Milestone year showcases lessons from supplier diversity champions in “A History in the Making” retrospective

Toronto, Ont. -At the 15th Crystal Celebration of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC)’s annual Business Achievement Awards this evening, supplier diversity (SD) advocates representing a variety of sectors and industries, shared insights and lessons from their SD journey in a special, “A History in the Making” segment. The presentation featured Topnotch Employment Services Inc. who spoke about implementing SD in the first five years of the business, Accenture shared insights regarding SD in the company’s growth phase at 10 years and LA Metal Stamping Co. inspired with a look into the future of SD in the family-run business.

Eight awards were presented to innovators, champions and advocates of SD in North America. Winners represent manufacturing, technology, automotive, food services, professional services and pharmaceutical industries. A special President’s Award was introduced this year and given to a corporation for its significant impact on CAMSC and the overall development and growth of supplier diversity in Canada. Hosted by Master of Ceremonies, Brandon Gonez from CP24, the CAMSC Business Achievement Awards provided an opportunity to celebrate the individual and collective accomplishments achieved this year, including the economic advancement of minority businesses across all sectors.

“We are in awe each year at the perseverance and efforts undertaken by all our members. In our milestone year, I am honoured to be given the opportunity to personally thank each and every attendee for sharing our vision of a business landscape where supplier diversity is valued by all for the role it plays in creating wealth in Aboriginal and minority-owned businesses,” said Cassandra Dorrington, President and CEO of CAMSC. “In our special segment this evening, our speakers share their stories of what they learned on their supplier diversity journey. It was inspirational to hear that despite the challenges; they all are driven to succeed,” said Dorrington.

2019 Winners and Highlights:
Supplier of the Year Award was awarded to Champion Products, a distributor of janitorial supplies, foodservice disposables and industrial packaging.??The company has been recognized with multiple awards for supplier excellence over the last few years and has experienced growth in new industries, including Financial Services, Consumer Products, Energy and Pharmaceutical. Procurement Business Advocate of the Year Award was awarded to Elizabeth Auceda, Canadian Manager for Supplier Diversity, Sodexo. Sodexo is a global Food Service and Facilities Management company in over 70 countries. In her role, Auceda has played a key role in creating awareness and support in supplier diversity and beyond. This includes adding resources for easy access to diverse suppliers in the company’s various locations. Small Business of the Year Award was awarded to Drug Intelligence, a trusted provider of answers about the real-world treatment of serious and complex diseases.? Drug Intelligence continually updates and integrates comprehensive and reliable datasets to address challenging commercial, medical, access and compliance demands of specialty medicines used to treat those conditions.?

The Technology Innovation Award was awarded Trinity Tech Inc., a leading automotive quality service provider and a sought after tactical and strategic problem solver for the North American and global automotive market. Since 2009, Trinity has experienced enormous growth and has had the opportunity to work with a number of Fortune 500 companies.

The Collaboration Award was awarded to the Black Business Initiative (BBI), the premier business development organization uniquely supporting Black-owned businesses and communities in Nova Scotia. Over the last 23 years, BBI has supported many Black entrepreneurs and youth to realize their business potential through training, business counselling, mentorship, advocacy, and financing.

The Tier 1 Champion of Supplier Diversity Award was awarded to Flex-N-Gate, a manufacturing organization that provides products to original equipment manufacturers worldwide. With over 240 patents held by Flex-N-Gate associates, the company provides key components that enable over 400 million vehicles. The company implements a culture of inclusion and believes diversity provides richer experiences for associates and stronger solutions for customers.

Corporation of the Year Award was presented to Accenture. a global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The company combines unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions.

President’s Award was presented to FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles). Their leadership and commitment have set the gold standard for driving supplier diversity in Canada and beyond. FCA is committed to providing opportunities for diverse suppliers and since 1983, has purchased nearly $80 billion from minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned suppliers. FCA is always at the forefront to advise, coach and mentor as they generously share their knowledge and learnings across the network to build a better ecosystem.

Detailed award and winner information follows at the end of this release. For more information about CAMSC and the awards gala, visit www.camsc.ca.