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Marriott Named One of the '40 Best Companies for Diversity' by Black Enterprise Magazine

Posted on: Thursday, 25 June 2009, 12:47 CDT

BETHESDA, Md., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) announced today it has been named one of the "40 Best Companies for Diversity" by Black Enterprise magazine for the fifth consecutive year. The July feature article recognizes Marriott for its board of directors and employee base.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090217/MARRIOTTINTLLOGO )

"We are honored to be recognized as one of the '40 Best Companies for Diversity,'" said Jimmie Paschall, global diversity officer and senior vice president, external affairs for Marriott International, Inc. "With 146,000 employees in 66 countries, we know that our global workforce is our competitive advantage. It is also reflective of our company's culture -- rich and inclusive of varying ideas, backgrounds, ethnicities, languages and generations. We're very proud to be recognized for it."

In 2003, Marriott's Board of Directors established the Committee for Excellence, chaired today by board member Debra L. Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Networks, to monitor the progress of the company's diversity initiatives. These initiatives are centered on Marriott's workforce, hotel ownership, and supplier diversity programs with the goal to spend $1 billion with diverse suppliers and have 500 diverse-owned hotels opened by 2010. To date, Marriott has spent $500 million with diverse suppliers and more than 430 Marriott hotels are owned, operated or under development by women or minorities.

The company continues to be recognized for its achievements for helping its employees to live, grow and be rewarded. This year, Marriott was ranked fourth on DiversityInc's "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" list and among the "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" by the National Association for Female Executives.

The special report on the best companies for diversity is featured in the July issue of Black Enterprise magazine. The 2009 "40 Best Companies for Diversity" were determined by analyzing responses from a survey administered to major corporations. Black Enterprise conducted a comprehensive outreach effort to the CEOs and diversity executives of the top 1,000 publicly traded companies, and the diversity executives of the 50 leading global companies with strong U.S. operations.

The complete special report, including methodology and selection criteria, is available in the July 2009 issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine, on newsstands June 30.

For more information on Marriott's diversity initiatives, visit www.marriott.com/diversity. Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for a company overview.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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