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about
Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council (WRMSDC) Awards celebrate the best minority suppliers, Corporate Members, and community partners in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawai‘i. For more information on WRMSDC, visit www.wrmsdc.org.
What is the 7-word video challenge? Many of our contenders have chosen to submit mini videos of themselves wearing something that makes them feel on top of the world and speaking 7 special words that mean something to them. The challenge is seeing who can convey their message and passion in just 7 words. Check out their videos below! (New videos will be posted each week throughout May.)
What is the 7-word video challenge? Many of our contenders have chosen to submit mini videos of themselves wearing something that makes them feel on top of the world and speaking 7 special words that mean something to them. The challenge is seeing who can convey their message and passion in just 7 words. Check out their videos below! (New videos will be posted each week throughout May.)
honorees
Special Note: “MBE” stands for Minority-owned Business Enterprise
The President’s Award
Tanya Nixon, Kaiser Permanente
- Top Three Values: Integrity, love, and courage
- Fun Fact: Tanya likes to dance it out in her living room when she feels stressed or overwhelmed.
- Her Legacy: “That I leave the world a better place by doing what I believe is God’s work by providing equitable opportunities for our diverse community, which affects the future for my nieces and nephews; that they feel proud, inspired, encouraged and fearless knowing that I am always with them and they can do anything they set their minds to.”
- Kaiser’s Community Impact: Impact spending ensures Kaiser Permanente’s spending decisions are environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially equitable.
The Kathleen Trimble Legend Award
Richard Chacon, MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
- Top Three Values: family, community, and respect for others
- What Few Know: “I served 10 years in the U.S. Army with multiple tours in Korea and Vietnam.”
- His Legacy: “To be known as having made a positive difference for the underserved.”
- MUFG Union Bank, N.A.’s Community Impact: “MUFG Union Bank provides the resources for our Supplier Diversity & Development team to mentor and guide potential future vendors to ultimately provide products and services to the Bank. Our aim is to produce not just responsive suppliers but engaged partners.”
The Warrior Award
Lisa Castillo, AT&T
- Top Three Values: Honesty, compassion, and commitment
- Fun Fact: “I spent a summer during my MBA program at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and yes it was all in Spanish and NO I wasn’t fluent! One small moment in time had a profound impact on my life – I will forever admire those who take a leap of faith and immigrate to a new country!”
- Her Legacy: “I hope that my legacy in the wonderful world of supplier diversity will be that I will be seen as a relentless advocate in the pursuit of helping small businesses grow and succeed regardless of their current circumstances.”
- AT&T’s Community Impact: Our supply chain process embraces the AT&T culture of ensuring that diversity and inclusion are significant factors in all of our corporate endeavors, including supplier selection. Our program seeks to drive accountability and rewards suppliers who demonstrate Diversity & Inclusion values and enables AT&T to make a positive impact on the economic growth of diverse communities.
The Guardian Award
David Feldman, Chevron
- Top Three Values: 1. Words matter: think about them, choose them carefully and do what you say you are going to do. 2. Honor people, look for the best in them, and treat everyone the same: with kindness, dignity, and respect. 3. Do what you can to help people, especially those that cannot help themselves.
- Fun Fact: “For some reason, people think that I sit around in a smoking jacket waiting for my manicure, but the truth is I’m most comfortable in jeans, boots, and a baseball cap, working with my hands and getting dirty and sweaty.”
- His Legacy: “That I have a keen sense of right and wrong and when faced with a decision, always did my best to choose the right way.”
- Chevron’s Community Impact:A Chevron is the human energy company, putting humans at the center of everything we do. We strive to empower people around the world to improve their lives and meet their full potential. This effort includes respecting human rights, valuing diversity and inclusion, and creating prosperity in the communities where we operate.
The Collaborator Award
Gerri Harris
- Top Three Values: Commitment to faith, family, and friends
- Fun Fact: “Despite challenges and adversity I remained focused and determined to complete my undergraduate degree. Over the course of 10 years, I completed that journey with my daughter on my hip the day of graduation and I went on for more!”
- Her Legacy: “Being passionate and devoted to family and friends. While ascending the corporate ranks, I have been noted as a trailblazer and advocate for women and minorities during my 30+ years in the construction industry.”
