Provided by Prince William County Service Authority
More than 40 local businesses showcased their goods and services at the Prince William County Service Authority’s inaugural Supplier Diversity Vendor Expo on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
The event, held at the Service Authority’s headquarters in Woodbridge and organized by the Procurement Department, hosted businesses certified as a SWaM (Small Business; Woman-Owned Business; Minority-Owned Business; or Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business) vendors.
The businesses were able to promote their products, strengthen existing business relationships with the Service Authority, or develop new ones by networking with staff and leadership from each division of the drinking water and wastewater utility.
“Today’s event will help to launch our supplier diversity program. The program encourages partnerships with a wide range of businesses across our community,” said Jeanetta Williams, Director of Data Management, Prince William County Service Authority. “We’re reaching out to and working with an increasing number of small women, minority and service-disabled veteran owned businesses across our community, often referred to as SWaM businesses.”
Business services on display at the Expo included accounting, catering, construction, consulting, data management, engineering, human resources, information technology, landscaping, project management and more.
“This Service Authority event offers the best networking and business workshop opportunities. Business owners and employees can learn new and best practices and connect with like-minded peers to create new relationships and business prospects,” said Lyle Beefelt, Director of Management and Budget, Prince William County Service Authority. “This event is focused on helping minority businesses grow today while preparing them to meet the industry needs of tomorrow.”
“I’m excited to be here participating with the Service Authority in this Supplier Diversity event. It means so much for small micro-businesses to be able to partner with the community as well as agencies such as the Service Authority,” said Shanel Evans, Shanel Evans Consulting, LLC.
“We’re happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity to network with like-minded businesses and to learn more about what the industry has to offer,” said Nancy Bhasin, INCATech, Marketing/Social Media Specialist.
“Because we have such a wide variety of products, these types of events are perfect for us because we actually get a chance the meet the people that are buying our products,” said Dan Ebersold, Sales Manager, Gates Flag and Banner Company.
“This is a huge opportunity to give our business exposure. We’re a new company, so this is good advertising,” said Sofia Fernandez, Owner & President, Alpha Paving, LLC.
“Being one the most diverse counties in the nation, the goal of the Supplier Diversity Vendor Expo is to level the playing field for small businesses in our region,” said Jerry Stokes, Procurement Manager, Prince William County Service Authority.
