Fifth Annual Supplier Diversity Program Attracts Record Numbers of Women and Minority Entrepreneurs to the 2002 FMI Show

WASHINGTON, DC — April 4, 2002 — The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced today that a record number of minority- and women-owned businesses are participating in the fifth annual Supplier Diversity Program at the 2002 FMI Show. The show will be held May 5-7 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

Show attendees are encouraged to visit these exhibiting companies — many of whom are exhibiting for the first time -to view an extensive array of new products and services at the following booth locations:

Food Products and Booth Numbers   

• Alicita-Salsa
  S1761
  
  
• Aurora Products
  S560
  
  
• B3R Country Meats LP
  S370
  
  
• Day-Lee Foods (U.S. Nippon Meat Packer)
  S2726
  
  
• El Dorado Seafood
  S2937
  
  
• Glory Foods Inc.
  S358
  
  
• Happy & Healthy Products, Inc.
  S361
  
  
• Interex Corporation
  S3137
  
  
• Jammin' Juices
  S2826
  
  
• Latina Media Ventures
  S265
  
  
• Magnolia Spice Teas, Inc.
  S3048
  
  
• Maui Breeze Tropical Sparklers
  S2221
  
  
• Michele Foods, Inc.
  S356
  
  
• Pan American Grain
  S2822
  
  
• Pure Farms
  S1556
  
  
• Reggio's Pizza Inc.
  S1755
  
  
• SMASH Beverage Company
  S3138
  
  
• Southern Popcorn
  S3047
  
  
• Sylvia's c/o Panoply
  S2738
  
  
• TFFC, Inc.
  S357
  
  
• Twin Marquis
  S2737
  
  
• Edward Washington & Associates, Inc.
  S3329
  
  

Nonfood Products

• Exhart, Inc.
  S2964
  
  
• Kirk's Natural Products Corporation
  S2928
  
  
• Neat Bag Corp.
  S561
  
  
• Paradise Greetings
  S1070
  
  
• Sarah Michaels, Inc.
  S2929
  
  
• Soft Sheen-Carson
  S2128
  
  

Services

• Prodew Misting & Humidification
  N5837
  
  
• OMEGA Advertising Specialties
  N5535
  
  
• Weitron, Inc.
  N5557
  
  

FMI introduced the Supplier Diversity Program in 1998 to expand opportunities for minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women-owned business enterprises (WBEs) throughout the food distribution industry.   Participants receive a substantial discount on the exhibitor fee for the convention, recognized as one of the largest food trade events in the world, and other special benefits.

For more information about the Supplier Diversity Program, contact Melanie Hutt(202-220-0833 or mhutt@fmi.org) or Jackson Davis, (202-220-0663 or jdavis@fmi.org). For additional information about the convention, please contact FMI’s automated show Infoline at 1-800-890-SHOW (7469), or visit FMI’s Web site at (www.fmi.org).