ABDS - America's Best Diverse Suppliers - is an annual supplier recognition program that promotes America's Best Diverse Suppliers and the organizations that sponsor them.  The ABDS Program was developed in cooperation with Major League Baseball, a leader in supplier diversity within professional sports.

Anyone or any organization interested in finding great diverse suppliers can access the ABDS presentations and discover suppliers that have earned the endorsement of a major organization.

Each participating organization establishes its own criteria recognizing outstanding suppliers as America's Best Diverse Suppliers.

Suppliers recognized through this program are able to market their status as one of America's Best Diverse Suppliers as recognized by a major organization.  America's Best Diverse Suppliers is a registered name.

Any organization with a formal supplier diversity program can recognize up to ten diverse suppliers per year.  The organization pays an annual membership fee and suppliers enjoy the recognition at no charge.

     - Minority owned businesses

     - Women owned businesses

     - Federally Targeted Businesses - e.g. DBEs, 8(a), SBE, Disabled Veteran-owned Businesses, HUB-Zones, Businesses owned by Individuals with Disabilities.

The listing of America's Best Diverse Suppliers is updated annually in June -- and when new participants join the program.

To join the ABDS Program, contact Dan Perkins, publisher of diversityinbusiness.com at

publisher@diversityinbusiness.com.

ABDS is an exclusive feature of diversityinbusiness.com, an Internet publication featuring news and information for and about emerging communities and the organizations that support their growth.