Boeing

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) awarded The Boeing Company its Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in Manufacturing this week at the annual Joint Industry/SBA Procurement Conference in Washington, D.C.

Created in 1991 and named for the president under whom the SBA was founded, the Eisenhower Award honors large federal contractors that have excelled in their utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.

"This award is a reflection of our commitment to expanding the Boeing supply base of small businesses and the dedication of our people to 'do the right thing' for all the small business communities across the country," said Bill Stowers, Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems vice president - general manager of Supplier Management and Procurement. "We are expanding our suppliers' access to business opportunities, getting them involved earlier in the procurement process, providing technical and management assistance, and recognizing and promoting exceptional performance."

Of the $4.6 billion Boeing received in federal contracts last year, 27.8 percent were awarded by Boeing to small businesses. Boeing contracts with more than 20,000 small businesses. Of these, 3,200 are minority-owned businesses and 1,900 are women-owned businesses. For example, last year Boeing awarded new contracts to minority-owned businesses such as Cherokee Chemical Co., Dynacs Engineering, G.B. Tech and Muniz Engineering. Women-owned firms included Asset Environmental, Cimerron and Software House.

The company also has two scholarship programs for small disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. Since 1998, the company has awarded 23 scholarships for the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth's two-week executive business program for minority businesses. Also, Boeing awards four scholarships each year to the NMSDC Kellogg Advanced Management Education Program at Northwestern University.

Year 2000 awards honoring Boeing support of small businesses:

• Francis Perkins Vanguard Award for Excellence for Most Outstanding Utilization of Women-Owned Businesses from U.S. Small Business Administration
• Nunn/Perry Award from U.S. Dept. of Defense Advocate of the Year
• Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year for Socioeconomic Excellence
• The Defense 2000 Manufacturing Excellence Award from the Dept. of Defense
• Chairman's Award for 2000 from the St. Louis Minority Business Council
• Corporate Citizen of the Year Award for Support of Native American Businesses from The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
• Corporate Champion Award for Support of Latino-Owned Business from Latin Business Association Southern California