CAMSC Celebrates 15 Years of Supplier Diversity Growth in Aboriginal and Minority-Driven Businesses at the Crystal Celebration of the Annual Business Achievement
Toronto , Ont . - September 26 , 2019 – 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 .
Program Success 6 October 2019