Wow . . . what a year it has been for the Connecticut Supplier Connection program!
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A look at this year's milestones
- In February, we launched our new technology portal - https://ct.supplierone.co - and supplier registrations have grown by over 80%!!
This rapid growth has been a response to our statewide outreach program, close partnering with our affiliated organizations and word of mouth from many of our successful suppliers.
We thank everyone for this effort and know that this builds a solid base for us to add programs to in 2019.
- We also welcomed Martha Crawford and the Sikorsky/Lockheed-Martin team onto the platform as a new buying member, joining Purdue Pharma, Synchrony and Pitney Bowes as portal users across our state. We have a number of additional conversations going with other new buyers, and hope to announce new members in January as we turn the page into the new year. Stay tuned!
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- Importantly, fifteen of our suppliers took advantage of the Financial Preparedness course that is part of our Supplier Development Academy (see story below for more details) and worked with our Connecticut Small Business Development Center advisors to improve their financial packages and readiness for buyer due diligence.
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- And let’s not forget our highly successful 2018 Growth Summit that was held in May in Stamford. Fifteen buyer organizations and almost 250 suppliers took part in this full day event that included match making, education, networking and more! Lots of leads were established along with exciting details of General Dynamics Electric Boat growth from our keynote speaker CPO Blair Decker. Planning is already underway for the 2019 event which will be announced in January…
Thanks to all our new and old members and please have a happy and safe holiday and new year!
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Roundtable on Advanced Manufacturing
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With the growth projected for Electric Boat, as highlighted by our Growth Summit keynote, and for Sikorsky, learned from our subsequent on-boarding discussions, Connecticut's advanced manufacturing segment is growing rapidly and needs help.
Joining the ranks, United Technologies and Stanley Black & Decker are also seeing accelerated growth with new products, contracts and government programs putting pressure on their supply chains.
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A number of workforce and supplier development topics were surfaced and we are working closely with our partners to outline new programs and initiatives that will focus on improving supplier preparedness, cyber and data security compliance, and other related topics.
More to come in 2019, but the discussion has begun and you should re-double your efforts to get to meet these firms.
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Learn more about their opportunities by visiting their sites (click logos below):
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Supplier Development Academy Update
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As mentioned above, our
Financial Preparedness
course remains a hit, getting all “10”’s from participating suppliers highly recommending the course to other suppliers.
Unanimous support can’t be bought – it's earned. The course is a two hour in-person workshop that goes through the basics of the key accounting statements, ratio analysis and benchmarking, then presents a case study asking suppliers to take the role of a buyer and to compare two firm’s financials to pick a preferred supplier. Seeing what it’s like to pick “A” or “B” gets you to appreciate a lot about the folks on the other side of the table.
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Marketing to Corporate Buyers,
a new
Supplier Development Academy
course, is a self-paced, multi-module online course on how to better use Supplier Connection, build a better profile and incorporate Supplier Connection into your overall business development process. The class will be available after the holidays and we will send the link out at that time and post it on our portal page
www.ctsupplierone.co
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Events, training, and opportunities from our partner organizations serving small and diverse businesses
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Don't miss this opportunity to get your small business credit experiences included in the Federal Reserve Bank's national survey
The
Federal Reserve Banks are conducting a national survey of existing and pre-start small business owners/managers.
This survey is a platform through which small businesses can be heard. It is designed to track small business financing conditions and bring them to the attention of service providers, lenders, and policy makers. Individual responses are confidential. Summary results will be shared with you.
The survey closes December 21, 2018.
Please
click here
to take the survey and thank you for participating.
Interested in key findings from 2017? Read results of last year's survey
here
.
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Connecticut Procurement Technical Assistance Center
CT PTAC is looking to place a full-time counselor in Stamford by the end of the year to serve Fairfield and Litchfield counties. This counselor will be located in office of
The Center for Growth Resources
, located, along with Connecticut Supplier Connection at the office suite of The Business Council of Fairfield County.
Nicole Melville of CT PTAC (Rocky Hill) is retiring at the end of December and will be replaced by a new counselor before the year's end.
There are webinars scheduled every month and are posted on the CT PTAC website under Events. These are posted a month ahead, so check back to the calendar regularly.
Check now >>
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Women's Presidents' Educational Organization
WPEO has two signature events coming up.
Celebrating Our Partners
January 24, 2019, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Flight Deck 420 Lexington Avenue, 30th Floor, New York NY
WPEO Annual Awards Breakfast
March 8, 2019, 8:30am – 12:00pm
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 80 Columbus Cir., New York, NY 10023
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Connecticut Technology Council
The annual Women of Innovation® Awards
Mar 27 2019, 05:00pm - 08:30pm
Celebrate Connecticut women accomplished in science, technology, engineering and math and those involved in volunteer efforts within their communities.
CTC is proud to honor the women in our state who are leading their organizations in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Our Women of Innovation program is celebrating its 15th anniversary next year, and the awards presentation will be held in March. We need your nominations now!
Do you know a remarkable woman in STEM? Nominate her for Women of Innovation recognition! Visit our
website
for all the details.
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Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology
Export and Cyber services available -
OEM primes require supply chain manufacturers to comply with federal export and cybersecurity regulations.
CCAT workforce efforts highlighted -
Pratt & Whitney focused on a workforce development program headed by CCAT at a recent United Way Leadership Reception.
Read more
Renewable energy emphasized in news column -
what renewable energy source is best for Connecticut should start with which one of the many choices enhances the state’s economy and future.
Read more
Big Tech Showcase features CCAT
- Th
e Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology was proud to exhibit as part of The Connecticut Forum’s second event of the season.
Read more
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Help Connecticut Supplier Connection Continue to Grow
Help Connecticut Supplier Connection grow. By growing and building this ecosystem Connecticut suppliers and buyers all benefit:
- Refer a Supplier: If you work with or know of other suppliers who would be a good fit for Connecticut Supplier Connection, please let them know about the program and suggest that they register. Just forward this newsletter to them and direct them to this link to get started: Click Here to Register
- Refer a Buyer: If you work with any large buying organizations in Connecticut that you think would be a good fit for CT Supplier Connection, please let us know. We will work with them to register and become part of our business matchmaker at the Growth Summit.
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Need help with Connecticut Supplier Connection?
Want to share your ideas with us?
Contact Gary Breitbart, Statewide Program Director
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