The Ambassador Award
Sonu Ratra, AKRAYA
- Top Three Values: Integrity, kindness, and giving back
- Fun Fact: “I practice Transcendental Meditation daily.”
- Her Legacy: “That our Women Back to Work Program will continue to have a profound impact on the lives and careers of the women we support.”
- Community Impact: Akraya’s Women Back to Work Program has become a movement. This initiative creates systemic pathways for women to return to the workforce including those from under-served communities. It helps leaders and companies exceed their gender diversity goals while hiring for exceptional talent.
CONTENDERS
All Money Is Green Applicants
This award recognizes a WRMSDC certified MBE that has done the most business with other certified MBEs in the previous year.
ICE Safety Solutions provides safety plans, training, equipment, and medical supplies to ensure no person becomes ill, injured, or loses a life at work. They are honored to support corporations and hospitals during the Covid-19 Pandemic with needed Pandemic Plans, Employee Return to Work Plans, Personal Protective Equipment/Masks, First aid kits, Automated External Defibrillators, and safety consulting.
Social Media Feature
7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Matchpoint Solutions leverages best business and technology practices along with experience and known methodologies to help clients make the right business decisions. From strategy to execution, their disciplined yet flexible approach starts and ends with their clients’ interest as the number one priority. They begin their consulting engagements with respect and understanding of client corporate culture, which results in MatchPoint Solutions becoming an extension of their client’s organization.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video ★ Winner ★
🏆SUMNU Marketing Marketing is a family-owned firm specializing in Small Business Marketing and Branding. In House Marketing Team, Branding, Business Development, Grassroots Outreach, and Training are the services provided. For small business owners the company created the Sumnu Solutions Zone and online marketing tool that provides 24/7 access to marketing mentorship.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Buyer Of The Year
This award recognizes buyers who advocate for Supplier Diversity, MBEs, and WRMSDC within their company and community, but who don’t work directly within Supplier Diversity.
★ Winner ★
🏆 Brian Tidwell, Allstate, is the Enterprise Safety Manager for Allstate Insurance. He is also a retired 34-year Captain, Firefighter/Paramedic.
Cornerstone Of The Year
This award recognizes a Certified Class 3 or 4 MBE or affiliate organization that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape.
★ Winner ★
🏆 OSI Engineering is a leading Managed Services, Staff Augmentation, and US Diverse Supplier, building powerful IT and Engineering development teams to meet speed-to-market demands across the US. They develop, implement, and manage workforce solutions through every stage of the product lifecycle, from early application development through final production, delivering the highest-level technology professionals.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Executive Of The Year Applicants
This award recognizes an executive not working directly within Supplier Diversity who ensures that their company allocates resources (financial and otherwise) to WRMSDC and Supplier Diversity in the region
Clifford Chan, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), started work over twenty years ago as a junior engineer and two years ago became the Director of Operations & Maintenance, which is EBMUD's largest department. He is proud to be the highest ranking Asian-American working at EBMUD. As an Asian-American, he has a personal sensitivity to the challenges encountered by people and communities of color and therefore has tried to be a strong advocate on their behalf.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆Stacey Taylor, MGM Resorts International, joined MGM Resorts International in October 2015 as SVP & Chief Procurement Officer. She provides leadership and strategic vision to Global Procurement to enable optimization financial savings impact and improve associated processes to drive efficiency.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Local Corporation Of The Year
This award recognizes a Local/Regional Corporate Member that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape.
★ Winner ★
🏆 East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) provides high-quality drinking water for 1.4 million customers and our wastewater system serves about 685,000 customers in the East Bay. EBMUD aggressively promotes diversity and equality in personnel matters and contracting.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
MBE Input Committee People’s Choice Award
This award acknowledges and recognizes a Corporate Member who has supported MBEs by volunteering his or her time and resources to help the MBE community be better prepared to do business. The winner of this award is chosen by MBEs and is someone who supports MBEs by: providing mentorship/guidance; volunteering as a speaker and key advocate at MBE Input Committee (MBEIC) events; and being very accessible to the MBE community.
