The Earl G. Reubel Awards
Recognizing healthcare industry leaders — individuals and organizations — who advocate for diversity within the healthcare supply chain.
Honoring a Legacy
The Earl G. Reubel Awards are awarded in three healthcare industry categories: Civic Leadership, Large Corporate Leadership, and Diversity Enterprise. Owens & Minor is proud to partner with our diverse network of trusted suppliers to drive progress, productivity, and performance across the healthcare supply chain. We are honored to serve as a founding partner of these awards honoring Earl G. Reubel’s legacy.
2021 Awards Winners
CIVIC LEADER OF THE YEAR
Deborah Williams received the Earl G. Reubel Civic Leader of the Year Award for her community advocacy work while serving as Senior Director of Supplier Diversity at Premier, Inc. Her dedication to supplier diversity recently earned her a finalist position from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDCHQ) Supplier Diversity Professional of the Year award.
DIVERSE ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR
SDVOSB Laboratory, which is short for Service Disabled, Veteran Owned, Small Businesses, received the Earl G. Reubel Diverse Enterprise of the Year Award in recognition of its differentiated service and commitment to opening the door for opportunities to create meaningful jobs for veterans and the disabled.
LARGE CORPORATION OF THE YEAR
Premier, Inc. received the Earl G. Reubel Large Corporation of the Year Award for its culture of diversity and inclusion evident in the company’s revitalized Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, which now includes recruitment practices to increase diversity at the executive leadership level.
Nomination Categories
General Eligibility
For each award category, consideration will be given to individuals and organizations that represent diverse and underrepresented populations and that demonstrate entrepreneurship, civic engagement, or professional service leadership and are actively engaged in impacting healthcare delivery and/or community wellness.
About Earl G. Reubel
From humble beginnings to a successful entrepreneur: Earl G. Reubel’s intellect, instincts, insights and drive propelled him from the streets of Harlem to CEO of one of the largest veteran-minority-owned manufacturer/supplier companies in the healthcare private sector.
A natural born businessman, Earl’s early sales training going door-to-door for Kirby Vacuums in New York City ignited his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. He launched his first company, a search and rescue business in Washington State, after serving in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. In 1983 he partnered with nephew Joe Reubel to create Verdan Healthcare, which served as the foundation for Kerma Medical Products Inc. launched in partnership with his wife Joyce Kershaw Reubel in 1991.
Earl built Kerma from a manufacturer of small cap equipment and supplies for the United States Government to become a major manufacturer of commercial medical products distributed to over 4,000 Acute Care hospitals across the country. He developed a close association with Owens & Minor as a key part of their diversity supplier offerings to hospital customers, and in the process created a legacy for his family. Today, Kerma Medical is one of the largest veteran-minority owned companies in the healthcare industry, and is one of Owens & Minor’s most strategic partners and longest-tenured diversity supplier.
Earl G. Reubel Award Founding Partners
Previous Winners
• Jackson Health System Large Corporation of the Year (Medtronic)
• G. Gilmer Minor, III Civic Leader of the Year (Kerma Medical)
• Enterprise of the Year: MYCO Medical of Apex, North Carolina
• Large Corporation of the Year: Bon Secours Mercy Health in Baltimore
• Health System/Corporate Leader: Partners Healthcare
• Diverse Supplier of the Year: Kerma Medical Products
• Diverse Business of the Year: Broadline Medical
• Civic Leader of the Year: Kenneth Grant, Johns Hopkins Hospital