A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Chamber offering first-ever Supplier Diversity mixer connecting companies, minority-owned businesses


The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has enacted three strategic imperatives for the 2021-22 year:

• Growing, attracting and retaining world class talent;

• Uniting the Northern Kentucky region to advocate for an improved economy; and

• Building an inclusive business community.

With its latest event, the NKY Chamber hopes to lay a foundation to achieve all three goals in a setting as inviting as it strives to be itself.

The NKY Chamber will host its first-ever Supplier Diversity Mixer event from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at New Riff Distilling (24 Distillery Way, Newport).

Set to take place quarterly, the event is intended to help large companies connect with minority-owned businesses throughout Northern Kentucky, expanding the reach of both through mutually beneficial partnerships.

The Supplier Diversity Mixer is open to people across a wide range of fields including school districts, municipalities, and business leaders looking for new endeavors with minority-owned companies in several industries. This includes logistics, information technology (IT), engineering and staffing.

Chamber’s new Supplier Diverity Mixer (Photo provided)

Attendees will participate in speed networking to foster connections and encourage supplier diversity throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. In doing so, the NKY Chamber hopes attendees discover opportunities to collaborate with one another, creating new jobs and ventures our region’s talent can utilize to bolster the region and its workforce.

In addition to the speed networking, Dan Cahill, Managing Principal of HSD Metrics and John Hawkins, President/CEO of MPI Consulting will share insights on how they have been able to collaborate and work together on various projects that benefit both companies.

The Supplier Diversity Mixer is free and open to both current and future NKY Chamber members. Jimmy Jackson, Jr., Business Development Leader and Associate Risk Consultant for Riskversity and Cheryl Besl, Director of Marketing for Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, will serve as co-chairs of the event.

“Connections tie people to a region, a career and one another. In the business world, however, the lack of a connection can prevent talented, hardworking and visionary individuals from reaching their full potential,” said Jackson, who is also co-chair of the NKY Chamber’s DEI Committee’s Underrepresented Businesses subcommittee. “With this event, we hope to create connections between underserved entrepreneurs and larger, established companies to see how our region can grow through mutually beneficial endeavors.”

“Being able to bring events like this upcoming Supplier Diversity Mixer to fruition is one of the reasons I was excited to become involved with NKY Chamber leadership last year,” said NKY Chamber Board Member and DEI Committee Co-Chair Christopher Owens. “Access – or more specifically, the lack thereof – to things such as supply chains, capital and other opportunities is a critical aspect to success in the business world. Getting people together in the same space that might otherwise not meet is a small step in the right direction and one needed if we are to accomplish the goals we have set forth for our region.”

Pre-registration for the Supplier Diversity Mixer is required as the event is limited to 90 attendees. To register, visit www.nkychamber.com/events. The Title Sponsor for the event is Duke Energy.
 


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