Today, the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) announced their annual list honoring the best U.S. corporations for working with veteran-owned businesses, and Comcast and NBCUniversal are extremely proud to be included on the list. The prestigious list honors the large corporations that most successfully engage the nation’s more than 3 million veteran-owned businesses as suppliers. 

Seeking to partner with diverse suppliers for our various business needs is good for us and our suppliers alike. Our Supplier Diversity Program is designed to promote, increase and improve the participation of diverse businesses within our supply chain. It includes our primary, or Tier I, suppliers as well as vendors at the Tier II (subcontracting) level. This program provides the company with reliable resources, creates jobs, strengthens our purchasing power and builds value for our shareholders. In 2013, Comcast and NBCUniversal’s spending with diverse suppliers — including minority-, woman- and veteran-owned business enterprises — exceeded $1.2 billion. 

We’ve also hosted and attended many Veterans Supplier Business Fairs over the years, including events in Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando, which provided veterans exclusive access to key decision makers and executives within the company. 

Comcast and NBCUniversal are not only committed to working with veteran-owned businesses, we are doing our part to hire an estimated 1 million service members who will be leaving the military over the next five years. In March 2012, we pledged to hire 1,000 veterans over three years as part of our partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes initiative. We have already well exceeded our goal and have hired more than 2,000 veterans. 

Additionally, we strive to foster a culture of support for reservists and veteran employees, company-wide. Veterans are invited to join Comcast and NBCUniversal’s veteran employee resource groups (ERGs), one of our largest ERGs, where we create a community among colleagues. The ERG has served as a base of support for members in several ways, including mentoring programs and events focused on growing the professional and personal development of veterans and their allies. 

Thank you to the veterans who served our country, and thank you to NaVOBA for this recognition.