HOUSTON, Jan. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), the leading global foodservice distribution company, today announced five new partnerships that will enhance Sysco's supplier diversity initiatives.

Sysco will partner with Disability:IN, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA), The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). These partnerships will facilitate relationships with qualified diverse suppliers.

"As a leader in the foodservice industry, these new partnerships will help Sysco develop future diverse suppliers critical to meeting the evolving needs of our customers," said Judy Sansone, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. "It's important that every aspect of our business, including our supply chain, reflect the changing demographics of the communities where we work and live."

Through these partnerships Sysco will have direct access to a certified diverse business database to identify and engage qualified suppliers in procurement opportunities.

Key benefits these partnerships will provide to diverse suppliers include:

• Education, training and development opportunities.

• Mentorship on requests for information, proposal and pre-qualification best practices.

• Opportunity to identify and establish long-term supplier relationships with corporations.

• Invitations to participate in qualified corporate member projects.

• Advance the success of minority, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities and veteran-owned businesses.

As a purpose-driven Company, these partnerships support Sysco's core value of inclusiveness. Through Sysco's supplier diversity processes, Sysco seeks to identify, develop, and expand certified diverse suppliers reach to meet customers' business needs, create an unmatched competitive advantage and connect the world through food and products.

About The National Minority Supplier Development Council

The National Minority Supplier Development Council Inc ® (NMSDC®) is one of the country's leading corporate membership organizations. Whether you're a small minority-owned organization or a billion-dollar powerhouse, we're committed to helping you solve the growing need for supplier diversity. For additional information about NMSDC, becoming a certified Minority Business Enterprise, or Corporate Member, please visit NMSDC.org.

About National Veteran-Owned Business Association

NaVOBA is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed and led by Corporate America. NaVOBA's mission is to create corporate contracting opportunities for America's Veteran's and Service-Disabled Veteran's Business Enterprises (VBEs/SDVBEs) through certification, advocacy, outreach, recognition and education. www.navoba.org/

About Women's Business Enterprise National Council

The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, operated, and controlled by women in the United States. WBENC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its world class standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country. WBENC is also the nation's leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America's corporations. For more information, please visit: www.wbenc.org.

About National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is the business voice of the LGBT community and is the largest global advocacy organization specifically dedicated to expanding economic opportunities and advancements for LGBT people. NGLCC is the exclusive certification body for LGBT-owned businesses, known as Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) suppliers.

www.nglcc.org

About Disability:IN

Disability:IN is the global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 400 corporations trust Disability:IN to activate and achieve disability inclusion across their enterprise and in the broader corporate mainstream. Through the world's most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking; best-in-class conferences and programs; and expert counsel and engagement, Disability:IN works with leading businesses to create long-term business and societal impact.

www.disabilityin.org/

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 58,000 associates, the company operates 343 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 650,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2021 that ended July 3, 2021, the company generated sales of more than $51 billion. Information about our CSR program, including Sysco's 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, can be found at www.sysco.com/csr2020report.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoFoods or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sysco. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company's Internet home page at www.investors.sysco.com which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

For more information contact:

Shannon Mutschler

Media Contact

Mutschler.Shannon@corp.sysco.com

T 281-584-4059