The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has honored DTE Energy with its prestigious 2016 EEI Supplier Diversity Excellence Award — one of the highest supplier diversity honors in the energy business. In announcing the award, EEI noted DTE’s efforts to promote diverse businesses, and its progressive program to attract, develop and retain diverse suppliers.
“DTE’s supplier diversity efforts focus on being inclusive, creating meaningful business partnerships and fostering sustainable economic growth for small businesses — the sector that creates most of the nation’s jobs,” said Sandy Ennis, vice president, Diversity and Inclusion, DTE. “This is true economic gardening, and is vital to the success of our economy where 98 percent of the state’s firms are small businesses that collectively employ more than half of Michigan’sprivate sector workforce.”
Criteria for the award included innovation in employee engagement with supplier diversity; commitment to coaching, mentoring and training diverse suppliers; designated supplier diversity staff; outreach to internal and external target groups; and measurable goals and objectives.
“DTE advocates for minority- and women-owned firms, providing training, mentoring, business opportunities and developmental experiences,” said Tony Tomczak, chief procurement officer, DTE. “Our mentoring programs help ensure the long-term health of our suppliers, as these suppliers collaborate with DTE employees who help them develop a business plan, provide support to help resolve issues, and remove roadblocks.”
In addition to the mentoring DTE provides, the company is also putting its dollars to work in communities throughout Michigan. Over the past five years, DTE has spent more than $1.5 billion with diverse businesses and is doing business with more than 180 diverse suppliers. Last year alone, DTE spent almost$370 million with certified diversity suppliers.
“We are proud of the focus DTE has on the communities we serve and the suppliers who partner with us. These efforts provide critical support in our communities, and they also make us a better and more competitive company,” added Tomczak.
About DTE Energy   Â
DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. As one of Michigan’s leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress. Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com
