For Immediate Release

Contact: Anthony Twyman
Public Relations Coordinator
Community College of Philadelphia
Office: (215) 751-8082
atwyman@ccp.edu

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA HOSTS MINORITY AND SMALL BUSINESS VENDORS FAIR

PHILADELPHIA, May 22, 2006 - Community College of Philadelphia will hold a suppliers fair for minority and small business vendors from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, June 7, in Room S 2-19 of the Winnet Student Life Building on 17th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets.

Representatives of businesses owned by minorities, as well as small business owners are invited to attend and meet with college and university officials, who will have information tables at the event. Contact Karen-Beth Rynkewicz at 215-751-8900 to RSVP, if you are interested in attending.

At the fair, business owners will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with facilities and information technology managers from the Philadelphia Area College Cooperative, which was formed by area higher education institutions to strengthen their collective buying power and promote their use of local businesses.

Purchasing managers from Community College of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Princeton University, St. Joseph's University, La Salle University, Temple University and many other schools that are members of the cooperative are expected to participate.

Stephanie A. Watkins, the U.S. Small Business Administration's Region Three administrator, will be the guest speaker. Watkins oversees Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. She is responsible for the financial assistance, business development and advocacy programs in her region.

Watkins will speak at 9:30 a.m. and be followed by the suppliers fair at 10:30 a.m.

Through the fair, Community College of Philadelphia seeks to afford small businesses and companies owned by minorities an opportunity to competitively bid on items that will be purchased by colleges and universities around the region. Some of the goods and services these colleges purchase include office supplies, instructional supplies, housekeeping supplies, computer accessories, security, roofing, construction and catering. Community College of Philadelphia spent nearly $32 million for goods and services in fiscal year 2004-2005.