Greater Des Moines Partnership Announces New Supplier Diversity Programming for Small Business Owners
GREATER DES MOINES, IA (Aug. 19, 2021) – The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced four new Supplier Diversity Training Program events for small business owners in Greater Des Moines (DSM). The goal of the events is to provide more education, information and connections to small and diverse businesses on being “contract ready” to work with big businesses. The training series will start with a panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 8 a.m., where local, diverse business owners will discuss what they did to leverage large contracts with local and national corporations.
The subsequent training sessions will offer information on becoming a Certified Targeted Small Business (TSB), other certifications programs and selling their product(s) to government entities to enable small and diverse businesses to be able to supply to large corporations.
“We have so many talented, savvy and diverse businesses in DSM,” said Meg Schneider, Senior Vice President of Business Resources and Community Development at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. “There are immense opportunities for these businesses to grow through government contracting and becoming a supplier for our corporations.”
Participants who complete the first three sessions of the series will be granted free admission to the final session on the history of inclusive supplier diversity programs and pipeline development for minority and women entrepreneurs with Small Business Strategist Kathey Porter on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9 a.m.
In 2020, many corporations made a renewed commitment to racial equity efforts, and more than 215 DSM organizations have signed on to the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s CEO Commitment to Racial Equity in DSM. Supporting and elevating supplier diversity is one of the action items of the commitment. Diversifying suppliers and vendors will not only help with local economic growth but also help large corporations to lower their cost, find innovative products and services and capture new markets. The Supplier Diversity Training events are aimed toward helping leaders continue to uphold that commitment and learn how to best support their local suppliers.
The Partnership’s Supplier Diversity Training events will take place on Sept. 2, 9, 23 and 30. Register at DSMpartnership.com/events.
About the Greater Des Moines Partnership
The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 24 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,500 Regional Business Members and more than 365 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future. Learn more at DSMpartnership.com.