WRMSDC's 2025 Excellence Awards
Our awards celebrate the best minority suppliers and Corporate Members in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawai‘i. Key deadlines:
- January 31, 2025: Nominations due
- March 5, 2025: Required Letters of Recommendation for the Supplier of the Year Award and Prime Supplier of the Year Award due to nominees for inclusion in their applications (send directly to applicants)
- March 7, 2025: Award applications due
WRMSDC reserves the right to re-categorize applicants if necessary. A panel of anonymous judges selects the winners. On all application forms, unless otherwise noted, "WRMSDC MBEs" includes our Subscription Service MBEs. We will announce all award winners live at our Gala in May.
Contact us with questions at tedi@wrmsdc.org.
We welcome nominations for ALL award categories. After you submit this Nomination Form, WRMSDC will notify each of your nominees and provide them with next steps. Nominations are due by Friday, January 31, 2025. For award descriptions and eligibility, read the descriptions on this form.
- For Supplier of the Year nominations only: Click here for a list of INELIGIBLE companies.
- Nominations are only required for Supplier of the Year and Prime Supplier Awards. However, we strongly encourage nominations in all categories as it's always nice for folks to know they're appreciated.
All Money is Green Award – recognizes a WRMSDC certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) that has done the most business with other certified MBEs in the previous year. This is an award for a company, not a person/individual.
Who can apply? WRMSDC certified MBEs, including Subscription Service MBEs. Nominations are not required.
Buyer of the Year Award – recognizes buyers who advocate for Supplier Diversity, Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), and WRMSDC within their company and community, but who don’t work directly within Supplier Diversity. This is an award for a person/individual, not a company.
Who can apply? Individuals employed by National Corporate Members or Local/Regional Corporate Members. Buyers should not be directors and are not responsible for leading teams; buyers can be supervisors or managers. Examples of buyer titles include Category Manager, Purchasing Buyer, Procurement Agent, Procurement Associate, and Senior Buyer. Nominations are not required.
Cornerstone Award – recognizes a Certified Class 3 or 4 Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) or affiliate organization that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape. This is an award for a company, not a person/individual. *If your company won this award for 3 years in a row, you may not apply this year.*
Who can apply? Certified Class 3 & 4 MBEs and affiliate organizations (examples include the CPUC and City of Oakland). National and Local Corporate Members are not eligible. Nominations are not required.
Executive of the Year Award (cannot be the company president/CEO) – recognizes an executive not working directly within Supplier Diversity who ensures that their company allocates resources (financial and otherwise) to WRMSDC and Supplier Diversity in the region. This is an award for a person/individual, not a company. *If you won this award for 3 years in a row, you may not apply this year.*
Who can apply? Individuals employed by National Corporate Members or Local Corporate Members. Executives cannot work directly within Supplier Diversity and cannot be the company president. Nominations are not required.
Local/Regional Corporation of the Year Award – recognizes a Local/Regional Corporate Member that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape. This is an award for a company, not a person/individual.
Who can apply? Only Local/Regional Corporate Members may apply. National/NMSDC Corporate Members, as well as Local/Regional Corporate Members that are also National/NMSDC Corporate Members cannot apply. Nominations are not required.
National Corporation of the Year Award – recognizes a Corporate Member that has demonstrated company-wide support of WRMSDC and whose Supplier Diversity initiatives are moving the needle toward a more inclusive and diverse landscape. This is an award for a company, not a person/individual. *If your company won this award for 3 years in a row, you may not apply this year.*
Who can apply? Any WRMSDC Local/Regional Corporate Members that are also National Corporate Members. Nominations are not required.
Prime Supplier of the Year Award – recognizes a Prime Supplier that prioritizes doing business with Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs). This is an award for a company, not a person/individual.
Who can apply? Any company that functions as a Prime Supplier. Companies do NOT need to be MBEs, Local Corporate Members, or National Corporate Members to compete. Nominations and letters of recommendation are required: Local or National Corporate Members must nominate all candidates.
Procurement Leader of the Year Award – recognizes director-level or above team leaders working within Procurement and Purchasing who advocate for Supplier Diversity, Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), and WRMSDC within their company and community but who don’t work directly within Supplier Diversity. This is an award for a person/individual, not a company.
