Santana Group’s Oveana Named 2020 SMSDC Supplier of the Year
Despite the economic slowdown due to COVID-19, Oveana, a certified minority-, and woman-owned business process outsourcing company, has continued to serve the community and create jobs, earning the organization the 2020 Supplier of the Year Award from the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council (SMSDC). The award was presented to Oveana Vice President Nicole Navarro Velesiotis and Manager of Operational Excellence Kathryn Barnicle during the SMSDC’s Premier Face Time Virtual Expo.
Corporate members of the SMSDC nominate certified minority-owned suppliers who demonstrate unparalleled leadership and achievement. From these nominations, SMSDC honors one supplier in each class for their business growth, service, and community involvement. Oveana was nominated by Toyota on the cusp of completing only its second year of providing bilingual call center services for one of the world’s largest auto makers.
“We continue to be honored and proud of our continued relationship with Oveana,” said Supplier Relationship Manager for Toyota Financial Services Kirsten Patel. “In partnering with Rosa and her team, we have been able to effectively demonstrate our mutual commitment to job creation and economic impact and growth. As we continue to grow in our relationship with Oveana, we are excited to see what the future holds in order to meet our evolving customer and employee needs as well as the needs of our diverse communities we so proudly serve.“
This year, the SMSDC factored coronavirus considerations into their nominee scoring given the immense impact the virus has had. Prior to COVID-19, Oveana’s services were provided from designated service sites. At the start of the pandemic, Oveana transitioned much of its workforce to a virtual environment to continuously improve business practices, ensuring continuity of services and the safety of team members and the community. As a result, Oveana has continued to create jobs in the communities in which it operates.
“We’re grateful to be recognized as a Supplier of the Year by Toyota and the SMSDC,” said Oveana President & CEO Rosa Santana. “The most rewarding part of this accomplishment for us has been the ability to provide jobs to the community during these challenging times.
