Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/17/2012 -- The nation’s five largest hotel chains were in the spotlight last week when a report criticized them for their lack of supplier diversity. According to the recent report, only 8 percent of the chains’ contracting dollars went to diverse suppliers who make up 36 percent of the population.

While these hotels represent those corporations who have yet to embrace the importance of supplier diversity, there are a large number of others who have. In an effort to connect these corporations with diverse suppliers, the Women’s Business Enterprise Council West is hosting the 1st Annual Supplier Diversity Summit on Jan. 8.

“This is a great opportunity for suppliers to develop a relationship with our corporate participants, find out how they fit into their supply chains and create a successful business strategy for 2013,” said WBEC-West President and CEO Pamela Williamson, Ph.D.

The event will be held at the Arizona Science Center from 12:30 to 6:00. Participating corporations will include Chevron, The Walt Disney Company, US Bank, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Nestle.

The event will offer diverse businesses an opportunity to meet with supplier diversity representatives who are responsible for connecting diverse suppliers with those responsible for the sourcing and purchasing of goods/services for their respective corporations.

By the end of the conference, participants will understand the process of competing for business with major corporations and learn what corporations look for in potential suppliers. Participants will also acquire information on the partner corporation’s specific projected procurement needs for 2013.

The summit will also give participating suppliers the chance to networking with other suppliers who have successfully done business with corporations. From these suppliers, participants will learn the best practices for successfully engaging corporate procurement professionals and how to most effectively utilize their certification.

WBEC-West is a regional partner of WBENC, a coalition of corporations, WBEs and regionally focused women's business organizations. As an affiliate organization, WBEC-West implements the certification standards of WBENC throughout Arizona, Colorado, Southern California, Utah, Wyoming, Hawaii and Guam. WBE certification is nationally recognized and accepted by more than 10,000 major corporations. WBEC-West also supports corporations in their efforts to include WBEs in their supplier diversity programs.

For more information please visit http://www.wbec-west.org/