This year, for the first time, we created a list of companies that are regional, not national, and we showcase the top 10. The reason for this is to level the playing field, since these companies have specific demographic opportunities and challenges that companies with a national and/or global workforce do not.

We did not award a “best of” category in any geographical region but we did factor in the demographics of each company’s region to ascertain if they were best in class.

Here are some facts about these top 10 companies and an individual fact about why each company stands out:

• They demonstrate CEO commitment. For example, 70 percent of their CEOs have board positions or senior advisory roles on multicultural nonprofits.
• Eighty percent of their heads of diversity report directly to the CEO.
• Their workforces average almost 40 percent Black, Latino and Asian, and their managers are almost 30 percent Black, Latino and Asian.
• All of them have employee-resource groups, and at 90 percent of them, these groups are available to everyone in the organization.
• They average 12 percent of Tier I (direct contractor) spend with minority- and women-owned suppliers.

Here are the top 10:

No. 1: Comerica

One of DiversityInc’s 25 Noteworthy Companies

Chairman and CEO Ralph Babb is a visible supporter of diversity management, meeting regularly with employee-resource groups, signing off on executive compensation tied to diversity, and frequently communicating inside and outside the company how important diversity is to its success.

No. 2: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida

Dr. Robert Lufrano, chairman and CEO, is very committed to diversity management, chairing the diversity council and meeting quarterly with employee-resource groups. This company has been a long-time diversity-management leader and continues to create an inclusive workplace culture.

No. 3: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan

This company is showing real progress as a diversity-management leader, especially with its burgeoning employee-resource groups, which are used for education/training, leadership development and community service.

No. 4: KeyCorp

No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity

New CEO and Chairman Beth Mooney is expected to build on former CEO and Chairman Henry Meyer’s deep commitment to an inclusive workplace and strong community philanthropy. Key is a model of community banking.

No. 5: BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina

This organization has a strong cross-cultural mentoring program, which includes senior executives, as well as mandatory diversity training.

No. 6: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island

This organization has a developed supplier-diversity program, with audited suppliers and 9 percent of Tier I (direct contractor) spend going to minority- and women-owned suppliers.

No. 7: Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey

This organization reported strong CEO commitment, with former CEO and Chairman William Marino (who recently retired) signing off on executive compensation tied to diversity and meeting regularly with employee-resource groups.

No. 8: AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah

The organization has strong employee-resource groups used for talent development, mentoring and community outreach. It also has mandatory diversity training for the entire workforce.

No. 9: Independence Blue Cross

The organization has a formal cross-cultural mentoring program that includes senior executives and a consistent history of community philanthropy.

No. 10: Union Bank

The bank has a strong commitment to helping multicultural nonprofits, including Operation Hope, the Japanese American National Museum and the UNCF.