Premier Health to host networking event for minority business owners

Premier Health, one of the region’s largest purchasers of goods and services, will host its second annual Supplier Diversity Community Outreach event on Friday, Oct. 13, at the Premier Health Center, 110 N. Main St., Dayton, OH 45402. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The program runs from 8 to 10:30 a.m.

Premier Health is a Dayton-based nonprofit that operates Atrium Medical Center in Middletown.

During this free event, local women- and minority-owned businesses will learn how to become vendor-partners so that Premier Health can continue to use local talent to serve patients and families in the community. Attendees will learn not only how to do business with Premier Health, but also meet with decision-makers and learn more about upcoming projects within the organization. 

“Our first outreach event last year was a great success,” said Adrian Taylor, director of diversity for Premier Health. “Last year’s participants said the information and panel participants were great. For this year, we are hosting at a more central location with plenty of parking and an additional focus on goods and services.” 

The Premier Health Center is centrally located in downtown Dayton with ample parking nearby. Parking is available in the Arts Garage at Second and Ludlow streets. Premier Health will provide passes to exit the garage for free. Street-level parking is also available. 

Supplier diversity has long been a focus for Premier Health. In 2016, minority- and women-owned businesses received nearly 55 percent of the health system’s construction spending. All Premier Health hospitals track and promote supplier diversity throughout the year. 

Premier Health was recently presented with the 2017 Supplier Diversity Award from Vizient, a national leader in health care supply chain procurement. The Supplier Diversity Award honors hospitals for promoting inclusion in their supply chain and accelerating economic growth in their local communities through the engagement and empowerment of minority- and women-owned businesses. 

The event is free but registration is requested. To register, contact Shelly Smith at sasmith@premierhealth.com.