Stellar Partners Inc. recently received the Inclusive Leader Catalyst Award presented by The Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) at the 2018 Annual Airport Business Diversity Conference. The AMAC Catalyst Awards program recognizes outstanding contributions to promoting participation of minority and women-owned businesses in aerospace-related industries. The Inclusive Leader Award honors an organization that has demonstrated diversity-focused practices in procurement and employment. Stellar’s selection for this award can be attributed to many activities from hiring, to product sourcing, and being highly-engaged with the local business community.
“We are absolutely thrilled that AMAC selected Stellar for the prestigious Inclusive Leader Award. This honor is the result of a shared dedication to all of the people that make up our extensive communities in the various airports where Stellar operates,” said Stellar Partners President & Chief Operating Officer Padraig Drennan. “Furthermore, this award pays homage to a growing organization that was first founded as a woman-owned airport retail company on the premise of workplace diversity and equality; values that we continue to instill throughout our business today.”
Stellar is steeped in a rich history of workplace inclusion dating back to its founding and was a trailblazer for early adoption and certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in 1988 and later as an Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE). The company continues to favor business policies that create a diverse workplace, demonstrated by an 80 percent female or minority executive team and a workforce that is 70 percent women and 69 percent minorities. Associates at Stellar are also encouraged to grow within the organization, resulting in a leadership staff made up of over 50 percent internally promoted people and a cohesive nationwide team.
In addition to internal workforce development, Stellar supports current and potential business partners through its ACDBE-approved mentor-protégé program that provides structured mentorship to local companies as they navigate success in travel retail. Today, Stellar works with many small business partners across the United States from general contractors on airport construction projects, to retail design firms, and operations partnerships in various airports. Stellar is also known for sourcing local small businesses and showcasing their product in the airport, supporting the community by providing sales outlets and valuable exposure to the traveling public.
According to the AMAC website, it is the “only national, non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting the full participation of minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises (M/W/DBEs) in contracting opportunities and professional development throughout the aviation and aerospace industries” – tenets that Stellar will continue to embody as a leading travel retailer.
