Stephenson, Chief Operating Officer, AT&T, Inc.;Jeffrey A. Rolsten,Executive Director, Supply Chain Services,BellSouth Corporation;Kenneth Carty, Chief Procurement Officer, The Coca-Cola Company;Christine Owens,Senior VicePresident, UPS;John Hofmeister, President and U.S. Country Chair, Shell Oil Company;Robert Bouta,Senior VicePresident, Properties and Facilities, Cendant Car Rental Group;Mitchell J. Adamek,Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer, PepsiCo, Inc.; Milton H. Jones, Jr.,Global Quality and Productivity Executive, Bank of America; Georgianna Nichols,Division President & Chief Operating Officer, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric;Henry Long, Senior Vice President, Procurement and Quality, Altria Group, Inc.;Rob Trimble, President & Chief Operating Officer, TXU Corp.;Bruce W. Perkins,Vice President, Manager, Supplier Diversity & Business Development, Merrill Lynch.

Altria Group, Inc.	AT&T (formerly SBC Communications, Inc.)	Bank of America, N.A.
BellSouth Corporation	Cendant Car Rental Group	CenterPoint Energy
Chevron Corporation	The Coca-Cola Company	Eastman Kodak Company
IBM Corporation	Merrill Lynch	Office Depot, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc.	Pfizer, Inc.	Shell Oil Company
TXU	UPS	Verizon

WBENC announced its sixth annual list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises on March 23, 2005. The event was attended by government officials, including the event's host, Allan B. Hubbard, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council, and White House Special Assistant Cynthia Williams of the Office of Public Liaison.

Representatives from the winning companies and WBENC executives are shown as follows: (first row seated from left to right) Susan Phillips Bari, President, Women's Business Enterprise National Council; Joan Kerr, Executive Director, Supplier Diversity Programs, SBC Communications, Inc. and Chair of WBENC's Board; Paula Mann, President and CEO, Sunbelt Communications and Chair of WBENC's Top Corporations Selection Committee; Rebecca Roberts, President, Global Power Generation, ChevronTexaco; and Maureen Merkle, President, Procurement, SBC Communications, Inc. Second row standing from left to right: F. Robert Salerno, President & CEO, Cendant Car Rental Group; Richard Wistrand, Senior Vice President & Chief Fossil Officer, TXU; David Rader, Senior Vice President Finance and CFO, Frito-Lay Division, PepsiCo, Inc.; Mirian Graddick-Weir, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, AT&T; Lisa Martin, Vice President, Global Sourcing, Pfizer, Inc.; Theo Fletcher, Vice President, Supply Chain Compliance, Security & Diversity, IBM Corporation; A. Shuanise Washington, Vice President Government Affairs Policy and Outreach, Altria Group, Inc.; Bruce Perkins, Vice President, Manager, Supplier Diversity and Business Development Group, Merrill Lynch; Joyce M. Wichie, Director, Supplier Diversity, Worldwide Purchasing, Eastman Kodak Company; Dick Anderson, Vice Chairman, Planning & Administration, BellSouth Corporation; John D. Hofmeister, President and Country Chair, Shell Oil Company; Robert McCormes-Ballou, Director, Vendor Diversity, Office Depot; and Michael L. Eskew, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, UPS.

AT&T	Altria Group, Inc.	BellSouth Corporation
Cendant Car Rental Group	ChevronTexaco	Eastman Kodak Company
IBM Corporation	Merrill Lynch	Office Depot, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc.	Pfizer, Inc.	SBC Communications
Shell Oil Company	TXU	UPS

WBENC announced its fifth annual list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises on March 24, 2004. The event was attended by government officials including the event's host, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, Deputy Administrator of SBA Melanie Sablehaus, and White House special assistant

Melanie Sablehaus, Deputy Administrator of SBA; Bruce Nelson, Chairman/CEO, Office Depot; Sharon Avent, President/CEO, Smead; Kevin Sheehan, Chairman/CEO, Cendant Car Rental Group; Roxanne Decyk, Senior VP Corporate Affairs/Human Resources, Shell Oil Company; Gregory Taylor, Senior VP Supply Chain Management Executive, Bank of America; Michael Greene, Oncor Group President, TXU; Steven Reinemund, Chairman/CEO, PepsiCo, Inc.; Susan Phillips Bari, President, WBENC; John Patterson, VP/Chief Procurement Officer, IBM; Michael Eskew, Chairman/CEO, UPS; Constance Weaver, Executive VP Public Relations, Marketing, and Brand, AT&T; Helmut Porkert, Chief Procurement Officer, ChevronTexaco.

AT&T	Bank of America
Cendant Car Rental Group	ChevronTexaco
IBM Corporation	Office Depot, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc.	SBC Communications
Shell Oil Company	TXU
UPS

WBENC announced its 2002 annual listing of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises at a White House Ceremony on March 19, 2003. The event was attended by government officials including the event's host, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans, and White House special assistant Cynthia Williams of the Office of Public Liaison.

Left to right: Melanie Sabelhaus, Deputy Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration; David J. O'Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Texaco; Ronald E. Harrison, Senior Vice President, Global Diversity and Community Affairs, PepsiCo, Inc.; Donna Cole, Chair of the Top Corporations Selection Committee and President and Chief Executive Officer, Cole Chemical and Distributing, Inc.; Bruce Nelson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Office Depot; Susan Phillips Bari, President, Women's Business Enterprise National Council; William M. Daley, President, SBC Communications; Cheryl Stevens, Vice President, Supplier and Workforce Diversity, TXU; Thomas D. Christopoul, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Cendant Corporation; Javier R. Urioste, Chief Procurement Officer, Non-Information Technology, Global Procurement Services, JP Morgan Chase and Co.; William J. Moon, Vice President of Procurement Services, United Parcel Services

Avis Rent a Car System Inc., a Cendant Company	ChevronTexaco	J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.
Office Depot	PepsiCo, Inc.	SBC Communications
TXU	United Parcel Service

In October 2000, WBENC announced its "Sweet Sixteen", the sixteen companies placed on WBENC's list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises.

Representatives of WBENC's Top Corporations for 2000 (from left): Alta Baker, President Safe Haven Enterprises and Chair, Women's Enterprise Leadership Forum; Dan Robinson, Xerox; Glen Mayer, UPS; Terri West, Texas Instruments; Barbara Curry, TXU; Joan Kerr, SBC Communications; Ward McCarty, Shell Oil Company; Enid Winn, Chase; William Madison, Avis Group Holdings; Nancy McCall, American Express; Susan Bari, WBENC President; Dorothy Brothers, Bank of America; Winston Smith, AT&T; Patti Hanson, JC Penney Company; Jerry Martin, PepsiCo, Inc.; Eunice Lawyer, Cinergy; Mark Lettner, Johnson & Johnson; Linda Hart, Texaco; Cheryl Thompson Draper, CEO, Warren Electric.

American Express	AT&T	Avis Group Holdings, Inc.
Bank of America Corp.	Cinergy	JCPenney
Johnson & Johnson	PepsiCo, Inc.	SBC Communications
Shell Oil Company	Texaco	Texas Instruments
TXU	The Chase Manhattan Corp.	United Parcel Service
Xerox