CHOP Partners with Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council to Host Matchmaker Event Targeted Towards Construction, Facilities and Building Trades

On May 18, 2022, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) partnered with the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council to host its first matchmaker event targeted towards construction, facilities and building trades. The virtual event offered attendees the opportunity to learn more about CHOP, our supplier diversity program, future bid opportunities, and to meet with CHOP’s senior leaders, facilities and construction teams.

CHOP also partnered with Philadelphia Anchors for Growth and Equity (PAGE), a group that provides grant funding to help small businesses address challenges and constraints of bidding on large projects and advise them on any issues that arise during the project.

Historically, suppliers had opportunities to meet with procurement buyers; however, during this matchmaker event they had the opportunity to hear first-hand from both Donald Moore, Senior Vice President of Real Estate, Facilities and Operations at CHOP and Joni Rittler, Vice President of Supply Chain Management at CHOP, as well as various CHOP Leaders, project managers and category managers.

Senior leaders, project and purchasing managers from Gilbane as well as leaders from Turner Construction and Target Construction also talked about their work with CHOP, and shared upcoming bid opportunities with the local diverse vendors.

More than 100 people attended the virtual event, which allowed local, diverse business owners the opportunity to participate in networking sessions and schedule meetings with CHOP leaders. During matched sessions, vendors had 13 minutes to provide a high-level overview of their capabilities and value-add to CHOP leaders. Suppliers who weren’t matched for scheduled meetings met with a rotating group of several construction firms during the session networked and shared upcoming opportunities. Overall event feedback was positive, and 100% of business owners thought that the event was valuable.

“This matchmaker event was a one-stop shop that brought together CHOP leaders, construction firms and local diverse vendors to connect and share bid opportunities said Marcia Wallace, Supplier Diversity program manager at CHOP. “CHOP is committed to expanding our Supplier Diversity Program, which aims to build a supply base that mirrors the diversity of our employees, customers and communities we support and serve.”

“A few years ago, we reviewed our approach and made changes to ensure we had an institutional investment to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into every aspect of hospital operations and staffing,” said Rittler. “We are committed to helping our community and doing more business with diverse local suppliers, with a focus on those in West and Southwest Philadelphia.”

“We have an opportunity to transform the landscape of the construction industry in Philadelphia and across the region,” said Moore. “We need to be purposeful and intentional and show our commitment to help businesses who haven’t been big players in the construction trade get noticed, which will help enhance the lives of so many beyond our hospitals’ walls.”

Learn more about our Supplier Diversity Program and working with CHOP.