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Final Report The Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), City of Pensacola, and the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce

(GCMCC) presented the 2019 Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange on Tuesday, February 5. The Supplier

Diversity Exchange was held at the Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center, and included panel

discussions, a small business spotlight, networking opportunities, and one-on-one interviews.

Attendees were welcomed and greeted with opening remarks from City of Pensacola Public Information

Officer Vernon Stewart followed by City of Pensacola Mayor Grover C. Robinson IV. Additional greetings were

provided by GCMCC President Brian Wyer and OSD Executive Director Donna Williams. Two panel discussions

and a small business spotlight were held in the morning. The first panel discussion consisted of Local

Government experts from the State of Florida, City of Pensacola, and Escambia County. The second panel

discussion focused on Federal Resources with experts from the Small Business Development Center, Small

Business Administration, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Air Force. For the first time, a small business

owner was featured during the event’s Small Business Spotlight. Caress Hudson, owner of Henny Penny’s

Patisserie, shared her journey as a small business owner and gave advice to peer business owners.

After a networking lunch, where attendees supported local food truck businesses, 28 organizations, including

10 state agencies, participated in 15-minute one-on-one interviews with small business attendees. Of the

attendees who completed the post-event survey, 89% agree that participating in the event was beneficial.

Event Attendance

Overall, there were 159 registrants for the event and 122 attendees participated. The below chart provides

information on those who registered but did not attend, and the breakdown of those who attended.

Registered But Did Not Attend: 37,

23%

Small Business: 71

State & Local: 51

Attended: 122, 77%

Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange

Registered But Did Not Attend Attended Small Business State & Local

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Attendees

The 122 attendees represented 14 counties from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Attendees from Escambia, Okaloosa, and Leon counties in Florida

accounted for the majority of the attendees. The below map shows the geographic representation of attendees to the Supplier Diversity Exchange

event.

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State and Local Agency Attendees

A total of 28 state, local and federal agencies participated in the Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange.

CareerSource Escarosa Florida Lottery

City of Pensacola Florida SBDC, Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce

Department of Children and Families Innisfree Hotels Department of Correction National Black Business Support Corporation

Department of Health Northwest Florida State College

Department of Management Services, Office of Supplier Diversity and MyFloridaMarketPlace

Pensacola Habitat for Humanity

Department of Transportation District 3 Procurement Pensacola State College

Department of Transportation: DBE Specialized Development Program Ariel Business Group & FSMSDC (DOT program assisting prime contractors in identifying qualified DBEs)

Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners

Department of Transportation: DBE Support Services, Construction Estimating Institute (CEI) (DOT outreach and recruiting of potential DBEs and DBE certification)

Small Business Administration

Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) University of West Florida

Escambia County US Air Force, Hurlburt Field

Escambia County School District US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Post-Event Survey Feedback

A post-event survey was sent to event attendees on February 6, 2019. Fifty attendees completed the survey

and reported the following feedback:

• 94% very satisfied or satisfied with the networking opportunities at the event.

• 93% agree that the objectives of the event were clearly defined.

• 93% agree that the objectives of the event were met.

• 89% agree that participating in the event was beneficial.

• 93% agree that they will likely recommend the event to friends and/or colleagues.

• Most important or beneficial take-away from the event:

o “Specific way to submit information.”

o “Face to face meetings.”

o “The main takeaway for me is that we need to continue to effectively communicate with all

interested in doing business with the State of Florida.”

o “I got to meet with many potential customers at once and learn about their needs.”

o “Networking and information”

• Biggest area of improvement for next year’s event:

o “For Federal Panel, I'd like to see some Industry participation from Federal Small Business

Primes incorporate with the Government Panel.”

o “The audio system can be improved.”

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o “It was freezing in the building. Also, healthy food options would have been nice.”

o “Nothing much, but I would wish there are more potential customers who are willing to do

business with small businesses owned by minorities.”

o “Additional outreach to increase attendees.”

o “I thought the event was excellent.”

• Suggestions for session topics for future events:

o “How to Partner in Federal (JV, Mentor-Protégé, etc.).”

o “Just like the SBA had a seat at the panel, I'd like to see the Minority Chamber with a seat on a

panel. Maybe a session on resources and programs to build business credit or a session on the

mentoring program the SBA discussed.”

o “Yes, since Santa Rosa County is contiguous to Escambia, it would be great to have a

representative from that county on next year's panel.”

o “More allotted time for QA after panel discussion.”

o “It should cover more than services but products as well. It didn't really support my travels for

attending.”

• Additional comments:

o “Very informative.”

o “We arrived with the intent to sell our service to the various agencies and walked away with

information of opportunities we didn't even know existed!”

o “As a business person who has been operating in the Pensacola metropolitan area for decades,

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there were so many resources available to promote

diversity and small business growth. It was meaningful to not only receive advice from the

panel experts but to also interact with representatives from varied small businesses in our

community.”

o “Loved the addition of the business spotlight.”

o “As a local government agency, it was extremely beneficial to meet with local vendors and

show them how to access information about quotes and solicitations. From a local agency

standpoint, the more competition we have, the better the value to our citizens will be. And

citizens love supporting local business as long as the value is there.”

o “Was a very warm and engaging experience! Will definitely attend again!”

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Event Photos

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Agenda

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Event Flyer