NMSDC To Celebrate Business Trio For Long-Standing Achievements In Minority Business Development

NEW YORK, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council will honor Michael Duke, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores; Ralph G. Moore, president of Ralph G. Moore & Associates; and Frederick Ruiz, chairman emeritus of Ruiz Foods, for their significant long-term achievements in minority business development at its Minority Business Leadership Awards Dinner-Dance on Wednesday, May 19th, at the Hilton New York and Towers in New York.

More than 1,200 guests are expected to attend, including CEOs and executives of Fortune 500 corporations and minority business owners from across the nation. 

"For decades, our honorees have maintained their steadfast commitment to minority business development," said NMSDC President Harriet R. Michel. "The strength, innovation and resilience of minority businesses are relied upon for high quality products and services by growing numbers of corporations."

Michael Duke is president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, the world's No. 1 retailer. The company has sales of $408 billion, more than 8,000 stores in 15 countries and employs more than 2.1 million associates worldwide. In its fiscal year ended January 2010, Wal-Mart spent $2.75 billion with 325 Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses.  Wal-Mart's minority suppliers include ASW Global, Fair Oaks Farms, Fidelity Print Communications, GlobalHue, Glory Foods, Mega Toys, Ruiz Foods, Shore Acres Plant Farm and Vizio.  Wal-Mart also encourages its major suppliers to join NMSDC and to increase their supplier diversity opportunities.  Last year, Wal-Mart reported $1.3 billion through Second Tier spend with Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American suppliers.

Wal-Mart holds Minority Construction Summits for firms interested in working on constructions of new stores, the remodeling of existing stores ad conducting facility maintenance program. The corporation also held a Carrier Relations Minority Summit, Business-to-Business Seminars and other supplier events across the country, giving diverse suppliers the opportunity to meet with Wal-Mart and Sam's club buyers.

Wal-Mart has given $3 million in grants to the Business Consortium Fund, providing access to capital for NMSDC-certified suppliers.  In addition, Wal-Mart has invested $25 million in the Pinnacle Minority Supplier Development Fund, a private equity co-investment fund that invests solely in minority- and women-owned businesses.  

Ralph G. Moore is president of Ralph G. Moore & Associates, a Chicago-based consulting firm that he founded in 1979.  A recognized leader in the field of supplier diversity, RGMA has successfully developed and evaluated supplier diversity programs for both public and private-

sector entities.  Through NMSDC seminars and other RGMA training events, thousands of supplier diversity professionals and buyers have learned new tools and effective processes to

improve minority supplier development as well as to increase spend with Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American suppliers.  The national impact of the company's work spans three decades. Its clients have included Archer Daniels Midland, BP, The Boeing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chicago Public Schools, Harley-Davidson, IBM, Illinois Department of Transportation,

Major League Baseball, Prudential Financial, Sprint, Time Warner, United Airlines and Wal-Mart Stores.

Mr. Moore is a director of several emerging firms and provides active leadership in several business development and civic organizations, including Junior Achievement of Chicago. In addition, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Mr. Moore to serve as a trustee to the City Colleges of Chicago in 1994. Mr. Moore is also a trustee of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health Systems.

Frederick Ruiz is the chairman emeritus of Ruiz Foods Products in Dinuba, California, the largest manufacturer of frozen Mexican food in the United States.  The company has annual sales of $453 million and 2,500 employees (80% are minorities). Ruiz Food is the second largest Hispanic-owned manufacturing company in the United States, according to Hispanic Business magazine.

In 1964, Fred Ruiz and his father, Louis, embarked on a dream to sell frozen Mexican food, based on the family recipes of Fred's mother.  At first, they worked out of a garage.  Under the El Monterey and Tornados brand names, Ruiz Food now offers more than 200 different products including burritos, taquitos, enchiladas and tamales.  Ruiz Food sells in all channels of distribution:  retail, convenience store, clubs, vending, industrial and foodservice.  In addition to nationwide distribution in the U.S., Ruiz Food also sells its products in 20 countries, including Canada, Costa Rica, Japan and Panama.

Mr. Ruiz serves as a director of Gottschalk's and The McClatchy Company. He is chairman of the California Chamber of Commerce and vice chairman of the Board of the University of California, Merced. He is a director of the Hispanic College Fund, the Institute for Family Business and the Merced Foundation. Mr. Ruiz helped his employees establish Ruiz 4 Kids, a non-profit employee volunteer organization designed to help children in California's San Joaquin Valley. Ruiz Foods also provides contributions and sponsorships for organizations such as Arte America, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, Hispanic Business Student Association, Norteno Festival and the United Way.

About NMSDC

Providing a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses is the primary objective of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, one of the country's leading business membership organizations.  It was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.

The NMSDC Network includes a national office in New York and 37 Regional Councils across the country. There are 3,500 corporate members throughout the network, including America's top publicly-owned, privately-owned and foreign-owned companies as well as universities, hospitals and other buying institutions.  The Regional Councils certify and match more than 17,000 Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses with member corporations that want to purchase their goods and services.

For more information about NMSDC, call (212) 944-2430 or visit the Web site at www.nmsdc.org.

SOURCE National Minority Supplier Development