Johnson Controls Scores Leadership Award

John Barth, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls, was honored with the 2006 Leadership Award from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) last night at the Hilton New York and Towers. NMSDC’s Leadership Award is given to executives for their significant long-term achievements in minority business development.
“This is a great honor for me and a great honor for Johnson Controls,” said Barth. “The commitment we have to all aspects of diversity is one of the things that separates us from our competition. I am absolutely proud of what we have done, and when I look at the future it’s clear that we must continue to be a leader in diversity in order to keep growing.”
This is the second major national award from the NMSDC for Johnson Controls’ leadership in minority business development. In October 2003 the organization named Johnson Controls “Corporation of the Year.” Johnson Controls was also recently recognized as a global leader in diversity by the World Diversity Leadership Council for its supplier diversity program and for excellence in collaborating with suppliers in urban, diverse communities.
Johnson Controls spends more than $1 billion annually with minority- and women-owned businesses representing over 50 commodity and purchasing areas about 12 percent of its controllable purchases. It is one of only 12 United States companies to achieve the billion-dollar milestone.
NMSDC, a leading business membership organization, provides procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes. The NMSDC Network, which includes 39 affiliated regional councils, matches more than 15,000 certified minority businesses (Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American) with its more than 3,500 corporate members that want to purchase their goods and services. In 2004, member corporations’ purchases from minority businesses exceeded $87 billion.