OREANDA-NEWS. Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) recognized the contributions of its top small-business, minority-owned and women-owned supplier partners during the company's annual Supplier Diversity Star Awards event on Wednesday at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta.

For 16 years, the Star Awards program has honored suppliers and Delta team members who champion supplier diversity.

"This event is a wonderful opportunity to say thanks and celebrate our successful partnerships, which are built on Delta's core values of honesty, integrity and respect," said Greg May, Delta's Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management. "Supplier diversity is critical to delivering a quality product and exceeding our customers' expectations."

Honorees are nominated and selected by a review committee based on several categories including quality, value creation, innovation, customer service, cost savings and community involvement.

This year's winners include:

  • Small Business of the Year – PHS/MWA Aviation Services, Temecula, Calif.
  • Minority-owned Business of the Year – Agile•1, Torrance, Calif.
  • Woman-owned Business of the Year – GAT Airline Ground Support, Mobile, Ala.
  • Corporate Real Estate Business of the Year – Creative Construction Services Corp., Cambria Heights, N.Y.
  • Catalyst Award – Reginald Williams, CEO of Procurement Resources Inc., Peachtree City, Ga.
  • Team of the Year – Delta Cargo and Ground Support Equipment (GSE)

"The relationships we share with our diverse suppliers are driven by collaborative engagement," said Karmetria Burton, Delta's General Manager – Supply Chain Management Strategic Programs. "Working together, we are able to achieve mutual success."