New Honorees at the 13th Annual Supplier Diversity Achievement Awards
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| 3 min read
Diversity is good for our employees, our customers, our members and our business. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s dedication to diversity doesn’t stop with its employees and leadership—it’s a commitment extended to its choice of suppliers. Blue Cross strives to contract with a variety of minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned and LGBT-owned companies (among others) to fulfill its organizational needs. And for the past 13 years, Blue Cross has been dedicated to not only hiring these diverse suppliers, but also recognizing them for their achievements. Blue Cross hosted its 13th Annual Supplier Diversity Achievement Awards on March 6 with the theme Strengthening Our Business Through Supplier Diversity. With more than 250 people in attendance from various supplier organizations, President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp shared his appreciation and congratulations to the suppliers that have changed the way Blue Cross does business. “I’m happy to share that in 2017 we achieved great results while remaining true to our social mission,” Loepp said. “Thanks to the hard work of our employees across the enterprise and our diverse partnerships, we enjoyed our seventh straight year of contract growth. We have worked hard to operationalize our business model, making us a more efficient, nimble enterprise that is organized to innovate.”
In the past five years, Blue Cross has spent $1.2 billion with diverse suppliers. “Through partnership, we create better products and services,” Loepp said. “Together, we make our diverse communities stronger and our residents healthier.” In 2017, Blue Cross made progress in identifying Tier 2 diverse suppliers, meaning its suppliers also contract with diverse businesses. Blue Cross encourages all of its suppliers to add diverse vendors to their business and participate in the Tier 2 reporting program. “We’ve had continuous success in identifying new diverse suppliers as well as thought leaders within their fields,” said Tricia Keith, executive vice president, chief of staff and corporate secretary. “This year I’m proud to announce that we are one of four companies participating in the launch of a Unified Tier 2 reporting program, which helps connect our suppliers to other diverse suppliers.” The 2017 Supplier Diversity Achievement Award winners are as follows:
- Blues Leader Award Winner: Rahul Baweja
- Supplier Champion Award Winner: Accenture
- Health Care Value Diverse Supplier Achievement Award Winner: J & B Medical Supplies
- Buyer Achievement Award Winner: Marie Gravel
- Team Project Award Winner: Member Portal
- Tier II Supplier Award Winner: Compusoft Integrated Solutions
- Business Unit Award Winner: Facilities Management
- Procurement Supplier Diversity Champion Award Winner: Julie Rood
- AF Group Diverse Supplier Award Winner: Express Employment Professionals
- LifeSecure Insurance Company Diverse Supplier Award Winner: Wolanin & Associates
- Women Business Enterprise Award Winner: Optech
- Minority Business Enterprise Award Winner: Epitec
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