2024 Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards Nomination Packet

2024 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS NOMINATIONS OPEN: MAY 3 - MAY 31, 2024

About the Awards The Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards were designed to celebrate local and national corporate and M/WBE accomplishments, acknowledge and honor corporations that support supplier diversity, economic inclusion and small business advocacy, and celebrate small businesses that have successfully demonstrated strategies that lead to growth.

2024 Award Categories The Great Beginnings Award - Click to view the nomination form Presented to the organization that began and successfully incorporated strategies and initiatives to future-ready their operations and company between 2022-2024.

Rising Star Award - Click to view the nomination form This award is for the individual who has been an advocate of economic inclusion and growth of small businesses within their organization and community for five (5) or fewer years.

Economic Engagement (E2) Award - Click to view the nomination form Presented to the organization whose procurement and/or sourcing department has well-structured initiatives and intentional strategies that support economic inclusion and growth of small businesses.

Tennessee MBDA Business of the Year Award Designed to recognize the outstanding performance and contributions made by clients of the Tennessee Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center. Nominees must have signed and submitted a TN MBDA Business Center client engagement form prior to May 3, 2024, to be considered.

Scalable M/WBE Business of the Year Award Presented to a certified minority or woman-owned business enterprise. The company must have successfully demonstrated growth in sales and employment, consistently provided high-quality products and services at competitive prices, and significantly contributed to the growth and development of this community. Must be a current member of the MMBC Continuum.

M/WBE Quality Assurance Business of the Year Award Presented to a certified minority and/or woman-owned business enterprise. The M/WBE company must have implemented a quality control process that: (1) evaluates customer feedback regularly; (2) demonstrates unparalleled quality performance; (3) offers innovative solutions while going above and beyond minimum requirements; (4) meets and exceeds expectations of contract specifications for product or service delivery; and (5) responds to customer feedback in a timely manner.

Must be a current member of the MMBC Continuum.

Entry Requirements: Must be submitted online by May 31 Entries will not be published to the public.

Entries are open to only companies/organizations in the United States.

Best Practices for Submitting Your Nominations: Show proof of your achievements.

Include supportive information that proves you are making an impact.

Grab the judge’s attention.

Make your submission stand out with thorough responses for each question. Drive it home by providing evidence of your results.

Tie your results to your goal/objectives.

Make sure that your outcome is cohesive and in correlation with your intended impact.

Read the criteria.

Be sure you hit every nail on the head by carefully reading each question and displaying in your answer that you fully understand what you are being asked.

Start Early This will ensure that you’re able to take your time and be as thorough and precise as possible Judging: Description of Judges The Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards panel of judges is composed of a diverse selection of procurement and sourcing professionals who have a vast knowledge of purchasing and procurement.

Their goal is to determine which organizations demonstrate expertise and excellence in each award category.

Description of what they’ll judge Each award category is centered around impact and innovation. The judges are interested in determining the why behind each initiative. The judges want to know that your organization is going beyond checking a box. Is your impact measurable? Is each phase of implementation cohesive? Do these strategies align with the organization as a whole? These are a few of the ideas that will assist the judges in determining how well each organization walks its walk.

2023 Award Winners & Finalists Corporation of the Year

M/WBE Quality Assurance Business of the Year

Scalable M/WBE Business of the Year

TN MBDA Business of the Year

Winner ArchKey Solutions Finalists Memphis Light, Gas & Water Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Winner Winner W&T Contracting Corporation Unistar-Sparco Computers Finalists Finalists Precise Contracting, LLC Access Builders, LLC ServiceMaster Facilities Maintenance

D&I Heroes Award

Great Beginnings Award

Winner Lorenzol Ellis ArchKey Solutions

Winner Top Cat Masonry Contractors, LLC

Rising Star Award

Winner Kanisha Massey Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Winner W&T Contracting Corporation Finalists Top Cat Masonry Contractors, LLC Veasley’s Paving Services, Inc.

Chairman’s Award

Winner Scott Brockman President and CEO Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

2024 Sponsorship Levels ESG Champion - $7,500 Seating for 10 in Private VIP Section at Award Ceremony Complimentary Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres Served by Conceriege Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Silent Auction Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on all event promotions and onsite signage

DEI Leader - $5,000 Seating for 8 in Private VIP Section at Award Ceremony Complimentary Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres Served by Conceriege Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Silent Auction Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on some onsite signage

Supplier Diversity Advocate - $3,000 Seating for 5 in Private VIP Section at Award Ceremony Complimentary Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres Served by Conceriege Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Silent Auction Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on some onsite signage

Individual Tickets - $125

Access to Networking Hour Complementary Hors d'oeuvres and Activities; Seating at Award Ceremony