52nd Annual Chicago Business Opportunity Fair

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University of Chicago's Mark Fehlberg receives Outstanding Buyer of the Year Award and the University participates as an exhibitor during the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council's 52nd Annual Chicago Business Opportunity Fair

The Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee/ChicagoMSDC hosted their Awards Reception on the evening of Wednesday April 17, 2019 where Mark Fehlberg, Executive Director of Procurement Services was presented with the Outstanding Buyer of the Year Award. This annual reception acknowledges outstanding buyers in the area of supplier diversity.

On Thursday April 18, 2019 the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council hosted their historic 52ndAnnual Chicago Business Opportunity Fair at Navy Pier. The Chicago Business Opportunity Fair is known as the nation’s first and region’s largest conferenceand trade fair connecting qualified, certified minority suppliers with corporate and government buyers. Well over 1,000 corporate executives, minority business owners and government officials participate in this annual event. Attendeesof the Chicago Business Opportunity Fairare able toestablish, maintain, and grow relationships with diverse suppliers ensuring vital success overall.

The University of Chicago participated in the Trade Fair as a copper sponsor and several staff from the areas of Business Diversity, Procurement and Facilities Management showed representation in the exhibit booth. The University was able to engage with several suppliers in the areas of promotional products, corporate gifts, information technology, legal, marketing, government, management and consulting, etc. This One-on-one interaction with suppliers allowed us to engage with suppliers firsthand. We also had an opportunity to encourage suppliers to initiate the process of doingbusiness with the University through completing the University supplier information form and becoming a vendor listed in our minority supplier database.

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