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General Motors Launches Initiative for Women-Owned Businesses


June 2006
 Filed under: GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Car News | GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Headlines

Effort Enhances Industry's First Supplier Diversity Program

Detroit - General Motors today announced plans to recognize women-owned businesses that are suppliers to GM in its supplier diversity program, the longest-running and largest program of its kind in the automotive industry.
"Women-owned businesses have always been supported under GM's Supplier Diversity Program as certified minority business owners," said Bo I. Andersson, vice president of GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "With this announcement, GM reaffirms our commitment and recognizes the inclusion of women-owned businesses in our formal supplier diversity program."

The announcement was made by Rod Gillum, GM vice president, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity, at the annual conference of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). WBENC was founded in 1997 and is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. It acts as an advocate of women-owned businesses as U.S. suppliers to U.S. corporations.

"Today's announcement formalizes a relationship that GM has had with WBENC since 1998," said Gillum. "Our association with WBENC and its affiliate, the Michigan Women's Business Council (MWBC), allows their members the opportunity to learn about our requirements and the steps they need to take to do business with GM. In 2004, GM was instrumental in launching the first MWBC marketplace to help women network and find potential business opportunities with each other."

Andersson explained that several steps will occur in the near term to finalize the inclusion of women-owned businesses in GM's Supplier Diversity Program.

First, GM will continue to work with WBENC and its affiliates to better understand the requirements needed for companies to be certified as women-owned.

Second, GM will continue to include women-owned business representatives in its mentored supplier program and on its Supplier Diversity Council.

Third, GM will track and report spending with women-owned businesses, including spending between Tier 1 and Tier 2 women-owned businesses.

"With this announcement, GM demonstrates great leadership in recognizing the power of women as innovative and value-driven suppliers, as well as decision-making consumers, both of which increase shareholder value," said Susan Phillips Bari, president of WBENC. "GM understands that working with women business owners is good business because of the world-class expertise, quality and service they bring to the table."

GM was the first automotive company to establish a supplier diversity program and has spent nearly $57 billion with minority-owned businesses since 1968. GM purchased $5.6 billion of direct and indirect materials with U.S.-based minority suppliers in 2005.

"Participants in GM's Supplier Diversity Program are held to the same standard as all suppliers," Andersson said. "We expect every supplier to have superior internal culture and organizational capability and a strong competitive advantage."

"We find that our diversity suppliers outperform the rest of the supply base in areas such as quality, delivery and cost," Andersson added.

GM honors its top suppliers each spring with its Supplier of the Year awards. In April, GM awarded 85 suppliers from around the world with this top honor. Five diversity suppliers were among the winners, including Fay Caballero, chief executive officer and president of Black River Plastics, Port Huron, Michigan.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Source: General Motors Corp.

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