16 Companies Recorded Nearly $1 Billion in Sales in 2007

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.(R) (NMSDC(R)) today announced its 2008 Regional Minority Supplier of the Year recipients. The 16 outstanding minority-owned businesses were selected from a group of 75 nominees from across the country, and represent a cross-section of industries ranging from architecture, beauty products, cleaning/painting, construction, energy and fine art to food services, general contracting, IT consulting and solutions, staffing and transportation/logistics. NMSDC will present awards to each regional winner on Wednesday, October 29, at the 2008 NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Fair in Las Vegas, Nevada.

'These regional winners are among the nation's best suppliers, period,' said NMSDC President Harriet R. Michel. 'Their corporate clients are some of the world's largest multinational companies, and expect first-rate quality, top performance and efficiency from their suppliers. Our regional winners consistently meet and exceed those client expectations and add immeasurable value to those corporate partnerships.'

The 16 regional winners are divided into four classes based on annual sales, and are nominated by their corporate customers. NMSDC-certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses are evaluated on the basis of business growth, development and performance, community service and the ability to overcome challenges brought on by the company owner's heritage or background.

One regional winner from each of the four classes will be named a National Winner at the Awards Banquet held during the NMSDC Conference. The Conference theme is 'Minority Businesses and Corporations: Playing to Win.' More than 7,000 minority business owners and corporate purchasing executives are expected to attend the four-day conference, which begins on Sunday, October 26, and continues through Wednesday, October 29, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2008 NMSDC Regional Suppliers of the Year are listed below.

CLASS IV, SALES GREATER THAN $50 MILLION, THE WINNERS ARE:

The Bartech Group, Inc., Livonia, Michigan - Jon E. Barfield is the chairman and president of The Bartech Group, a provider of engineering, information technology, professional, technical and administrative staffing services, as well as vendor management, outsourcing solutions and consulting solutions to a variety of industries. In 2007, the company had $400 million in revenue billed and managed. Projected revenue billed and managed for 2008 is $1 billion. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Chrysler, Delphi, DTE Energy, Eaton, Ford and General Motors are among the company's major customers. The Bartech Group, a second-generation Black-owned company, and its employees are involved with a number of organizations in the Detroit community including the American Heart Association; Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation; The Children's Center; Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan; Dress for Success; Henry Ford Academy; Kettering University; Polio Eradication Program; Reading is Fundamental; The Salvation Army; Share Products Program with local and national retail chains; Spaulding for Children; United Negro College Fund; and YES Foundation. www.bartechgroup.com

Raven Transport Company, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida - W. Randolph Lee is the president of Raven Transport Company, an interstate truckload freight carrier that specializes in the transport of consumer dry goods. The company, which was established in 1985, recorded $75.8 million in sales in 2007, and projects sales of $68.69 million in 2008. Raven Transport spent $1.78 million with other minority firms in 2007. Major customers of Raven Transport include Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Miller Brewing and Procter & Gamble. In the community, Raven Transport supports Gleaners Dispatch, an organization that provides food to the homeless; Eugene Butler Middle School; From One Troop to Another, a program to send Girl Scout cookies to servicemen and women in Iraq; Hubbard House; Jewish Family and Community Services; Raines High School; Ronald McDonald House; and Second Harvest Food Bank. www.raventrans.com

Thompson Hospitality Services, LLC, Herndon, Virginia - Warren M. Thompson is the president and chairman of Thompson Hospitality Services, an 11-year-old service firm that specializes in food service, restaurant and retail, and facilities management. The company had $220 million in sales in 2007, and projects sales of $247 million in 2008. The Black-owned firm spent $1.359 million with minority-owned businesses in 2007, and projects an MBE spend of $1.6 million in 2008. Thompson Hospitality lists Chicago Public Schools, Herman Miller, IBM, Merck and SunTrust as major customers. Mr. Thompson is active in the community, providing scholarships to deserving students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and scholarships to urban K-12 public schools in Chicago, Kansas City and Newark. The company also provides meal scholarships to children of Thompson Hospitality employees that attend the schools where the firm is contracted to provide food services. Mr. Thompson has also made notable scholarship endowments to the University of Virginia, where his father was denied admission based on race. Mr. Thompson has received several awards and honors for his business achievements. Earlier this year, he was named a finalist for the inaugural Washington Business Journal Minority Business Leader award. www.thompsonhospitality.com

Torix General Contractors, LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado - Ken Harris is the chief executive officer of Torix General Contractors, a Native American- owned construction company that offers general contracting services for civil projects and renovations, as well as construction management services. The firm, which was established in 1987, had $85 million in sales in 2007 and projects sales of $110 million in 2008. Torix spent $17 million with minority business enterprises in 2007, with plans to increase its MBE spend to $27.5 million in 2008. Colorado Springs School District No. 11, ORIT Software Solutions, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Fort Carson, Colorado, and Omaha, Nebraska - are among the company's major customers. Torix executives and its employees are very active in the Colorado Springs community, serving on a number of boards and advisory councils. Additionally, members of the company contribute their time and resources in support of the American Red Cross, Care & Share, the Children's Literacy Center, Colorado College, the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Homeward Pike's Peak, TESSA and the United Way. www.tepa.com

CLASS III, SALES BETWEEN $10 MILLION AND $50 MILLION, THE WINNERS ARE:

Apex Computer Systems, Inc., Cerritos, California - Philip Chen is the president of Apex Computer Systems, Inc., an Asian-Pacific American-owned firm that provides information technology lifecycle, support services, application development and managed services for corporate, mid-market and small business clients.