At a special reception in Seattle recently, Vivian Cosey-Glover, Chief Diversity Officer for McCain Foods USA and McCain’s Foods received the Annie’s Fun – APIASF Diversity Award for outstanding efforts and leadership in promoting and advancing Asian and Pacific Islander American diversity. The Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit, has provided more than $3 million in scholarships to Asian and Pacific Islander American students since 2003. Annie’s Fun is a nonprofit organization based in the Pacific Northwest that helps children, ethnic minorities, and economically disadvantaged communities. “We are honored to be recognized by these two organizations that are making important contributions in the community”, said Cosey-Glover. “A crucial part of our commitment to diversity is providing support to organizations that give minority students the tools and opportunities to succeed.” The event in Seattle had some 70 attendees, including leaders from the APIA and minority community in the Pacific Northwest, as well as state legislators.
McCain Foods USA is committed to ensuring its workforce reflects the diversity of its customers, consumers, suppliers and communities and to maintaining a competitive edge by hiring talented individuals who will help drive the company’s growth and innovation. An example of McCain’s commitment to create a more diverse workplace occurred in early August when McCain co-partnered with MillerCoors to sponsor the National Black MBA and National Society of Hispanic MBA Salsa and Soul event that bring together association members to network and learn about host companies. Members of the McCain HR recruitment team including Kim Stover, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist; Jaclyn Miller, Talent Management Supervisor; Heather Sebahar, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, and representatives from across the business functional areas were on hand to speak to attendees interested in employment opportunities. Presentations were made by Scott Bartlett, McCain Vice President, Planning, Distribution and Customer Service as well as representatives from MillerCoors and the MBA organizations. After the presentations, Randy Wieland, Senior Vice President, Sales; David Cowperthwait, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Vivian Cosey-Glover, Chief Diversity Officer, mingled with the crowd to answer questions about McCain. Throughout the evening, attendees dined on appetizers prepared by the McCain culinary team and viewed a recent clip of The Food Network’s “Unwrapped” which featured Black and Tan Onion Rings produced at Fort Atkinson and Sweet Classics Brownie Bites produced at Appleton.
The objective of McCain’s Supplier Diversity initiative is to provide business opportunities to ethnic minority and women-owned businesses that offer high quality products and services, innovative solutions and competitive pricing.
To make our program more robust and successful, McCain has formed a Supplier Diversity Council to assist in identifying business opportunities for minority/women business enterprises (MWBEs) and ensure that MWBEs are included in contract bids and Request For Proposals. Representatives from Purchasing, HR, Transportation and other departments within the company serve as members of the Council.
McCain’s Supplier Diversity initiative continues to grow and gain more visibility. As a result of our increased activities, we have awarded several key MWBE contracts in packaging, ingredients and transportation. In October 2010, McCain was a first time exhibitor at the National Minority Supplier Development Council tradeshow in Miami, the largest minority business tradeshow of its kind in the country. “It is very important that McCain has a visible supplier diversity program,” notes Calvin Eakins, Supplier Diversity Manager. “This is where we meet many prospective suppliers, build relationships with diversity organizations and gather information about the market.”
