Nielsen recently helped launch the annual National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) conference in Phoenix, Ariz., during National Veterans Week, Nov. 4-12. The conference was held in tandem with the inaugural HeroZona event, a week-long celebration of veterans in Arizona and across the U.S. Our Supplier Diversity team enlisted the help of our employee resource group for veterans, Supporting Employee Resources for Veterans (SERV), to join this event. As part of the conference, we collaborated with the Checkered Flag Run Foundation and hosted a two-day business expo designed to create business opportunities for veteran business owners.
博览会吸引了当地的退伍军人企业主、企业买家和政府采购组织。其目的是为退伍军人企业主创造机会，向潜在的合作伙伴推介他们的服务，并为达成互惠互利的商业协议建立关系。
"尼尔森供应商多元化副总裁拉蒙特-罗宾逊（Lamont Robinson）表示："退伍军人拥有的企业以及其他多元化企业是美国经济的主要推动力。尼尔森供应商多元化副总裁拉蒙特-罗宾逊（Lamont Robinson）说，"在履行了对国家的义务后，我们在决定将哪些公司作为供应商时，有责任支持退伍军人企业主。我们在 HeroZona 上与格子旗奔跑基金会的合作，让我们有机会与数量空前的才华横溢、干劲十足的退伍军人建立联系。
罗宾逊在尼尔森公司领导供应商多元化工作，他的努力受到了美国退伍军人协会的表彰，并在会议期间的颁奖午宴上获得了 "企业退伍军人冠军 "奖。参议员约翰-麦凯恩（John McCain）也在此次活动中荣获终身服务奖。
The conference also featured development seminars, workshops and panel discussions that highlighted the unique skill sets of veteran business owners. Nielsen hosted the “Veteran Business Panel,” where veteran business owners spoke about the value their peers bring to a variety of industries when their military service has ended. Sessions like these, designed to give diverse business owners the tools they need to drive growth, are a priority for our Supplier Diversity team. According to Robinson, this is how we can help these businesses create opportunities in their communities, even if we’re not able to bring them on as suppliers for Nielsen.
The collaboration was announced during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, at which Nielsen served as sponsor.
"通过 SERV，尼尔森证明了其对支持退伍军人员工和雇佣退伍军人的承诺，"媒体分析部董事总经理兼 SERV 执行赞助商 Chad Dreas 表示。"我们还有幸能够与我们世界一流的供应商多元化团队建立联系，确保我们将这种支持扩展到退伍军人社区和全国范围内的退伍军人所有企业网络。
