PepsiCo Named to "Elite 8" list of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprise

PepsiCo has been named as one of the "Elite Eight" corporations for Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The list recognizes the top corporations that have instituted programs that offer equal access for women-owned suppliers and have attained world-class quality in their supplier diversity programs featuring women's business enterprises.

The 2002 list was announced March 19, 2003 at a VIP ceremony at The White House in Washington, D.C. Ronald E. Harrison, PepsiCo Senior Vice President of Global Diversity and Community Affairs, accepted the honor on behalf of PepsiCo.

Other honorees were Avis Rent A Car System, Inc., a Cendent Company; Chevron Texaco; J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.; Office Depot, SBC Communications; TXU and United Parcel Service.

PepsiCo has been involved with WBENC since the organization's founding in 1997. Jerry Martin, currently Senior Vice President, Business Process Owner, was a founding board member. Mike Cleary, Vice President, Other Goods and Services Purchasing, was recently appointed to the WBENC Board of Directors.

Woman's Business Enterprise National Council Names 'Elite 8' List of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises
Ceremony Honors World Class Supplier Diversity Programs

Washington, DC (March 19, 2003) – In keeping with its leadership role in advancing opportunities for women-owned businesses to market their products and services to corporations, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) today announced its fourth annual listing of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises.

The 2002 list recognizes the "Elite Eight" corporations that not only have instituted programs to offer equal access for women-owned suppliers, but also have attained world-class quality in their supplier diversity programs featuring women's business enterprises.

They are:

• Avis Rent A Car System, Inc., a Cendant Company
• ChevronTexaco
• J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.
• Office Depot

• PepsiCo, Inc.
• SBC Communications
• TXU
• United Parcel Service

Six of the Elite Eight are returning to this honor having also made the Elite Eight 2001 listing. They are Avis Rent A Car System, Inc.; JP Morgan Chase and Co.; Office Depot; SBC Communications; TXU, and United Parcel Service.

"Companies that connect with a diverse supply base will be the success stories of the next fifty years," said Susan Phillips Bari, President of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. "This list of stellar companies demonstrates that it is simply good business for U.S. companies to create world-class programs that ensure diversity among their vendors and suppliers."

CEOs and other representatives of America's Top Corporations for Women's Business Enterprises will be honored at a special ceremony at The Eisenhower Executive Office Building attended by government officials such as the event's host, US Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans.

"These corporations are putting the principle of supplier diversity to work by tapping the full spectrum of vendors and suppliers," said Evans. "For that reason, they benefit from the robust array of products and services these vendors offer and are themselves better able to compete in the marketplace.

Since its founding in 1997, WBENC (www.wbenc.org) has fostered diversity in the world of commerce by creating programs to help expand opportunities and eliminate barriers in the marketplace for women's business enterprises.

These programs include:

• Certification of women business owners through regionally based affiliate councils, the most widely accepted third-party certification system of woman-owned businesses in America.
• Women in Business 2003: Sharing the Vision, the largest annual conference and business fair for women business owners in the nation, to be held this year June 24-26 in New York City.
• Comprehensive research projects providing critical information to both corporations and women's business enterprises seeking to enhance their work together.
  These projects include:
• "NEXT PRACTICES: Excellence in Corporate Purchasing from Women's Business Enterprises," identifying the next generation of "Best Practices" for corporations doing business with women's business enterprises.
• "Access to Markets, Perspectives from Large Corporations and Women Business Enterprises," undertaken with Center for Women's Business Research, a groundbreaking study revealing both challenges and the winning strategies for women's business enterprises in selling to large corporations.

"Our research is grounded in the fact that WBEs comprise one of the most vital sources of growth in our economy," Bari said.

According to the Center for Women's Business Research, WBEs have outpaced other US businesses in both growth and economic contribution in the last five years.

Privately-held women-owned businesses, with 51% woman ownership, have:

• Grown in number by 14%, or twice the rate of all US firms, to 6.2 million.
• Generated sales that increased by 40% nationwide nearing $1.15 trillion.
• Employed nearly 9.2 million workers in 2002, up 30% from 1997, which reflects a growth rate that is one-and one-half times the national average.

Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) As the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, WBENC partners with corporate diversity executives and women's business organizations throughout the United States. Of the approximately 500 corporations with supplier diversity programs, all accept WBENC certification.

WBENC provides these key elements to a successful certification program:

• Access to a national standard of certification;
• Information on certified businesses to purchasing managers through an Internet database – WBENCLink.
• Training programs and manuals covering certification review procedures.
• Management training programs for its organizational partners.
• Creation and dissemination of cutting-edge seminars and workshops for women business owners.
• Benchmarking of corporate diversity programs.
• Research into procurement practices and progress.

WBENC also provides business-to-business sourcing opportunities through WBENCLink and another Internet tool, WEbuy@wbenc.org.

WBENC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs.

For more information click here: http://www.wbenc.org/news/031903.asp.

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