As a woman-owned company, Savantage values diversity. Our philosophy is that diversity is an asset to any industry or organization, and that innovation is only nurtured in an environment that embraces creativity and open minds. We thrive on the ideas and perspectives generated by a diverse workforce. At Savantage, employees represent more than 20 countries and more than 70 percent are women or minorities.

The value we place on diversity is also reflected in our corporate culture and activities. One of our favorite traditions is our annual International Day Luncheon in November. It's a modern-day Thanksgiving celebration in which employees share dishes from their favorite cuisine.

This Luncheon gives us an opportunity to learn more about our co-workers and everyone's diverse cultural backgrounds, while sampling wonderful cuisine from all over the world. Examples of past dishes include Bengali shrimp curry, Andhra Pradesh vegetarian fried rice, challah, Cambodian pumpkin custard, and Filipino ice cream.

Savantage often invites special guests who share our belief in the value of diversity to join us for the International Day Luncheon. Congressman Chris Van Hollen, who represents Maryland's 8th district - the district in which the Savantage Rockville office is located - was a special guest and speaker at the 2004 International Day Luncheon. The son of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Representative Van Hollen was born in Karachi, Pakistan and has lived in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and India.

The Honorable Samuel T. Mok, Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor, was the special guest and speaker at the 2003 Savantage International Day Luncheon.