DAYTON — The Asian American Commerce Group of Columbus honored Adrian Taylor, Premier Health’s director of diversity, with its Supplier Diversity Leader award during its recent gala.

Each year, the group recognizes and celebrates outstanding local business, community, and elected leaders for their contributions to the vitality and success of the Asian-American community in Ohio, according to the organization’s website.

The group presents the Supplier Diversity Leader award to a leader who has championed supplier diversity within their organization, the general business community, and the Asian-American business community. “Adrian’s emphasis on diversity has made the Dayton region a better place to live,” said Ed Stanek, Ohio chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, who served on the selection committee for this year’s awards.

Taylor oversees Premier Health’s efforts to prioritize workforce diversity and supplier diversity. Through his leadership, the nonprofit has become recognized as a regional leader for supplier diversity. In recent years, the health system has received multiple local, state and regional supplier diversity accolades for its efforts to sponsor diversity outreach sessions for large construction projects, host annual supplier diversity forums, and have leadership directly involved in quarterly monitoring, measuring, and reporting of supplier diversity metrics.

“We strongly believe that fostering partnerships with diverse local businesses advances our mission of building healthier communities by improving the economic strength of our region,” said Kim Strahl, Premier Health system vice president and chief purchasing officer for the health system. “Premier Health is proud to have such a dedicated advocate for diversity on our team, working tirelessly to make Southwest Ohio a healthier place to live. We congratulate Adrian on this well-deserved recognition.”