HispanicBusiness

DENVER, Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.((R)) (NMSDC((R))) today announced its 2012 Regional Minority Supplier of the Year winners. The 16 outstanding Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American-owned businesses represent a broad range of industries, including construction/general contracting; creative services; facilities maintenance; information technology; security systems; staffing and professional services; transportation services. NMSDC will present awards to each regional winner at an Awards Banquet on Wednesday, October 31, to conclude its 2012 Conference and Business Opportunity Fair in Denver, Colorado.

"NMSDC is proud to honor this year's regional supplier of the year winners," said NMSDC President Joset B. Wright. "They represent the best-of-the-best among our 16,000 certified minority businesses, providing innovative products and exemplary service to their corporate customers in support of the global supply chain."

The 16 regional winners are nominated by their corporate customers and divided into four classes based on annual sales. NMSDC-certified minority-owned 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 the National Supplier of the Year at the Awards Banquet that concludes the four-day conference. The Conference theme is "Minority Businesses and Corporate America: Advancing Minority Suppliers in the Global Supply Chain." More than 7,000 participants, including minority business owners and corporate purchasing executives, are expected to attend the four-day conference, which will be held at the Colorado Convention Center.

The 2012 NMSDC Regional Suppliers of the Year are listed below.

CLASS IV - ANNUAL SALES GREATER THAN $50 MILLION

The Bartech Group, Inc., Livonia, Michigan - David W. Barfield is the chief executive officer of The Bartech Group, an integrated professional services firm that specializes in workforce management solutions, staff augmentation business process outsourcing and consulting. The Black-owned firm is an NMSDC-certified minority-controlled company that is responsible for more than 25,000 consultants and $2 billion in managed services expenditures. It spent $600 million with other minority business enterprises (MBEs). The Bartech Group's client roster includes AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Chrysler, Cummins, DTE Energy, Dell, Eaton, Ford, General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Verizon and Volkswagen. A second-generation company, Bartech and its employees are involved with a number of organizations in the local Detroit community, including the American Heart Association, Detroit Historical Society, Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, Gleaners Food Bank, Michigan Veterans Foundation, the Share Products Program and Spaulding for Children. The company supports the global community with its Barfield Clean Initiative by working with Cross International to fund the construction of wells that provide clean drinking water in Africa, Haiti and other developing countries. www.bartechgroup.com

Pyramid Consulting, Inc., Alpharetta, Georgia - Sanjeev Tirath is the chief executive officer of Pyramid Consulting, an information technology consulting services company that specializes in staff augmentation and lifecycle IT solutions, including application development and maintenance, legacy migration, outsourced product development, mobile development and maintenance, mobile test automation and quality assurance. The 16-year-old firm has nearly 1,900 employees operating out of its headquarters near Atlanta, five regional offices in Bellevue, Washington; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Richmond, Virginia and Somerset, New Jersey; and global services via offices in India and Europe. In 2011, the Asian-Indian American firm recorded $139.2 million in sales and spent nearly $5 million with other MBEs. Pyramid also provides mentoring and business matchmaking opportunities to MBEs. AT&T, Accenture, Delta, The Home Depot and United Parcel Service are among the company's major customers. As the company has grown, so has its commitment to the community. Pyramid and its employees actively support the American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, Georgia Council on Economic Education, Hands on Atlanta, Raksha, TechBridge, United Way and Vibha. Additionally, the IT firm offers an initiative called "Operation: Paycheck," aimed at creating job opportunities for U.S. military veterans. Mr. Tirath is also an active board member of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council. www.pyramidci.com