★ Winner ★
🏆 Donna Ruff (MUFG Union Bank, N.A.): The MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Office of Supplier Diversity and Development is committed to promoting economic vitality in the communities they serve and increasing the number of diverse business enterprises from which they purchase goods and services. Donna thrives to help diverse businesses do business with the bank and brings the necessary expertise to continue building on strong and sustainable supplier diversity initiatives.
National Corporation Of The Year Applicants
This award recognizes a Corporate Member that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape.
CDW is a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. A Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index, CDW was founded in 1984 and employs almost 10,000 coworkers. For the year ending in December 31, 2019, the company generated net sales over $18 billion.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Cisco Systems, Inc. is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Their people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Kaiser Permanente was founded in 1945 and is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. They currently serve 12.2 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente’s mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and improve the health of their members and the communities they serve. Their vision is to be a trusted partner in total health, collaborating with people to help them thrive, creating communities that are among the healthiest in the nation, and inspiring greater health for America and the world.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆MUFG Union Bank, N.A is a dynamic organization. They care about their employees, their customers, suppliers, and the communities they serve. They embrace diversity in the marketplace because it makes them a better lender, better employer, and a better provider of service to their customers.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s partnership with diverse suppliers has increased economic opportunities in their local communities for nearly 40 years, while enhancing their mission to provide safe and affordable gas and electric service to their customers. Pacific Gas and Electric Company is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Procurement Leader Of The Year Applicants
This award recognizes director-level or above team leaders working within Procurement and Purchasing who advocate for Supplier Diversity, MBEs, and WRMSDC within their company and community but who don’t work directly within Supplier Diversity.
★ Winner ★
🏆James Czarnecki, MGM Resorts International, joined MGM Resorts in early 2016 as a Director in the Procurement Program Management Office with responsibilities over design, implementation and compliance of their Source thru Pay technology; as well as leading a team that supported Professional Services, Facilities, Hotel and Development Sourcing teams. In his current role, he oversees procurement strategies to support the Company’s savings goals, standardization, process improvement and digital transformation while partnering with properties and Centers of Excellence to ensure proper stakeholder communication, alignment and compliance to the organization’s managed spend programs.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video 
Alexandra Lopez, Cisco Systems Inc., is Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer of Global Procurement Services. She leads a global organization responsible for reshaping procurement while driving positive financial outcomes for the company. Her functional accountabilities include sourcing and supplier management, contracts, purchasing, travel, contingent workforce, ethics, risk, and supplier diversity.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Kelvin Phillips, Kaiser Permanente, is the Sourcing Director Facilities and Support Services. He has been with Kaiser Permanente for 10 years leading strategic sourcing activities in IT, Facilities and Non-Medical for the Buy2Pay group. Born in England, he has spent 9 years in the Royal Marine Commandos special forces and 25 years in the semi-conductor industry, managing worldwide logistics and purchasing operations within Europe, Asia, and the USA. His main hobbies are sailing, golfing, and being a good grandad to his four grandchildren.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Supplier Of The Year Applicants
This award recognizes four WRMSDC certified MBEs that demonstrate excellence in their services and products and show growth in sales and job creation. Winners are automatically entered in the NMSDC competition.
Class 1 (annual sales of less than $1M) Applicants
★ Winner ★
🏆Inproma, LLC) aligns employees with company metrics in a way that makes them feel good about what they do and the services they provide to customers. Happy employees = happy customers = increased profits. Their innovative methods, used to incentivize, recognize, and reward employees, provide the results management wants: Engagement, Retention and Productivity.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Class 2 (annual sales from $1M - $10M) Applicants
Cleaning Services, Inc. provides post-construction and final cleaning services to the construction industry. CSI also has recently entered into contracting for General Labor services to General Contractors. Maurice Williams has created what most will say the "gold standard" for construction cleaning in Las Vegas.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Osaka Catering, Inc. is a Japanese cuisine catering company, offering all types of Sushi, Nigiri, Sashimi, and many other Japanese recipes to over 97% of the Las Vegas strip gaming industry. They also service private companies in the catering industry.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆WinMax Systems Corporation is an established company based out of the SF Bay Area. They provide staffing augmentation, managed projects, managed services, and custom development services to customers nationwide. Their highly talented engineers specialize in a variety of areas including Hardware Engineering, Software Development, Testing, Mobile Engineering, Project & Program Management, Business Process Re-engineering, and Business Analysis.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Class 3 (annual sales from $10M - $50M) Applicants
iTalent Digitalis an innovative global woman- and minority-owned digital consulting and software engineering company headquartered in San Jose, California. They help companies achieve exceptional business outcomes through a suite of digital transformation services such as enterprise collaboration, personalization and unified search, business insights and analytics, cloud and software development, and Change as a Service (CaaS).
