For immediate release

Detroit – The 2014 BCBSM Supplier Diversity Awards were presented on February 20th, 2014 at the South Lyon conference center.  BCBSM President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp took the opportunity to highlight its Minority and Women-Owned partnerships from the 2013 fiscal year, where more than 250 guests attended the ninth annual event.

w3r Consulting was named winner of the 2013 Diverse Supplier Achievement Award for Minority Business Enterprises. The 12 companies honored not only supported BCBSM growth and revenue objectives but were also instrumental in delivering creative and unique consulting solutions designed, “to further expand the Health of Michigan citizens and its business environment”, stated Tricia Keith, Sr. VP of Corporate Secretary and Services . BCSM spend with minority-owned suppliers went from 106 million to 152 million in 2012 , exceeding its 16% minority spend goal by 4%.

w3r has been a tier one vendor providing IT Staffing and Consulting suite of services. Eric Hardy, CEO stated, “w3r has been in partnership with BCBSM for the better part of seven years and seen over 400% growth in BCBSM Contract awards during that time. The commitment that BCBSM has taken to keep companies such as ours on the front-line has truly been one of the best relationships that we have cultivated. ” BCBSM stated in their official press release,  “In a time of sweeping, fundamental changes across health care and the rest of the marketplace, strong partnership and collaboration are essential,” said BCBSM President and CEO Daniel J. Loepp. “We are proud of our partnerships with diverse suppliers. They play a significant role as the Blues work to deliver value and quality to our customers and all our stakeholders across Michigan.” w3r is honored to be a recipient of such a prestigious award.

w3r expects to continue to grow their presence and value with BCBSM, specifically supporting their growth initiatives as a mutual insurance company. It is in w3r’s corporate plan to support National Healthcare Program reform, and having a partner like BCBSM creates velocity around their plans and strategies.

About w3r Consulting 

w3r Consulting is a nineteen-year-old privately held Technology Consulting firm headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.  Combining many years of diverse industry experience and exposure, w3r can objectively view our customers’ challenges and recommend a solution that meets both their current and future needs for both infrastructure and integration services and support. Our mission is to provide companies with flexibility, by providing the highest quality resources, services and solutions to help build versatile, reliable and agile solutions to support your business needs. At w3r, our goal is to maximize your existing people, processes and technology to align your technical capabilities with your business goals. w3r Consulting is a respected member of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), the Chicago Minority Development Council (CMBC), the South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (SCOMSDC), the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (VMSDC) and the Louisiana Minority Supplier Development Council (LMSDC).  We are also certified as a Disadvantaged Small Business by the Michigan Department of Transportation and are SBA 8a certified.

CONTACT:   Katrina Turnbow, Marketing and Communications Dir., w3r Consulting kturnbow@w3r.com | 248-358-1002