IRVING, TX – Novation, the leading health care supply contracting company, is honored to announce that it was recognized as one of the “Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities” by DiversityBusiness.com, the largest organization of diversity-owned businesses throughout the United States.

Over 1.2 million businesses were asked to answer questions about diversity business in the marketplace. Out of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies named, or “Div50,” Novation ranked #26 for providing business opportunities to diverse business owners throughout the United States. The list of major U.S. corporations includes companies such as AT&T, Dell, Coca Cola, Cisco, Apple, Wal-Mart, Toyota, and Office Depot. Novation is the only company of its kind on the list.

The Div50 award is based on factors such as volume, consistency and quality of business initiatives that a company grants to multicultural suppliers. This list is an indicator of which organizations provide the best and the most business for diversity-owned companies.

“The diversity practices of the Div50 have changed the course of economic inclusion and thereby the world as we know it,” said Kenton Clarke, CEO of DiversityBusiness.com.

Novation’s supplier diversity program has seen significant growth and is a leader in the health care industry. Novation has more than 95 Supplier Diversity contracts, and projections show that the members of VHA Inc., UHC and Provista, LLC purchased more than $410 million from diverse suppliers through Novation contracts in 2011.

“We are extremely honored to receive this type of recognition from the diverse supplier community,” said Lamont Robinson, Novation’s senior director of supplier diversity. “The health care organizations we serve are committed to economic development in their communities, and Novation’s supplier diversity program provides an avenue to assist them in developing and using these businesses in their communities where appropriate.”

“We are also aggressively building a foundation to improve diversity within the entire health care supply chain through awareness and education,” continues Robinson. “Our innovative culture allows us to redefine the business case for diversity.”

Novation’s diversity program is regularly honored for its dedication to supplier diversity. For example, Robinson was awarded the 2010 Corris Boyd Leadership and Diversity Award from the Federation of American Hospitals, he was named as one of the top overall 100 supplier diversity professionals over the past decade, and he recently received a Champion of Diversity Award from DiversityPlus magazine. Novation’s supplier diversity program was also honored by the Minority Business News USA magazine as one of the top 101 supplier diversity programs in 2010 and 2011.