DETROIT, MI, January 17,  2019 – The Veteran Owned Business Round Table (VOBRT) today announced the board appointment of Tom Lake, Senior Vice President of Purchasing at Honda of America Mfg., Inc.  Lake will assume the role of President for the Corporate Advisory Board.  He replaces Phillip Gillespie, Vice President, Programs and Business Development, Blue Cross Blue Shield & Blue Care Network of Michigan.

“We are very excited to welcome our new corporate advisory leader Tom Lake from Honda,” said Roderick Rickman, VOBRT President and CEO of Rickman Enterprise Group. “Tom’s impeccable leadership at Honda is inspirational…and we look forward to his perspective and understanding of the value of military service and the qualities Veteran Owned Businesses bring to the table as suppliers.”

“We also truly appreciate the tremendous role Phillip Gillespie played as the corporate advisory president in creating and strengthening partnerships with veteran-owned businesses,” Rickman continued.

As Senior Vice President of Purchasing at Honda of America Mfg., Lake is responsible for optimization of the supply chain that supports Honda automobile operations in North America. He leads the direct and indirect procurement groups, as well as the technical team that drives supplier performance and operational efficiency improvement.  Lake joined Honda in 1987 as Honda accelerated development of its supplier network in North America, which now provides more than $30 billion in parts and materials annually.

“It is a great honor to work with the Veteran Owned Business Round Table team,” said Tom Lake, Senior Vice President of Purchasing at Honda of America Mfg. “I look forward to supporting the many ways the organization interacts with veteran-owned businesses.”

Lake has been an active member of the CAPS Research Executive Advisory Board and advocates for supplier diversity as a member of the board of directors for the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Based in Sterling Heights, Mich., the VOBRT is a non-profit veteran organization that provides participants with leadership, networking opportunities, training and mentorship programs that offer access to veterans in industries that support the inclusion of veterans. For more information, go to www.veteranroundtable.org.