Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Announces New List of 20 America’s Top Corporations For Women’s Business Enterprise

Washington, DC, 23 February, 2011 — The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) today announced its annual listing of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises, the only national award honoring corporations for world-class programs that create level playing fields for women’s business enterprises (WBEs) to compete for corporate contracts.

“We are proud to honor 20 Top Corporations for their world-class leadership in partnering with women’s business enterprises to sustain innovation in this country and fuel our economic growth,” said Linda Denny, president and CEO of WBENC, the leading authority on and advocate for women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as vendors and suppliers to the nation’s leading corporations.  “These Top Corporations are deeply committed to supplier diversity programs that span their organizations and achieve measurable results.”

Top Corporations programs offer equal access and result in a high volume of business with women’s business enterprises. The 2010 Top Corporations for WBEs are:

Accenture
Alcatel-Lucent
AT&T
Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Bank of America
Chevron
The Coca-Cola Company
Dell
Energy Future Holdings
Ernst & Young LLP
Exxon Mobil Corporation
IBM
Johnson & Johnson
Kelly Services, Inc.
Manpower
PepsiCo, Inc.
Pfizer Inc.
Shell Oil Company
UPS
Verizon

The America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises Award presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 23, 2011, at the Women In Military Service For America Memorial in Arlington, VA.

The event will occur during WBENC’s 2011 Summit & Salute to Women’s Business Enterprise:  The Opportunity Connection, attracting over 1000 attendees and providing thought leadership and business development opportunities including the black tie celebration of 14 Women’s Business Enterprise Stars, exemplary WBEs from across the country.

Energy Future Holdings (formerly TXU Corp), UPS, and AT&T , including its predecessor companies, have been recognized by WBENC every year since the award was created 12 years ago. Avis Budget Group, Inc. and Chevron, including their predecessor companies, have each won the award 11 times. PepsiCo, Inc. has won 10 times; and Shell Oil Company has won nine times. IBM Corporation has won eight times. Bank of America, Pfizer and Verizon have won seven times.  Exxon Mobil Corporation, Johnson & Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company have been on the list five times. Alcatel-Lucent has won four times.  Accenture, Dell and Manpower have been on the list three times. Ernst & Young celebrates its second year on the list.

WBENC also welcomes Kelly Services. Inc. in its first year as a Top Corporation.

“This expanding list demonstrates that best practices prevail in even the most challenging environments. Our Top Corporations are the pillars of our economy by driving and standing behind their vital business partnerships with women’s business enterprises,” Denny said.

About WBENC: The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the leading advocate for, and authority on, Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers and vendors to the nation's corporations. Founded in 1997, WBENC is also the nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with over 10,500 WBENC-certified WBEs. WBENC certification is accepted by more than 1,000 corporations representing America’s most prestigious brands, in addition to many states, cities and other entities. Throughout the year, WBENC and its 14 Regional Partner Organizations provide opportunities for interactions between more than 650 member corporations, government agencies and thousands of certified WBEs at business building events and other forums. WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs. For more information, please go to www.wbenc.org.

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