Phillip Morris USA is America’s largest manufacturer of cigarettes. Its brands include Marlboro, Alpine, Basic, Benson & Hedges, Bristol, Cambridge, Chesterfield, Commander, Dave's, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Merit, Parliament, Players, Saratoga and Virginia Slims. The company has been making tobacco products since 1902, according to its Web site at www.pmusa.com.
These products are widely sold to our nation’s active military and veteran populations. Ironically, PM USA never decided to include efforts to buy products and services from veteran-owned suppliers as part of its supplier diversity effort during the last 108 years. It did, however, make it a point to seek minority- and women-owned businesses.
In fact, according to its supplier diversity Web site at http://www.pmusa.com/en/cms/Responsibility/Engaging_with_Our_Business_Partners/Supplier_Diversity/default.aspx , the company states that “We believe it's important to have a choice of quality suppliers. In our business we believe that working with a diverse range of suppliers promotes better ideas and more innovation. We welcome new ideas, energy and the spirit of entrepreneurship to reach our goals and often find this in minority-owned and women-owned businesses.”
Does this mean that veteran-owned businesses lack new ideas, energy and the spirit of entrepreneurship?
The site also states that as the largest manufacturer and marketer of cigarettes in the United States, the materials and services requirements are substantial and the company “actively encourages participation by minority-owned and women-owned businesses.”
Maybe it’s time for America’s 26 million veterans and more than 2.4 million active military personnel to give the butt back to Phillip Morris until the company decides veteran-owned businesses are just as important as those owned by other groups of Americans.
To learn more about Phillip Morris Supplier Diversity Development visit http://www.pmusa.com/en/cms/Responsibility/Engaging_with_Our_Business_Partners/Supplier_Diversity/default.aspx
Comments
You must be logged into your NaVOBA forums account to post a comment.
There are no comments on this article yet.