Past Recipients include Atlanta Mayors Maynard Jackson and Kasim Reed, Senator Sam Nunn, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young and Herman J. Russell.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) August 16, 2017
The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council will honor Dr. William F. Pickard with the prestigious Blue Legend Award on Friday, August 25th at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. The Spirit of Alliance Awards gala is an annual celebration of excellence in supplier diversity, to recognize the achievements of the State of Georgia’s top corporations, small business owners and champions of inclusive procurement. The GMSDC is the state of Georgia’s leading small business development and supplier diversity organization, known for creating jobs and facilitating business opportunities in Georgia since 1975. Dr. Pickard will be inducted into an exclusive circle of distinguished past recipients of the Blue Legend Award, including Atlanta Mayors Maynard Jackson and Kasim Reed, Senator Sam Nunn, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young and Herman J. Russell.
The Blue Legend award is the top individual honor presented at the Spirit of Alliance gala each year. It is presented to a visionary leader who has demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of challenging obstacles, and whose lifelong contributions have broken through barriers and created business opportunities for minority business owners in Georgia and elsewhere. The Blue Legend is unique among all of the awards presented at the Spirit of Alliance – while the other awards recognize outstanding accomplishment for the previous year, the Blue Legend celebrates a lifetime of exemplary service to the minority small business community.
A native of LaGrange, Georgia who grew up in Flint, Michigan, Dr. Pickard is the founder and Chief Executive of GAA Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, the parent company of a number of diverse enterprises focused on manufacturing, transportation and logistics. His entrepreneurial career, which spans more than 45 years, began with a McDonald’s franchise in Detroit. Today, his companies generate more than $5 billion in revenues annually, providing goods and services to many of the world’s best-known corporate brands. Dr. Pickard has served on the boards of directors of numerous corporations and non-profits, providing mentorship and strategic direction to thousands of entrepreneurs across the nation. He is the author of Millionaire Moves: Seven Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship, and a frequent speaker at colleges, universities and conferences. A renowned philanthropist with a passion for business development, Dr. Pickard is a tireless mentor who has donated millions of dollars to causes and organizations.
The 2017 Spirit of Alliance Awards will take place at 6:00 pm on Friday, August 25th at the Marriott Marquis. Tickets are available at gmsdc.org.
About the Spirit of Alliance Awards
The Spirit of Alliance Awards gala began in 1982, to recognize groundbreaking achievement by the Minority Business Enterprise firms, corporations and individuals that comprise the supplier diversity community in Georgia. For more information, visit gmsdc.org.