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| * Purdue University Office of Supplier Diversity |
November 5, 2007
Purdue sponsors effort to increase diversity of local suppliers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University is bringing buyers from several local corporations to campus to join with minority- and women-owned supplier companies from Tippecanoe County for a day of relationship-building activities.The third annual Relationships to Partnerships Conference on Nov. 13, sponsored in part by the Lafayette West Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Supplier Diversity Development Coalition of Greater Lafayette, is designed to foster the growth and development of minority- and women-owned businesses and strengthen the local economy.
"Purdue has had great success connecting with minority and women business entities from across the state, and we hope to recruit an even greater percentage of such suppliers from companies doing business in our immediate community," said Jesse L. Moore Jr., Purdue's director of supplier diversity development. "We are pleased that so many other local government and corporate entities share our commitment."
Buyers from Purdue will be joined by representatives from event co-sponsors Eli Lilly Co., Alcoa Inc., Vectren Corp., State Farm Insurance Co., Caterpillar Inc., Tate & Lyle PLC, Ivy Tech Community College, and the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.
More than 400 minority and women business entities attended last year's sessions at Purdue.
In addition to the seminar's four co-sponsors, other members of the Supplier Diversity Coalition of Greater Lafayette are scheduled to be at the conference including Kirby Risk, Freitag-Weinhardt Inc., the City of Lafayette, the Small Business Development Center, the Indiana Diversity Business Council and the National Association of Woman Business Owners. Other Lafayette area companies invited include Kettlehut Construction Inc., J.R. Kelly Construction Inc., Gaylor Group Inc., and D.A. Dodd Inc.
Lafayette, West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County on Monday (Nov. 5) will each proclaim Nov. 13 as Supplier Diversity Day in honor of the coalition at the county commissioners meeting. The proclamation will take place during the commissioner's regularly scheduled meeting at 10 a.m. at the Tippecanoe County Building.
"Growth and development of women and minority businesses are essential in fostering a strong local economy," said John Knochel, vice president of the Tippecanoe County board of commissioners. "The Supplier Diversity Development Coalition of Greater Lafayette is devoted to developing strategic alliances and enhancing opportunities for such businesses."
Purdue organizes several supplier relationship-building events every year, including each summer at Indiana Black Expo.
"We make a lot of good contacts, many of which develop into business relationships between the university and suppliers," said Doug Sabel, Purdue's director of procurement operations. "We've significantly increased the diversity of our list of potential suppliers."
This year's seminar will be held in Stewart Center, rooms 302 and 306. The seminar will feature four two-hour sessions, each geared toward a specific group of suppliers:
* Session 1, 9:30-11:30 a.m.: construction, architectural, engineering and related services.
* Session 2, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: marketing, computing and information technology services.
* Session 3, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., products and goods.
* Session 4, 1:30-3:30 p.m.: other professional services.
Participants will gather for lunch at 11:45 a.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union's North Ballroom. Supplier diversity expert Daryl M. Hodnett, who led supplier diversity initiatives at Proctor & Gamble for 15 years, will speak.
Each of the sessions is limited to the first 75 suppliers to register. Buyers and suppliers from Tippecanoe County can register for the conference online or by contacting Ed Keller, conference coordinator, at (765) 494-9482, ebkeller@purdue,edu. The admission fee is $25 per session or $35 for an entire day, which includes parking and lunch.
The goal of the Office of Supplier Diversity Development is to cultivate opportunities for qualified minority- and women-owned businesses to partner with Purdue. The office provides centralized services for Indiana minority and women business owners, including serving as a consultant on becoming a Purdue vendor, a liaison between external business owners and Purdue departments seeking goods and services, and a connection to Purdue entities that can assist business owners and entrepreneurs with business development ventures. The office also conducts outreach to advocacy organizations and maintains ongoing communication with minority and women business owners.
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Jesse L. Moore, (765) 494-3739, jlmoore@purdue.edu
Doug Sabel, (765) 494-4186, dwsabel@purdue.edu
K.D. Benson, (765) 423-9215, commissioners@Tippecanoe.in.gov
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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