The company’s commitment to providing women-owned businesses with opportunities for economic participation and growth is among the reasons MGM Resorts International was named one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises in 2016.

The honor comes from Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a national leader in women’s business development and certification. The annual “Top Corporations” list is the leading national award program honoring corporations for supplier diversity initiatives that reduce barriers and drive growth for women-owned businesses.

“Earning this recognition is a great honor for our company,” said Phyllis A. James, Chief Diversity and Corporate Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts International. “Since 2001, we have been committed to helping even the playing field for minority-owned business through their inclusion in our company’s stream of commerce. Delivering on this commitment has a direct and positive impact on our company, our communities and our nation’s economy.”

WBENC recognized 59 corporations, the largest list since the program started in 1999, when only 17 corporations received the honor.

An Elite Group of Companies

MGM Resorts is the sole company in the integrated resort industry, and the only company based in Nevada, to earn a spot on WBENC’s latest list. Other companies named to the list include: AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, FedEx and Johnson & Johnson.

“As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, we are so proud of WBENC’s Top Corporations, including MGM Resorts International, for choosing to set the standard for access and increase opportunities to women suppliers in new markets—both domestically and internationally,” said Pamela Prince-Eason, President and CEO of WBENC, the nation’s leader in women’s business development.

WBENC’s Top Corporations will be honored in front of an audience of more than 1,500 attendees, including top-level senior executives from the recognized corporations, at the WBENC Summit & Salute taking place March 21 to 23 in New Orleans.

MGM Resorts International has spent a cumulative total of approximately $4 billion with diverse-owned suppliers, contractors and service providers since the start of the company’s supplier and construction diversity program in 2001. The program is part of a larger company diversity initiative that has been recognized by leading diversity publications including DiversityInc and Black Enterprise.