ERLANGER, Ky., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Max Siegel, President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., one of NASCAR's premier racing teams, will be they keynote breakfast speaker at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America's (TEMA) Opportunity Exchange (OE) on Tuesday, November 11th from 7:30 - 9 a.m. at the Duke Energy Center in Downtown Cincinnati.
As one of the largest minority business events in the country, OE is designed to provide minority business enterprises (MBE's) across the nation with the opportunity to network and develop valuable contacts with Toyota's top suppliers. Since 1990, OE has generated more than $130 million in new contracts including over $20 million from last year's event.
"Toyota believes in helping pave the way for others," said Tetsuo Agata, president and COO of TEMA. "Through Opportunity Exchange, we are able to open doors which will ideally provide growth opportunities for MBE's, and thus contribute to our long-term business success."
This year's Opportunity Exchange will offer a two-day format, Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th with Siegel, one of the most influential executives in the entertainment and sports industries.
Mr. Siegel is the President of Global Operations for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and the highest ranking African American executive among NASCAR's race team. During the past 12-years, the Indianapolis native has also presided over the legal affairs for several Fortune 500 corporations, as well as professional sports, entertainment individuals and organizations.
At the breakfast, Toyota will provide an update on several key diversity activities including minority business spending for its U.S. operations and Supplier Diversity objectives for Tier I suppliers.
Schedule of Events: Monday, November 10, 2008* 12:30 p.m. Registration 2:30 - 5 p.m. Seminars -- Creative Alliances to Combat Challenging Times -- Risk Management - A Key to Sustainability Tuesday, November 11, 2008* 7:00 a.m. Registration 7:30 a.m. Breakfast & Keynote Speech, Mr. Max Siegel 9:00 a.m. Trade Show Opens 12:00 p.m. Trade Show Adjourns * Opportunity Exchange is a free event, advance registration is required
Since the first Opportunity Exchange in 1990, the event has grown from 100 participants and $350,000 in resulting MBE contracts to more than 1,800 participants and more than $310 million in new contracts through last year. For more information about Toyota's Supplier Diversity Program or to register for Opportunity Exchange 2008, please visit http://www.toyotaopportunityexchange.com/
Toyota established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 13 manufacturing plants. In addition, new plants are under construction in Ontario, Canada and Mississippi. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.9 million vehicles in 2007. Toyota directly employs over 43,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $21 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $30 billion per year.
Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350. When production begins in Ontario and Mississippi, Toyota will have 15 manufacturing plants with the annual capacity to build approximately 2.2 million cars and trucks, 1.49 million engines and 425,000 automatic transmissions. For more information about Toyota, visit http://www.toyota.com/.
