USM Participates in National Minority Supplier Development Council® (NMSDC®) Conference and Business Opportunity Fair
Thursday, 04 November 2010
Norristown, PA – On October 24th, USM exhibited at the nation’s benchmark forum on minority business development, the NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Fair, in Miami, Florida. The show brought together nearly 3,500 NMSDC corporate members and M/WBE professionals to provide education and increased business opportunities for Asian, African-American, Hispanic and Native American-owned business.
The goal of this year’s Conference was to educate NMSDC members and corporations on developments in minority business. Speakers at the sessions and workshops shared best practices and strategies for staying competitive in this global economy.
The Conference was coupled with the Business Opportunity Fair, the largest national procurement event of its kind with more than 660 exhibitors and hundreds of key purchasing executives, corporate diversity officers and top minority businesses in attendance.
A team of USM’s key vendor relations personnel, led by Mark Pelan, Director of Procurement, and Pam Winston, Compliance Manager and Diversity Officer, exhibited at the Business Opportunity Fair. They also participated in numerous workshops on various topics from purchasing trends and economic impact to using learning events to build commitment for minority supplier development.
“At USM, our corporate values govern the way we do business. We lead the way. We do what’s right. We care for each other. And we take responsibility,” said Pam Winston. “It’s our responsibility as industry leaders to ensure that our subcontractors are aware of the opportunities that the M/WBE certification offers. That’s why we’ve dedicated our Diversity Specialist, Marisela Sanchez, to educating our network and encouraging our subcontractors to get certification.”
In support of the company’s diversity commitment, USM’s team exhibited at the event with the goal of attracting more M/WBE contractors to build up their contractor network.
“We have the contractor base to have a world-class M/WBE Supplier Program. We just need to get them certified,” said Mark Pelan. “To meet that objective, we’re increasing our company spend with certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises to ensure that we’re as inclusive and diverse with our subcontractors as we are with our own employees.”
The National Minority Supplier Development Council provides a direct link between corporate America and minority-owned businesses. NMSDC is one of the country's leading business membership organizations. It was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.
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USM specializes in providing non-core, mission critical facilities maintenance and management services to large organizations with geographically dispersed properties in various industries such as retail, restaurants, banking, telecommunications and others with multi-location business operations.
Regardless of the type of service - whether it’s electrical, HVAC, Repair and Maintenance, Landscaping, Snow & Ice Management, or Janitorial and Floor Care - USM takes a unique, total supply chain management approach to delivering the outcomes that their clients desire.