Boeing

The Boeing Company will host a Supplier Diversity Conference at its Seattle headquarters Monday and Tuesday, June 19-20.

The conference is a significant networking opportunity for Boeing procurement agents and more than 90 minority-owned and woman-owned businesses providing indirect (overhead) and nontraditional products and services. The event is by invitation only.

Also attending will be top corporate suppliers and local representatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration office.

Highlights of the conference will include an address by Washington State Gov. Gary Locke and the announcement of the one of the largest contracts ever awarded by Boeing to a minority- or woman-owned company.

In 1999, Boeing purchased about $4.5 billion of products from small businesses, including minority- and woman- owned firms. "The innovations contributed by minority-and woman-owned businesses are essential to doing business in the global economy," said Jim Palmer, president of the company's Shared Services Group, which is sponsoring the conference. "We've recognized that at Boeing for a long time and we're pleased to have this opportunity to expand our business relationships with these firms." Palmer will give the keynote address, "Partnering for Economic Profit."

According to Candace Ismael, director of Supplier Management & Procurement in Shared Services, Boeing believes that fostering strong relationships with minority-and woman-owned businesses is critical to the company's long term success. To that end, Boeing has maintained a Supplier Diversity Program for more than 25 years.

"We see this conference as a way to enhance our present relationships -- and to forge new ones -- with diverse suppliers who demonstrate high performance in areas of quality, cost, and customer satisfaction," said Ismael.