American Express is committed to developing mutually advantageous business relationships with small businesses and firms owned and operated by minorities, women and the physically challenged. We seek the best valued, highest quality products and services by encouraging competition among all suppliers.

Each year, American Express purchases a broad range of products and services from diverse businesses. Suppliers who do business with American Express are expected to demonstrate their commitment to diversity through a plan or program established within their own business operations that quantitatively measures their purchases of goods and services from minority, women-owned, physically challenged and small businesses. American Express acknowledges and offers opportunities to those majority suppliers who assist American Express' diversity policy by utilizing second-tier diverse suppliers.

Our efforts benefit our customers, shareholders and the communities in which we live and work.

- Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

We are committed to giving equal consideration to all suppliers, regardless of their size or background. We provide opportunities for small businesses, as well as those owned by minorities, women, people with disabilities, veteran and those who are lesbian/bi-sexual or transgender (LGBT). To make sure we are achieving our supplier diversity goals, we measure and track our annual spend with businesses owned by people in these diverse groups, as defined below:

MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (MBE) is a for-profit enterprise, regardless of size, physically located in the United States or its trust territories, which is owned, operated and controlled by minority group members. “Minority Group members’ are United States citizens who are African American, Asian Indian, Asian Pacific, Hispanic and Native American. Ownership by minority individuals means the business is at least 51% by such individuals or, in the case of publicly-owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. Further, the management and daily operations are controlled by those minority group members.

African American - A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Asian Indian - A U.S. Citizen whose origins are from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Asian Pacific - A U.S. Citizen whose origins are from Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, US Trust Territories of the Pacific, or the Northern Marianas.

Hispanic - A U.S. citizen of Hispanic heritage, from any of the Spanish speaking areas of Latin American or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Basin only.

Native American – A U.S. citizen whose origins are from American Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos, and Native Hawaiians.


WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (WBE) is an independent business concern that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens or Legal Resident Aliens; whose business formation and principal place of business are in the US or its territories; and whose management and daily operation is controlled by one or more of the women owners.



OTHER BUSINESS CONCERN

Designation	Description
Disadvantaged/Disable Business Enterprise (DBE)	Business that is at least 51% owned, controlled and operated by a physically disable, socially and economically disadvantaged individual(s).
Veteran Business Enterprise	Certified Small Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a veteran(s) of the U.S. Armed Forces with U.S. citizenship.
HUBZone Business Enterprise	SBA Certified Small Business, located in distressed area (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) and is eligible for certain federal contracting opportunities.
Small Business	Business that meets "small" ownership criteria and Business Size Standard for their industry, as defined by the SBA. (See Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19.102 for specific details on number of employees and annual sales to qualify as a Small Business).
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT)	Business that is at least 51% owned, controlled and operated by a LGBT person or persons who are either U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residents and have been formed as a legal entity in the United States.

To be considered under our supplier diversity initiative, firms must be certified by an official certification agency. Certification documents from the following qualified agencies are acceptable:

• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) or its affiliates
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) or its affiliates
• Women's Business Enterprise Council (WBENC) or its affiliates
• US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC)
• United States Small Business Administration (SBA)
• City, State, or Federal Certification Agencies

American Express has a broad array of buying needs with requirements that can vary greatly depending on location, operation and/or business. Below are a sampling of goods and services currently procured from diverse suppliers:

• Equipment
• Facilities
• Marketing
• Office Supplies
• Operational Services
• Printing
• Professional Services
• Staffing
• Technologies
• Telecommunications

To be eligible to participate in the American Express supplier diversity initiative the company must be 51% minority or women-owned, the owners of record must operate and control the business and the business must be certified by one of the mentioned certifying agencies.

Qualifying businesses are encouraged to register their interest in doing business with American Express as a minority or women-owned business. The following are the three simple registration steps:

1. Click on this link to download the supplier registration form. Note: This form is NOT an application to have the company listed in the American Express B2B Directory. For more information about B2B Directory please go to http://amexmerchants.us.disk11.com/merchant/us/en/Search.do
2. Provide proof of company’s diverse status, by submitting a copy of current certificate from one or more certifying agencies listed in section “certification requirements.”
   
3. E-mail or mail completed Supplier Profile Form and copy of diverse status validation (Certification) to:
   Corporate Supplier Diversity & Business Development
   American Express TRS Co., Inc.
   20002 N 19th Ave
   Phoenix, AZ 85027
   M/S 50-01-13
   supplier-diversity@aexp.com

American Express Second-Tier suppliers are subcontractors and/or suppliers used by a first-tier American Express contracted supplier to provide goods and/or services under their American Express contract.


We request that our first-tier suppliers actively demonstrate their commitment to diversity by working with, minority, women, disable/disadvantaged, small businesses, veteran business, HUBZone, and LGBT businesses. First-tier suppliers must provide us with quarterly reports that quantitatively measure their purchases of goods and services from diverse second-tier suppliers.

Suppliers who do business with American Express are expected to demonstrate their commitment to diversity through a plan or program established within their own business operations that quantitatively measures their purchases of goods and services from minority, women-owned, physically challenged and small businesses. American Express acknowledges and offers opportunities to those majority suppliers who assist American Express' diversity policy by utilizing second-tier diverse suppliers. American Express includes Second Tier provisions in contract awards. Prime suppliers are required to provide American Express a quarterly Second Tier report demonstrating commitment and efforts to include and develop diverse suppliers in their respective supply chain.

To learn more about American Express Corporate Supplier Diversity & Business Development initiative, please contact us:

Corporate Supplier Diversity & Business Development
American Express TRS Co., Inc.
20002 N 19th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85027
M/S 50-01-13
Phone: 888-885-5993 Option# 2
E-mail: supplier-diversity@aexp.com