Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

SBC Named One Of Top Ten Companies For Minorities

SBC Named One Of Top Ten Companies For Minorities

Published 06-27-00

Submitted by SBC Communications Inc.

For the second year in a row, SBC Communications leads all telecommunications companies in FORTUNE Magazine's annual top 50 ranking of the "Best Companies for Minorities" in the United States. SBC was ranked Number 10 among all companies for promoting workplace diversity. According to FORTUNE, this year's honorees are "doing the most to make employees of all races into full participants in their businesses."

"We are honored by this national recognition and remain committed to the diversity efforts that make us more responsive to our employees, customers and the communities we serve." said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of SBC Communications.

FORTUNE's list of "Best Companies for Minorities" will appear in the magazine's July 10 issue. In the article accompanying the ranking, FORTUNE concludes that, "It is now considered self-evident that a diverse work force is not just 'the right thing to do'; it's a competitive advantage." SBC is cited for diversity initiatives such as its call centers that field questions in some 20 languages and dialects and its efforts to promote supplier diversity, contributing to special funds that help minority vendors obtain loans.

To compile the ranking, FORTUNE and the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP), surveyed FORTUNE 1000 and the 200 largest privately held U.S. companies. Companies were judged, among other things, on overall diversity programs; employee bonuses tied to fulfilling diversity goals; number of minority graduates hired by companies; minority representation on the company's board of directors, among corporate officers and in middle management; recent hiring practices; percentage of dollars spent with outside minority-owned suppliers; and percentage of charitable contributions given to programs primarily benefiting minorities.

SBC has been recognized for setting a high corporate standard in the industry. The company's workforce is 51 percent female and 34 percent people of color. Nineteen percent of the company's corporate officers are minorities. SBC's efforts to promote diversity have been acknowledged by other organizations as well, including being named: America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company, Fortune, 2000; Corporation of the Year, Business and Professional Women/USA, 2000; one of America's Top Performing Companies by the Council on Economic Priorities in its annual survey of socially responsible corporations, ranking seventh among companies providing the most opportunities for minority advancement; the National Minority Supplier Development Council's Corporation of the Year, 1999; and, one of the Top 25 Companies for Executive Women, Working Woman 1999.

SBC is joined in this year's ranking of "Best Companies for Minorities" by other leading global companies such as Eli Lilly, UPS, and Ford.

SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) is a global communications leader. Through its subsidiaries' trusted brands - Southwestern Bell, Ameritech, Pacific Bell, SBC Telecom, Nevada Bell, SNET and Cellular One - and world-class network, SBC's subsidiaries provide local and long-distance phone service, wireless and data communications, paging, high-speed Internet access and messaging, cable and satellite television, security services and telecommunications equipment, as well as directory advertising and publishing. In the United States, the company currently has 94.1 million voice grade equivalent lines, 11.7 million wireless customers and is undertaking a national expansion program that will bring SBC service to an additional 30 markets. Internationally, SBC has telecommunications investments in 22 countries. With more than 208,000 employees, SBC is the 13th-largest employer in the U.S., with annual revenues that rank it among the largest Fortune 500 companies.

SBC Communications Inc.

SBC Communications Inc.

More from SBC Communications Inc.

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox