The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce and Baltimore Integration Partnership to Host “Open to Growth: A Procurement & Reverse Vendor Fair for Small Businesses”

BALTIMORE, Jan. 17, 2018 -- The Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Baltimore Integration Partnership (BIP), today announced that it would host “Open To Growth: A Procurement and Reverse Vendor Fair for Small Businesses” on Friday January 19th from 7:30 to 11:00 AM. There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is required.

The Baltimore Integration Partnership is a seven-year-old collective impact initiative working with 14 area higher education institutions and healthcare providers, also known as anchor institutions, to stimulate economic development and job creation.

This event is a unique opportunity for small businesses to learn about purchasing processes and opportunities for securing contracts from Baltimore City’s anchor institutions.

Secure your registration today!

“The BIP is excited to partner with the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce on this event,” said Kurt Sommer, director, Baltimore Integration Partnership.    “Economic inclusion strategies require strong partners that can help build bridges between the institutions and the business community.”

Organizations participating in the event range from small private schools such as the Maryland Institute College of Art and Loyola; area hospital systems such as LifeBridge Health and University of Maryland Medical Center and state schools such as the University of Baltimore, the University of Maryland – Baltimore, Coppin State University, and Towson University; HopkinsLocal, the joint initiative of Johns Hopkins University and Health System; Plank Industries’ companies such as Sagamore Development and Hospitality; and Kaiser Permanente, which is helping sponsor the event and operates nationally with a growing local presence. State and local officials, as well as business development and finance organizations, are also expected to participate.

City Seeds, a Humanim Social Enterprise, has been able to leverage food related contracts with Johns Hopkins, Annie E. Casey Foundation, MICA, and Kaiser Permanente over the last several years.  The contracts have enabled them to grow, expand operations, and now provide workforce training and jobs for more than 20 individuals in their new kitchen located in the East Baltimore Food Hub. 

“The Baltimore Integration Partnership has increased awareness of the power of local purchasing from our small business community,” said Cindy Plavier-Truitt, chief business officer, Humanim. “They have been instrumental in helping us realize our goal of job creation and increasing economic opportunity for Baltimore residents by removing barriers to employment.”

Baltimore is nationally recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, and together, we will continue to thrive and ascend to unprecedented heights to continue to make Baltimore a great place to live, work and play.

“For small businesses, working with Baltimore’s anchor institutions represents a potential paradigm shift in their growth trajectories,” said Eben Frederick, president, Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce. “We applaud the Baltimore Integration Partnership for their unparalleled contributions to our City’s long-term economic success.”

Contact us today! For sponsorship opportunities, information on registration or award submissions, please contact the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce at 410-948-0920 or by email at [email protected].

ABOUT THE BALTIMORE INTEGRATION PARTNERSHIP
The Baltimore Integration Partnership (BIP) is a collaborative partnership of anchor institutions, funders, nonprofits and public organizations focused on establishing economic inclusion as the business culture of norm in the Baltimore region. The BIP is hosted at the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and funded by Living Cities, the Surdna Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation and receives other generous support by the Goldseker Foundation, Associated Black Charities, and the Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative.

For additional information, please visit http://www.abagrantmakers.org/mpage/BaltimorePartnership.

ABOUT THE BALTIMORE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
As the voice of Baltimore businesses, the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce’s focus is to serve as a forum through which members are able to grow their respective businesses. Programs and initiatives foster collaboration long-term growth, and development, and each campaign is designed to promote both members and the City’s core value propositions. The Chamber is committed to advocating for the continuing adoption of a pro-business agenda by the City of Baltimore and the region on behalf of its members.

For additional Information on membership please visit www.baltimorecitychamber.org   

CONTACT
Mostafa Razzak
JMRConnect (for Baltimore City Chamber)
202-904-2048
[email protected]