Who can apply? Individuals employed by National Corporate Members or Local/Regional Corporate Members. Procurement Leaders should not be buyers; the ideal candidate is the head of an entire category with multiple teams beneath them and/or multiple buyers and purchasing managers reporting to them. They lead teams and set policies. Nominations are not required.
Supplier of the Year Award – Recognizes four WRMSDC certified Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs) that demonstrate excellence in their services and products and show growth in sales and job creation. Winners are automatically entered in the NMSDC competition. This is an award for a company, not a person/individual. MBEs will compete against other MBEs in their own Class: Class 1 = annual sales <$1M; Class 2 = $1M-10M; Class 3 = $10M-50M; Class 4 = >$50M.
Who can apply? WRMSDC certified Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), including Subscription Service MBEs. The MBEs on this list are ineligible to compete this year.
Nomination Process: For an MBE to compete for this award, a Local/Regional or National Corporate Member must nominate them here, then email a letter of recommendation on company letterhead directly to their nominee (the nominee must include it in their application).
Application Process:
Your application MUST include, as a SINGLE pdf:
- MBE Nominee Profile Worksheet - adhere to the word count! Each item in Items 3-7 should not exceed 300 words unless stated otherwise. Examples: 4A is restricted to <300 words, 4B is restricted to <300 words. Click here for the 2025 MBE Nominee Profile Worksheet
- Corporate Nomination Worksheet - you must fill this out with your Corporate nominator's info. Click here for the 2025 Corporate Nomination Worksheet
- Letter of Recommendation on company letterhead from the Corporate Member nominating you (strong applications have multiple letters of support). Letters of Recommendation must address NMSDC's Selection Criteria, outlined here (look for "Selection Criteria"): click here
- A copy of your current Certification Certificate.
- Any applicable supporting documents.
Read our application tips here.
Note: The winners of WRMSDC's Supplier of the Year will automatically go on to compete in NMSDC's Regional competition. Make your application competitive by addressing challenges that are more global than local and including Letters of Recommendation from National clients as well. Click here for a list of past National Supplier of the Year winners (these MBEs are ineligible to apply for the 2025 Supplier of the Year Award).
Supplier Diversity Leader of the Year Award – recognizes a Supplier Diversity professional (Executive, Director, Manager, Coordinator, Specialist working within Supplier Diversity) who has made significant contributions to WRMSDC with their time, support, and advocacy, and who has championed Supplier Diversity and Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBEs) within their own company. This is an award for a person/individual, not a company.
Who can apply? Individuals employed by National Corporate Members or Local/Regional Corporate Members. Nominations are not required.
Thank you for taking the time to apply for WRMSDC's Development Programs!
Application requirements: Business proprietors and senior executives of organizations.
This tailored experience includes:
- Networking opportunities
- Scheduled, in-depth one-on-one mentoring from business practitioners through the duration of the program
Workshops include:
- Crafting Your Business Story
- Finance Fundamentals
- Efficiency Unleashed: Strategies for Peak Performance
- Empowering Your Talent: Tools for Workforce Development
- Navigating the Cybersecurity Landscape
- Unlocking Financial Opportunities: Accessing Capital
- Sustainability & Responsibility in Business
Business Growth Acceleration Program (BGAP)
Recommended criteria: Please note: Revenue is not the primary requirement for eligibility
- Business proprietors and senior executives of organizations who have a minimum of one year of experience running a business and at least $2M in annual sales
- Individuals who complete the Corporate Ready Program and receive recommendations from their facilitators
This tailored experience includes:
- Six months of expert training
- Scheduled, in-depth one-on-one mentoring from business practitioners through the duration of the program
- Final presentation opportunity to WRMSDC Corporate Members
- Participating executives have the valuable opportunity to create relationships with the entire cohort of businesses
Sessions include:
- Future Forward Business Growth
- Collaborating for Strategic Excellence
- Outreach Optimization Part 1
- AI for Social Media Success
- Outreach Optimization Part 2
- Financial Checkup and Growth Impact Part 1
- Financial Checkup and Growth Impact Part 2
- Leadership Evolution
- Embracing Perspectives: Building a Diverse Workplace Culture
- Strategic Growth: Moving Plans to Action & Presentation Prep
Generating Revenue, Opportunity, and Wins (GROW) Program
- Gain expertise in Business Presentation & Pitching, Marketing, and Communications
- Build a robust network and enhance your ability to connect with industry leaders and peers
Duration: Time commitment varies based on the chosen development area
Please email develop@wrmsdc.org for more information