October 21, 2004

Supplier Diversity Conference; Buyers, business owners meet here Nov. 12

Conference, program designed to cultivate lasting relationships, contract opportunities

Buyers from Northwestern and other local institutions will be available to meet with business owners representing minority-owned, woman-owned, disadvantaged, and local Evanston businesses (M/W/D/LBEs) Nov. 12 at the University’s ninth annual Supplier Diversity Conference. The conference will be held at the Norris University Center on the Evanston campus from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The conference will provide a forum for M/W/D/LBEs and representatives from the private and public sectors to interact in a professional business environment. Buyers and prime building contractors from Northwest-ern and other local universities will be in attendance. They will be joined by representatives from the City of Evanston, Evanston school districts, the City of Chicago and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Participating business organizations include the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Minority Business Development Council, Women’s Business Development Center and the State of Illinois Central Management Services.

“Northwestern University, as a major employer in both Evanston and Chicago, is strongly committed to providing economic opportunities for minority-owned, woman-owned, disadvantaged and local business enterprises. This annual conference and our Supplier Diversity Program demonstrate our long-standing history of support for the program,” said Jim Konrad, director of purchasing at Northwestern.

The Supplier Diversity Conference is a key event within Supplier Diversity Program offerings. The program supports M/W/D/LBEs by creating contracting opportunities that result in meaningful economic impact for the city of Chicago and the Evanston community, developing partnerships between M/W/D/LBEs and University departments that result in lasting business relationships, and increasing diversification of the University’s contractor vendor base through increased opportunities to M/W/D/LBEs.