Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Announces 15th Annual List Of America's Top Corporations For Women's Business Enterprises

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) today announced the 15th annual list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises (WBEs), the only national award honoring corporations for leading Supplier Diversity programs that are breaking down barriers and proactively integrating Women's Business Enterprises into their supply chains.

"Our Top Corporations know that stronger WBEs will drive new sources of revenue, deepen customer satisfaction and generate a stronger economy," said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and CEO of WBENC, the nation's leader in women's business development.

The Top Corporations will be honored at the WBENC Summit & Salute to Women's Business Enterprises taking place March 18-20, 2014 in New Orleans, LA.  The event will showcase their top executives discussing the inclusion of WBEs in the supply chain before 1,500 attendees including C-suite and senior executives of WBENC Corporate and Government Members, WBEs, WBENC's Regional Partner Organizations (RPOs), and other stakeholders in the women's and diverse business community.
http://www.wbenc.org/summit-salute/

The Top Corporations all have exemplary leading supplier diversity programs.  WBENC's 2013 Top Corporations for Women Business Enterprises are:

Accenture
Adecco
Alcatel-Lucent
Allstate Insurance Co.
Altria Group, Inc.
AT&T
Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Bank of America
BP America Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Capital One
Chevron
Chrysler Group LLC
Dell Inc.
Energy Future Holdings
Ernst & Young LLP
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Ford Motor Company
General Mills
General Motors Company
IBM Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
Kelly Services, Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Macy's Inc.
ManpowerGroup
Marriott International, Inc.
MGM Resorts International
Office Depot, Inc.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pfizer Inc
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Raytheon Company
Sandia National Laboratories
Shell
Target Corporation
The Coca-Cola Company
Toyota
United Airlines
United Technologies Corporation
UPS
URS Corporation
Verizon
Walmart Stores, Inc.

Under the banner of "Join Forces. Succeed Together.", WBENC's Summit & Salute is a major national event designed to drive business development and collaborative success among WBENC's Corporate and Government Members and WBEs. Sponsored by Accenture and Ernst & Young LLP, the Summit & Salute provides vital access to the business intelligence and senior-level networking opportunities that enable sustainable growth. The Summit & Salute also honors 14 Women's Business Enterprise Stars, each one representing a WBENC Regional Partner Organization and this year celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the Women's Business Enterprise Council South, whose headquarters is in Louisiana.

"We look forward to additional companies joining the list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises and to charting the successes of our current honorees to continue to Join Forces and ensure that Leading Companies are recognized for their commitments.  This 'Success Together' will allow WBEs to thrive," Prince-Eason said.

Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation's leader in women's business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 12,000 WBENC-Certified WBEs.  WBENC certification is accepted by more than 1,000 corporations. www.wbenc.org.

SOURCE Women's Business Enterprise National Council