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American Water announced this week that it has been named one of the 2023 America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The America’s Top Corporations award is the only national award honoring corporations for world-class supplier diversity programs that reduce barriers and drive growth for women-owned businesses.
“American Water is honored to be recognized as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises. I am very proud of the American Water supplier diversity team for their leadership and for achieving this exceptional accomplishment,” said Josh King, SVP, Supply Chain & Strategic Projects, American Water. “Supplier diversity is both an American Water business imperative and best practice. We pro-actively source, select and establish relationships with diverse businesses in the communities we are privileged to serve.”
Since 1999, WBENC has celebrated America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises honorees who successfully drive the sustainable inclusion of women-owned businesses within corporate and government supply chains and empowered local communities through economic growth and job creation.
“WBENC is proud to honor the 2023 America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises, including American Water, for their continuous and growing commitment to creating business opportunities for women-owned businesses,” said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and CEO of WBENC, the nation’s leader in women’s business development. “WBENC-Certified WBEs in turn fuel innovation and contribute meaningfully to a Top Corporations’ ESG goals and contributions.”
The WBENC Top Corporations model reviews WBE outreach and engagement, such as providing support for successful onboarding and retention of WBEs for supply chain business needs and development of future WBEs. The model also assesses foundational concepts of supplier diversity, including overall program structure, contracting, and reporting, and organization accountability with executive leadership and line of business decision-makers.
