News

2024 CT Supplier Connection Growth Summit & MatchMaker

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The CT Supplier Connection’s, 8th Annual Supplier Growth Summit. is a virtual event for ALL small and diverse suppliers that would like to meet one-on-one with large buying organizations.

IS YOUR COMPANY REGISTERED ON THE CT SUPPLIER CONNECTION PORTAL?
If not, no problem. After you register for the CT Supplier Connection’s, 8th Annual Supplier Growth Summit. consider joining CT Supplier Connection, a program that links small and diverse suppliers with Connecticut’s largest procurement groups. Suppliers that register on the CT Supplier Connection portal will be invited to other events and classes that focus on helping you get “Contract Ready”, and buyers in CT can review your company information. If you wish to register for the CT Supplier Connection portal, you can click on the link provided after your complete this event registration process.

If you have further questions, please contact us at ctsupplierconnection@gmail.com

To Register Please Click The Link Below:
https://bit.ly/CTSupplierConnection2024-buyer

Generative AI Economic Impact: The Big Picture

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Presented by WBENC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

December 11 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET | Virtual

Join WBENC LIFT and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses for an informative session on the economic impact of generative artificial intelligence featuring Goldman Sachs Vice President, Frank Long. Frank will do a deep dive into the macro implications that impact small businesses such as investment flow, power and utility infrastructure, supply chain management, and more! Participants will walk away with an understanding of how AI is shaping the future.

Register Now

CTSBDC Newsletter November 2024

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  • SBA Disaster Loan Deadline Nov. 19 for Connecticut Businesses
  • Facing Supply Chain Challenges? Improve Operations and Boost Efficiency –
    Free Virtual Event, November 19 (Rescheduled)
  • Connect with Top Buyers and Industry Experts. Join the 2024 Supplier
    Connection Growth Summit & Matchmaker: Free and Virtual Event on
    December 4-5
  • Women’s Entrepreneurship: Navigating the Small Business Innovation Research
    Journey. Free – Virtual – Organized by USPTO – November 21.
  • Explore CTSBDC: Access On-Demand Webinars Anytime – View Our Full Library of Recorded Sessions.
  • And reach out if we can help! Connecticut Small Business Development Center Team

SBA Lender Expo

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Come meet our lenders and find funding for your business!

Do you need funding to expand your business, purchase a building, new equipment,
or working capital? Are you prepared to take the next step to get your startup off the
ground? Take advantage of this free opportunity!

Need help with your business plan, or other business activities?
Come learn about no-cost business counseling from SBA resource partners. Continue reading →

UConn Supplier Diversity Website Highlighted

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How Supplier Diversity Webpages Can Open the Window to Opportunity | Inclusive Entrepreneurship (northeastern.edu) – June 3, 2023

This article was published following The Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship’s Webinar held on April 11, 2023, entitled, “Benchmarking Higher Education Procurement Websites”, in which the University of Connecticut was one of two participating higher education institutions.

Supplier Diversity Best Practices

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UConn’s Supplier Diversity Program (USDP) was recently mentioned in the initial draft of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill’s “Proposed Strategic Plan for the UNC System to Increase Utilization of Historically Underutilized Businesses”.  This proposal highlighted UNC’S research results taken from interviews of different institutions, with the following key elements being attributed to UConn and others as examples of best practices:

  • Provide explicit, enthusiastic, and evergreen top-down support
  • Dedicate staffing and resources to supplier diversity
  • Empower university purchasers as economic changemakers
  • Celebrate successes

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Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship

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In a recent review of 114 New England higher education institutions (HEI) websites, Northeastern Lab for Inclusive Entrepreneurship discovered that only 12 had dedicated supplier diversity websites.  Of the 12 they noted three (3) examples of websites that “do an excellent job of incorporating and organizing information for diverse suppliers. These sites make a point of welcoming DSBs into their procurement system”:  University of Connecticut, Drexel University, and University of South Florida.  The full  report can be accessed here.

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2023 Annual Meeting National Assoc. of Educational Procurement

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On Tuesday, May 02, 2023, Veronica F. Cook, Executive Program Director proudly represented the UConn Supplier Diversity Program (USDP) in Orlando, FL, at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP). The University of Connecticut was part of a co-facilitated (with Grand Valley State University) session entitled “Supplier Diversity Member Mind Exchange”; and in accordance with its name, it resulted in an active exchange of ideas and experience focused key issues pertinent to supplier diversity.

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