Seattle City Light’s Javier Valdez won the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2012 Champion Award.
Seattle City Light’s Javier Valdez won the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2012 Champion Award.
The award, which was presented March 9 at the Westin Hotel, honors “an individual employed by a public agency member who is committed to creating business opportunities and advancing the development of minority businesses through governmental contracting.”
Valdez is a strategic advisor in corporate performance who oversees contracting with historically underutilized businesses and women and minority owned buinesses (HUB/WMBE) for the municipally owned utility.
In 2011, City Light exceeded its HUB/WMBE goals for both contracting and purchasing goods. Combined, the utility provided $11.7 million of business to those companies, which was about 13.4 percent of its overall purchasing and contracts. “We had our best year ever,” Valdez said.
The Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council and the National Minority Supplier Development Council are very relevant to our economy, said Fernando Martinez, regional president and chief executive officer. “Our (minority business enterprises) create jobs and disposable income,” he said. “This disposable income helps sustain our existing markets and develop new markets which further stimulate our economy.”