NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BLACK ENTERPRISE has announced its fifth annual listing of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity as featured in the July 2009 issue. The companies identified in this special report demonstrated strength and outperformed their peers in one or more of four key categories: board representation, employee base, senior management, and supplier diversity.

Of the 40 best, both McDonald's Corp. and WGL Holdings Inc. met the BLACK ENTERPRISE criteria in all four categories. Among the companies that hit the mark in three of the four areas are AFLAC Inc., The Coca-Cola Co., Fannie Mae, MGM Mirage, Pepco Holdings Inc., PG&E Corp., Pitney Bowes, Sodexo Inc., and TIAA-CREF. Making their first appearance on this list are Freddie Mac and Northern Trust Corp.

The full list of the Black Enterprise 40 Best Companies for Diversity is as follows:

CALIFORNIA

PG&E Corp., San Francisco

Sempra Energy, San Diego

CONNECTICUT

Aetna, Hartford

Pitney Bowes, Stamford

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Fannie Mae, Washington

Pepco Holdings Inc., Washington

WGL Holdings Inc., Washington

FLORIDA

Burger King Inc., Miami

Darden Restaurants Inc., Orlando

GEORGIA

Aflac Inc., Columbus

United Parcel Service Inc., Atlanta

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta

ILLINOIS

Exelon Corp., Chicago

McDonald's Corp., Oak Brook

Northern Trust Corp., Chicago

State Farm Insurance Cos., Bloomington

KENTUCKY

Yum! Brands Inc., Louisville

MARYLAND

Marriott International Inc., Bethesda

Sodexo Inc., Gaithersburg

MICHIGAN

Kellogg Co., Battle Creek

Ford Motor Co., Dearborn

General Motors Corp., Detroit

MINNESOTA

General Mills, Minneapolis

NEVADA

MGM Mirage, Las Vegas

NEW JERSEY

Verizon Communications Inc., Basking Ridge

NEW YORK

American Express Co., New York

Citigroup Inc., New York

International Business Machines Corp., Armonk

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., Somers

PepsiCo Inc., Purchase

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, White Plains

Tiaa-Cref, New York

Toyota Motor North America Inc., New York

Xerox Corp., Rochester

NORTH CAROLINA

Bank of America Corp., Charlotte

OHIO

Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati

TENNESSEE

FedEx Corp., Memphis

TEXAS

AT&T Inc., Dallas

Comerica Inc., Dallas

VIRGINIA

Freddie Mac, McLean

The 2009 40 Best Companies for Diversity were determined by analyzing responses from a survey administered to major corporations. BE conducted a comprehensive outreach effort to the CEOs and diversity executives of the top 1,000 publicly traded companies, as well as the diversity executives of the 50 leading global companies with strong U.S. operations.

Plus: The Great Recession of 2008-2009 has been brutal. Since December 2007, when the recession started, nearly 6 million workers have been cut from employer payrolls. For African Americans, the jobless rate has reached a staggering 15%, the worst number in more than 20 years. Although hires fell to their lowest rates in eight years nationwide, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are close to 3 million jobs available in the U.S. Approximately 40,000 of those positions are available among the companies that made the BLACK ENTERPRISE list of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity this year. Log on to www.blackenterprise.com/diversity for links to areas of opportunity.


The complete special report, including methodology and selection criteria, is available in the July 2009 issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine, on newsstands June 30.

BLACK ENTERPRISE, your ultimate source for wealth creation, is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. Every month, BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine provides 4.3 million readers with information on entrepreneurship, careers, and financial management. A multimedia company, BE also produces radio and television programming, business and lifestyle events, Web content, and digital media. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the definitive source of information for and about African American business markets and leaders, and the authority on black business news and trends.

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BLACK ENTERPRISE

Andrew Wadium

Media Relations Director

Phone: 212-886-9598

wadiuma@blackenterprise.com



Source: BLACK ENTERPRISE