Women honor corporations dedicated to advancing diversity.

The Women Presidents' Educational Organization (WPEO), a coalition of corporations, regionally focused business organizations and certified business owners that includes JRT Realty Group, Inc., recently held a reception to honor its more than 40 corporate sponsors who are committed to advancing diversity initiatives. As a regional partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), WPEO administers Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certification for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and is committed to creating access to business opportunities for its members.

"The First Annual WPEO Celebrating Our Corporate Sponsors Reception was an occasion for members like myself to extend our gratitude to the Fortune 500 companies who are committed to advancing the concept of diversity in virtually every industry," explained Jodi Pulice, founder and president of JRT Realty, the nation's largest woman-owned commercial real estate services firm. "Companies like JRT Realty Group are able to grow, prosper and become successful thanks to the opportunities cultivated by these corporate partners."

Among the corporations honored were Altria Group; AT&T; Avaya; Avis Budget Group, Inc.; AXA Equitable; Baker Botts, LLP; Citigroup; Colgate-Palmolive; Con Edison; Contemporary Graphics; Cornell University; Deutsche Bank; Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Ernst & Young; Goldman Sachs; HIP; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; JPMorgan Chase; Lehman Brothers; Macy's East/Bloomingdales; Major League Baseball; Merck; Merrill Lynch; MetLife; Microsoft; Morgan Stanley; New York Life; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.; PepsiCo; Pfizer, Inc.; Pitney Bowes; Prudential; Public Service Enterprise Group; The Hertz Corporation; Time Warner; University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey; United Parcel Service; Wachovia; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP.

JRT Realty, along with its alliance partner Cushman & Wakefield, provides leasing and asset management services at more than 150 executive office and industrial buildings nationwide, totaling over 13 million square feet, in key urban and suburban markets. The company's benchmark for superior service enables corporate and institutional clients, as well as city government, to achieve their diversity spending requirements and long-term success through a full-range of customized client services.