Minority Suppliers Converge On Chrysler Group Headquarters

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

• Company hosts the 14th annual Matchmaker at its Auburn Hills, Mich. headquarters
• Annual trade fair grows to more than 2,800 participants in 2013
• More than 270 minority, women, veteran and majority-owned Chrysler Group suppliers participate in the day-long program
• Matchmaker has generated more than $2 billion in new business opportunities for exhibitors since 2000

Chrysler Group LLC continued to demonstrate its historic commitment to supplier diversity and minority supplier development, hosting the 14th annual Matchmaker event today at the Company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Matchmaker provides minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses access to Chrysler Group's Tier 1 suppliers and to decision makers in the Company's procurement organization. The program has generated more than $2 billion in new business opportunities for exhibitors since 2000.

As the premier networking trade event in the automotive supplier community, this year's Matchmaker attracted more than 2,800 participants. More than 270 minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and majority-owned Chrysler Group suppliers participated in the day-long event.

"Chrysler Group is committed to creating a diverse and sustainable supply base that directly reflects our customers," said Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President - Purchasing and Supplier Quality, Chrysler Group LLC. "Our commitment to diversity is deeply rooted and fully engages our entire team, including our extended enterprise partners. This enables us to better understand and satisfy –-perhaps even to better anticipate--the tastes and needs of diverse customers and communities."

Chrysler Group's supplier diversity goals require that 10 percent of a Tier 1 supplier's procurement buy be sourced to certified minority suppliers. Chrysler Group itself spent $2.0 billion with approximately 200 minority suppliers in 2012, representing 7.7 percent of the Company's total annual purchasing. Since 1983, the Company has purchased nearly $50 billion from minority-owned suppliers.

"Programs like Matchmaker help Chrysler Group to build and strengthen a diverse and inclusive minority supply base," said Kevin L. Bell, Senior Manager - Diversity Supplier Development, Chrysler Group LLC. "This enables Chrysler Group to operate efficiently and sustainably, and to bring innovative new products to market that resonate with a diverse customer base."

In addition to its robust business-to-business feature, Matchmaker offers minority-owned suppliers unique opportunities to participate in a wide range of development seminars designed to give these suppliers knowledge that can help strengthen their businesses. The seminars, led by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and others, cover such topics as access to capital and minority business services, merger and acquisition strategies, the use of various computer programs designed to assist Tier 1 and minority suppliers to do business with one another and the implications of federal healthcare reform for small and medium-sized businesses.

Chrysler Group continues to support several organizations that assist Tier 1 suppliers with achieving their minority-owned and women-owned sourcing goals. These organizations include the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. In addition, Chrysler Group supports veteran-business ownership through membership with the National Veteran-Owned Business Association.

About Chrysler Group's leadership commitment to diversity, inclusion and diverse talent development
Chrysler Group has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine 13 times. The Company has also been named ten times to Latina Style magazine's annual list of the 50 top U.S. employers for Hispanic women.

The Company was named among the nation's "Top Supporters" of Engineering Programs of Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the past three years, recognizing the Company's efforts to develop, recruit and hire talented students pursuing technical careers at the nation's minority-serving institutions.

Over the years, a long line of Chrysler Group employees have received important professional recognition from various diversity organizations, including Black Engineer of the Year, Women of Color, HENAAC Great Minds in STEM and others, reflecting the Company's strong commitment to developing its diverse workforce.

The Company supports six employee resource groups (ERGs) whose objectives include promoting a positive awareness of diverse people and issues within Chrysler Group and to ensuring that the Company's products and services are tailored to diverse customers and employees. Chrysler Group's ERGs include: Chrysler African American Network; Chrysler Hispanic Employee Network; Chrysler Asian Network; the Native American Employee Resource Group; the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at Chrysler Group and the Women's Forum.

About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat S.p.A., produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, SRT, FIAT and Mopar vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler Group's culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat's complementary technology that dates back to its founding in 1899.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group's product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300 and Town & Country, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Dart, Ram 1500, SRT Viper and Fiat 500. Fiat contributes world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-size cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC