For the third consecutive year and the seventh time overall, Wayne State University has received the Corporation of the Year Award – Education Sector from the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC), the nation’s largest minority business development organization. The award was presented at MMBDC’s annual awards dinner

To qualify for the award, an institution must have an official supplier diversity policy. MMBDC also encourages large organizations to establish joint ventures or strategic alliances with minority businesses.

“Wayne State is honored to receive this prestigious award for the third consecutive year,” said John Davis, vice president for finance and facilities management. “We have made it a priority to offer minority suppliers an opportunity to compete on a level playing field for contracts. We do this in several ways, one of which is our annual minority procurement conference, which familiarizes minority vendors as to how to do business with Wayne State.

As another example of the university’s commitment to minority entrepreneurs, Davis pointed out that E.L Bailey, a minority-owned construction and renovation firm, was awarded a substantial contract for the renovation of a building that will house Wayne State’s public safety headquarters.

Other WSU programs aimed at helping minority suppliers are:

• Mentoring of minority business partners through the WSU/PepsiFritoLay Project One Team, which provides referrals, networking and business opportunities.

• Actively seeking out minority firms and offering them opportunities to bid for contracts.

• Supporting MMBDC-sponsored events aimed at informing potential vendors about bid opportunities and recognizing companies and organizations that have exemplary minority supplier programs.

In addition to the Corporation of the Year Award, Wayne State has received MMBDC’s Corporate ONE Award for the past four years. The award recognizes organizations that are active in MMBDC’s Project ONE program for mentoring minority partners.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.