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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 2020 Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange on Tuesday, February 4. The Supplier

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

discussion, a small business spotlight, an entrepreneurship presentation, networking opportunities, and one-

on-one interviews.

Attendees were welcomed and greeted with opening remarks from the President and CEO of the GCMCC

Brian Wyer, City of Pensacola Mayor Grover C. Robinson IV, and OSD Executive Director Donna Williams. A

panel discussion and a small business spotlight were held in the morning. The panel discussion was an open

Q&A style, where the attendees were able to ask question directly to the panel of diverse experts. The event’s

Small Business Spotlight featured Patty Vanderpool, President/Owner of EAP Lifestyle Management, LLC. Patty

delivered a very powerful message of pushing through multiple trials and overcoming them, and how her

hospitality helped her gain business connections that would continue to expand and grow her business and

mission.

D.C. Reeves, Studer Community Institute’s Chief Entrepreneur Officer, gave a presentation on the Studer

Community’s new Spring Entrepreneur Hub. The Hub is a three-pronged approach to jump-start those hoping

to create or improve their own business through mentoring and accelerator programs. From there, attendees

supported local food truck businesses, enjoying food from City Bowls, Arlene’s BBQ, and Joe’s Caribe.

After the networking lunch, 33 organizations, including 6 state agencies, participated in 15-minute one-on-one

interviews with small business attendees. Of the attendees who completed the post-event survey, 95% agree

that participating in the event was beneficial.

Event Attendance

Overall, there were 189 registrants for

the event and 133 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:

56, 29%

Small Business: 75

State & Local: 58

Attended: 133, 71%

Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange

Registered But Did Not Attend Attended Small Business State & Local

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Attendees

The 133 attendees represented 15 counties from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Attendees from Escambia 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 33 state, local and federal agencies participated in the Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange.

Baptist Health Care Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce City of Pensacola Gulf power Co:Lab Pensacola Hurlburt Field Air Force Base Department of Children and Families Innisfree Hotels: Hampton Pensacola Beach Department of Corrections Innisfree Hotels: Holiday Inn Resort Pensacola Beach Department of Juvenile Justice Innisfree Hotels:Best Western Beachside Resort Department of Law Enforcement Innisfree Hotels:Hilton Pensacola Beach Department of Management Services: Office of Supplier Diversity & MyFloridaMarketPlace Locklin Technical College Department of Transportation: DBE Specialized Development Program Ariel Business Group & FSMSDC Mobile Area Water and Sewer Department of Transportation: DBE Support Services, Construction Estimating Institute (CEI) National Black Business Support Corporation Department of Transportation: District 3 Procurement Northwest Florida State College Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) Okaloosa County Purchasing Escambia County Board of County Commissioners Pensacola Blue Wahoos Escambia County School District Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners Florida Association of Veteran Owned Businesses (FAVOB) Small Business Administration Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) University of West Florida Florida Small Business Development Center

Post-Event Survey Feedback

A post-event survey was sent to event attendees on February 7, 2020. Forty-Three attendees completed the

survey and reported the following feedback:

• 100% very satisfied or satisfied with the networking opportunities at the event.

• 97% agree that the objectives of the event were clearly defined.

• 100% agree that the objectives of the event were met.

• 95% agree that participating in the event was beneficial.

• 95% agree that they will likely recommend the event to friends and/or colleagues.

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

o “Contacts and possible opportunties.”

o “The process of applying for the certification. The answers from the panel in totality.”

o “That as a veteran, I have support in my community.”

o “Meeting decision-makers and business owners was the highlight of the event for me.”

o “Contact and one on ones in state business arena”

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

o “Advertisement, I only knew of this because of a special invite from FAVOB out of Orlando. I

live in Navarre and own a B2G/B2B service company and didn't hear anything about it locally.”

o “MORE PARTICIPATION.”

o “Increasing the number of networking one-on-one sessions.”

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o “To improve upon this event is simply to continue the consistency and depth that was there on

February 4th.”

o “I’d like to see more local companies like Baptist. Sacred Heart, West Florida Hospital, NAS

Pensacola, etc.”

o “Possibly a kiosk for starting the process of signing up for certification. And someone to answer

questions if someone needs assistance when entering information.”

• Suggestions for session topics for future events:

o “Great program, repeat.”

o “Relevant legal advice or information about new business process for new owners in the state

of Florida.”

o “A grant specific topic explaining about location and types of grants available for small

businesses through the state or city programs.”

o "Have a vendor training, or go into more detail about doing business with the State. MFMP

Registration, Valid W-9, and the Vendor Information Portal have vendors to keep their

information updated.”

o “More discussions on technology and business partnerships may be sufficient.”

• Additional comments:

o “Excellent program with clear objectives. Well worth attending. great job!”

o “I really enjoyed the Pensacola Supplier Diversity Exchange. It was very well organized and

extremely professional and educational. I would recommend it to anyone who owns a business

and wants to network with government buyers and market your business.”

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 “For me being a black business for many years serving the gulf coast I believe it is past time that

we begin to make real change in trying to make all people feel inside the tent and bring the

whole tool box of remedies to bear ,I hope this dialogue can continue so that another

generation of hope land in despair after a lifetime of trying to bringthemselves up by the

bootstrap.”

o “This event was perfect for me and I thought well-thought out and put together expertly.”

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Event Photos

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Agenda

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Event Flyer