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Living Values

2008 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

 

Diversity and Inclusion

 

Organizational Sponsorships and Memberships

As a founding member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council in 1972, OfficeMax has long supported organizations dedicated to promoting marketplace diversity. Some of the organizations we partnered with in 2008 are described below.

Chicago Minority Business Development Council, Inc. (CMBDC). In 2008, OfficeMax aided the CMBDC by providing benefactor-level support (highest sponsorship amount) for its Chicago Business Opportunity Fair. The CMBDC is a premier organization for increasing business opportunities between major buying organizations and minority-owned businesses.

Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC). OfficeMax supports the MMBDC through our participation in its regional fairs. The MMBDC is a nonprofit, corporate services organization, which through certification of minority-owned businesses assures corporate buyers that an individual business is truly minority-owned, operated and controlled.

National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). OfficeMax is a corporate partner in the NGLCC, a national advocacy and certifying body for an estimated 800,000 to 1,400,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT)-owned and operated businesses. We are the first office supply company to accept NGLCC minority-business certifications.

National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC). With the rapidly expanding growth and potential business opportunities in the Hispanic markets, there was an urgent need to develop a Hispanic information network among major U.S. companies. OfficeMax became affiliated with NHCC in 2008. NHCC is a clearinghouse of Hispanic information on Human Resources, diversity, marketing, supplier diversity and community relations and their impact on corporate objectives. It offers training, expertise and counsel for its membership, comprised of FORTUNE 1000 and S&P 500 companies.

National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). As a founding and active member of NMSDC, OfficeMax supports the organization through our participation in its regional fairs. The primary objective of the NMSDC is to certify and match more than 15,000 minority owned businesses with member corporations that want to purchase goods and services.

Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). In 2008, OfficeMax supported the WBDC by sponsoring its 22nd Annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference, the oldest conference and business opportunities fair for women in business in the country. The WBDC is a nationally and internationally recognized nonprofit organization that works with women to launch new businesses and strengthen existing businesses in the Chicago area.

Women Business Owners. In 2008, OfficeMax began a relationship with this non-profit organization, whose mission is to empower, educate, and enrich the lives of women business owners and children throughout the world.