RU Wins Supplier Diversity Award for Small Business

Radford University has won the 2012 Governor's Supplier Diversity Award in the small-business category.

The award recognizes RU for its "outstanding effort in support of small business" and acknowledges RU's ongoing outreach efforts to increase awareness of opportunities and participation of small, women-owned and minority-owned (SWaM) firms. As part of the state-mandated program to enhance supplier diversity, RU was recognized for its success in expanding the number of small businesses (fewer than 250 employees) providing goods and services for RU operations and capital projects.

The award, presented at the Public Procurement Forum in Hampton on Oct. 29, "is a welcome acknowledgement on a statewide level of the collaborative effort by the Radford University community to achieve supplier diversity in procurement," said Pam Simpkins, director of procurement and contracts, adding that the award is RU's first such statewide accolade.

As an example of the university's connection with SWaM firms, almost 30 Virginia companies classified as small businesses by the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise were involved in the construction of the recently completed COBE building.

Nov 13, 2012
Don Bowman
(540) 831-7523
dbowman@radford.edu