WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – One of the nation’s leading authorities in minority business development will headline the eighth annual Relationships to Partnership Sessions for minority and women-owned businesses at Purdue University’s Stewart Center on Nov. 16.
The sessions, presented by the Supplier Diversity Development Coalition of Greater Lafayette, bring together leaders in the supplier diversity field to give procurement guidance to minority and women-owned businesses. It also provides a way for them to network with leading buyers and end-user of a wide range of procurement needs for goods and services.
Melvin J. Gravely II, PhD, founder of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking, a nationally-recognized Cincinnati think tank focused on improving results of minority business development efforts, will give the awards luncheon keynote address and participate in the opening plenary session. The session will focus on the theme, “The New Realities Facing Diverse Businesses.”
Gravely has been featured as an authority on minority business development in various national media outlets around the country, including Entrepreneur magazine, American City Business Journal and Black Enterprise magazine. He is the author of The Lost Art of Entrepreneurship, When Black and White Make Green, Getting to the Next Level and What Color is Your Opportunity.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. with an opening plenary session at 9:15 a.m. The plenary session also will feature four Indiana minority business leaders, including Mamon Powers III, vice president of Powers & Sons Construction Co., in Gary; Billie Dragoo, president and CEO of RepuCare and RepuStaff in Indianapolis; Maura Robinson, CEO and owner of M.G. Robinson, Inc., in Evansville; and John Thompson, CEO of Thompson Distribution Co., in Indianapolis.
The plenary will be followed by three concurrent breakout sessions. One session will focus on construction, architecture, engineering and related services. The second session will highlight the marketing, computer and information technology fields while the third session will look at products, goods and professional services such as consulting and facilities. Diversity companies can register for the sessions that best fit their firm’s products or services. A resource and networking session at the Purdue Memorial Union will preclude the awards luncheon.
Registration cost is $35. Luncheon only tickets are $25. Participants can register at Conf.purdue.edu/R2P8. Directions and parking information can be found at Conf.purdue.edu/attend.
For additional information, call the Purdue University Office of Supplier Diversity at (765) 494-3739 or email supplierdiversity@purdue.edu.
