OSU is once again proud to be a sponsor for the Governor’s Marketplace. The program has been extended to a 2-day format this year. This event “brings together industry professionals and leaders, public and private organizations, diversity and equity practitioners and small businesses for the purpose of connecting small businesses to tools and resources to start, sustain and thrive in business”. If you are interested in being a sponsor follow this link. 2018 GMP Sponsorship Levels EXTENDED DEADLINE
The Diversity Practitioners Summit (DPS) is a program that the Business Diversity Institute organizes on a quarterly basis. This week Tracy Sagal, Senior Procurement Analyst with Metro, oversaw the meeting’s topic of ‘Driving Participation through Effective Solicitation Language’. We enjoyed a panel discussion and even had an opportunity to score proposals over a delicious lunch. Additionally, we listened to Steve Simms of the Bureau of Labor and Industries share best practices for apprenticeship programs and how to best use BOLI programs to support our business needs.
Each year, BDI and local sponsors host Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Workshops and Awards Luncheon for the Portland Metropolitan region. During MED Week, advocacy groups and government partners join the local business community to celebrate local minority businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy.
Oregon State University booth at 2017 Governor’s Marketplace. GO BEAVS!
Oregon State University had the privilege of participating in this year’s Governor’s Marketplace as a Gold Sponsor along with many other prestigious private and public entities. We spent a busy day that included participating in workshops, listening to a variety of speakers, and networking. Ozzie Gonzalez, Sustainability Practice Lead for CH2MHill kept the luncheon crowd engaged as emcee as he introduced luncheon speakers. To open the luncheon, Governor Kate Brown shared her thoughts via video on why Oregon supports and champions the success of diverse firms. Other speakers included State Representative serving District 57 Greg Smith; Janelle Bynum, State Representative serving House District 51; Mayor Chuck Bennett, City of Salem; William Mitchell, Merchant Concepts; and Tobias Read, State Treasurer.
Eloisa Miller, Economic & Business Equity Manager was an important connection throughout the day. She is a valuable partner to OSU and we so appreciated the time and effort she dedicated to making the event a success.
Governor Brown thanked OSU for our sponsorship and our support of minority-owned, women-owned, emerging small business, and service disabled Veterans to help build awareness of how small businesses help grow Oregon’s economy.
Brooke Davison, Construction Contracts Officer, Lori Fulton, Manager Design and Construction, Christine Atwood, Administrative and Diversity Manager and Jennifer Koehne, Purchasing Analyst represented the University.
The 2017 OAME Tradeshow last week had such a positive atmosphere! There was a wide variety of participants from city and county governments to state agencies, from construction and design firms to banks and non-profits. Lori and I enjoyed meeting vendors like Rowlett Construction, AlamWater, National Marketing Associates, Inc., Business Tribune, Interstate All Battery Center, Photo Booth Bros., GeoGrade Contactors, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, ServPro, and Emerio Design to name a few. The luncheon was awesome, not only for the delicious food (hello mashed potatoes!) but also for the opportunity to hear Governor Kate Brown speak. The special guest speakers from Ariel Investments, LLC, John Rogers, Jr. and Mellody Hobson, were truly inspiring. Bravo OAME staff for another successful event!
Lori and I attended last year’s OAME Tradeshow and had a great time meeting so many great diverse vendors. Please stop by our booth next week and let’s talk about your firm.
This FY16 Report represents the joint effort of PCMM and Capital Planning and Development (CPD) to provide information on the participation of MWESB vendors at OSU, during fiscal year 2016. MWESB participants include suppliers, construction contractors and professional service providers.
Christine Atwood, Administration and Diversity Manager with PCMM and Lori Fulton, Manager, Capital Administration with CPD, receive recognition for their efforts to advance supplier diversity at OSU. As a collaborative effort to advance Minority-owned, Women-owned and Emerging Small Businesses (MWESB) outreach last year, Christine and Lori participated in public education and outreach events, as well as focused on providing increased education to other departments within OSU regarding understanding and identifying MWESB opportunities.
There was already “a commitment of OSU to being a really diverse university,” stated Lori Fulton. In their respective roles, “part of our responsibility was to put together our annual MWESB report,” she added. “We wanted to get more involved in the outreach as well as the reporting.” The collaborative efforts go beyond collaboration between PCMM and CPD. As Christine explains, “We’re not just meeting small business, but also starting collaborations with other agencies. It’s a lot about making connections and relationships. It takes time. It’s not an overnight process.”
Read the full interview on Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council’s news page.
Thanks to Christine Atwood and Lori Fulton, the Corvallis university has stepped up its supplier diversity efforts, leading to the increase. Atwood is the Administrative and Diversity Manager for OSU’s Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management Department and Fulton is the Manager, Capital Administration for the school’s Capital Planning and Development division.