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆United Mechanical and Metal Fabricators, Inc. (UMEC)) is a metal fabricator with 37 years of experience delivering high precision, high quality CNC machined parts, components, and welded sheet metal assemblies to customer specifications. Located in the Silicon Valley, they service the transportation, semiconductor, clean tech, medical devices, biotech, and high-tech startups. They employ over 70 people using the latest state of the art CNC equipment: zoom lasers, water jet, milling centers, lathes, brakes, and punch press.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Class 4 (annual sales over $50M) Applicants
Blackstone Consulting, Inc.) was founded in 1991 by company President Joe Blackstone. Blackstone Consulting, Inc. (BCI) is a national and international service provider performing services in Security, Environmental, Facilities Maintenance, Staffing and Food Service Management. BCI is a minority-owned company with credentials in a number of national, regional and local programs, including the NMSDC Corporate Plus Program, which attest to their commitment to excellence.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆World Wide Technologydesigns, builds, demonstrates and deploys innovative technology products, integrated architectural solutions and transformational digital experiences for their customers around the globe. They do this through a collaborative ecosystem with thousands of IT engineers, hundreds of application developers, and unmatched labs for testing and deploying technology at scale. WWT is committed to helping their customers bridge the gap between IT and the business in order to innovate faster than their competition.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Supplier Diversity Leader Of The Year Applicants
This award recognizes a Supplier Diversity professional (Executive, Director, Manager, Coordinator, Specialist working within Supplier Diversity) who has made significant contributions to WRMSDC with their time, support, and advocacy, and who has championed Supplier Diversity and MBEs within their own company.
Todd Gray, Kaiser Permanente, says that most who know him would call him a champion of the people. Throughout his career he has led and managed supplier diversity for a variety of fortune 500 companies ranging from Healthcare, Banking, to Retail Pharmacy, endeavoring to provide diverse suppliers and small businesses better and increased opportunities.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Kenyatta Lewis, MGM Resorts International,, is a global business executive of 20 years, whose visionary leadership and strategic execution led to the enterprise adoption of an award winning supplier diversity program within a Fortune 500 corporate organization. Kenyatta is an engaged, committed leader who has coached numerous minority businesses in obtaining and maintaining multi-million dollar contracts, growing MGM's diversity procurement spend by 111%.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Denise Lombard, Cisco Systems, Inc., just celebrated 13 years at Cisco and although she has enjoyed the majority of her different roles at Cisco she believes she has finally found her dream job. Denise leads a small team that is dedicated to Responsible Procurement, which includes Supplier Diversity, Risk, Ethics, and ensuring suppliers are committed to social/economic/environmental responsibility. Her team is committed to ensuring all opportunities include a diverse supplier, providing them a seat at the table and provide coaching and mentoring through an Executive Sponsorship program.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video★ Winner ★
🏆Salvador Peinado, Jr., CSAA Insurance Group, has a BA and MA in Economics and has taught undergraduate courses in economics at San Jose State University. He is a big supporter of Junior Achievement's company program, which teaches high school students to become entrepreneurs. He currently resides in Glendale, AZ with his wife and two dogs, Cinnamon and Sotiri (means Savior in Greek).
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Donna Ruff, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. is committed to promoting economic vitality through supplier diversity. This commitment drives her to continue advocacy for DBEs through promotion, outreach, and mentorship.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
Bryan Wiggins, Cisco, is a Supplier Diversity program manager in Global Procurement Services at Cisco Systems for the last 4 years. Prior to this role, he was a Category Supplier Manager and has been with Cisco for over 12 years – the last 10 being in Procurement. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Bryan is a former US Army helicopter pilot, Persian Gulf War Veteran, and past congregational president of Temple Beth Or in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Social Media Feature 7-word Challenge Video
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