Pictured from left to right are Keith Hamilton, President & CEO, LB Manufacturing, LLC. Cheri Henderson, President & CEO, TriState Minority Supplier Development Council. Edkedsha (KeeKee) Mathis, Supplier Diversity Manager Purchasing, Volkswagen Group of America. Charles Ewing, President & CEO, Ewing Moving & Storage Company.
Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations, LLC (Volkswagen Chattanooga) has been named Corporation of the Year by the TriState Minority Supplier Development Council (TSMSDC).
Volkswagen Chattanooga accepted the award during the annual Impact Awards Dinner in Nashville, Tennessee. The TSMSDC selected Volkswagen Chattanooga for its distinction in providing minority business opportunities.
“Volkswagen Chattanooga is deeply honored to be recognized by the TriState Minority Supplier Development Council for our diversity and inclusion efforts” said Christian Koch, President and CEO, Volkswagen Chattanooga. “This recognition does not mean our work is done, but only reinforces our efforts. We remain dedicated to promoting a diverse future.”
The TSMSDC Corporation of the year recipient is selected for making an outstanding and extraordinary contribution in the development and expansion of minority business opportunities. The selection process was carried out by the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC). The MBEIC distributes surveys to all TSMSDC member corporations. Surveys were completed by representatives from each corporation and then reviewed by the MBEIC whom selects the winner based on the National MBEIC criteria.
During the ceremony Mrs. Edkedsha (KeeKee) Mathis, Supplier Diversity Manager Purchasing, Volkswagen Group of America, was named TSMSDC Corporate Representative of the Year. This award is decided on the basis of popular opinion, garnered through the support of minority businesses affiliated with the council. KeeKee was selected on the merits of her personal leadership, her instrumental involvement in the implementation and expansion of Volkswagen Chattanooga’s supplier diversity program, and her recognition of diversity and inclusion as a business imperative.
“We are very thankful for KeeKee’s leadership in the area of supplier diversity, and cannot think of a more deserving recipient of this award,” noted Mahesh Kodumudi, Executive Vice President Purchasing, Volkswagen Group of America. “Volkswagen remains dedicated to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the future.”
Volkswagen Chattanooga strives to be recognized as a company that values and respects the contributions of men and women of all backgrounds, embraces diversity of thought as a critical factor in its future success, and reflects the diverse population of the community they are a part of. Volkswagen Chattanooga’s supplier diversity inclusion initiative is an important effort that leverages the core American values of fairness and equal opportunity. Its role in the U.S. business environment is to provide networking opportunities to historically under-utilized suppliers.
At the end of 2017, with financial support from Ingersoll Rand, the TSMSDC launched the Centers of Excellence (COE) program servicing Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky. This program consists of regional business modules designed to strengthen corporate supplier diversity processes and to help minority businesses complete in a global environment. Corporate participants have the opportunity to identify Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) in their region to participate in these modules and be an integral part of their growth. Volkswagen Group of America currently participates as one of the ten corporate members.