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The Wisconsin Iowa and Central Illinois Minority Supplier Development Council recently presented an Award of Excellence to Union Pacific Railroad. The award recognizes the Class I’s ongoing efforts to purchase materials and services from minority- and women-owned businesses, including fuel, railroad maintenance and construction work, and engineering and rolling stock maintenance services.

UP became the first large U.S. railroad to implement a supplier diversity program in 1982, and was the first among the Class Is to establish a company-wide Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise purchasing program, UP officials said in a prepared statement. In part, the program seeks to help develop and promote minority- and women-owned businesses, they said.

“Union Pacific strives to grow our diversity supplier base by extending opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses,” said Jacqueline White, UP’s assistant vice president of strategic sourcing.