Interested in keeping the SWaMFest momentum going for your company? UVa will be hosting a seminar on Tuesday, October 18 in Charlottesville: FRESH from the recent VASCUPP Best Practices study, which was commissioned for VASCUPP’s SWaMFest VII and involved a detailed study of what makes high-performing SWaM firms successful at each of the nine VASCUPP institutions of higher education , this class helps you take action to make your company better. ... [read more]

This was my first SWaMFest and I must say it was a great 2-day event! The keynote speakers, resources provided and contacts made at the event are priceless! As an added bonus, I was honored to have been lucky enough to have some one-on-one time to speak with the honorable Tim Kaine. What a feeling of fulfillment to be at the right place at the right time & surrounded by the right people who can help my business grow and become even more successfu... [read more]

Katie Weaver: Excellent! We are so glad you found it to be a worthwhile event. We'll be starting to plan next year's event soon, so stay tuned. Suggestions on session topics and improvements are always welcomed.

Eric, Katie, Les, Shannon, Mark, Greg,... and all Vascupp team: Everything was very organized and well done yesterday. I know it requires a lot of team work and effort to prepare an event in this size. I really appreciate what you have done for us. Best, Sally

Katie Weaver: Thank YOU Sally for once again doing an awesome job on our logo! I totally and completely LOVED it this year, it worked so well with our theme and looked good on all of our materials. It was nice to see you!

To all the attendees of SWaMFest VII: Thank you for joining us in Richmond the last couple of days. It was a pleasure to see old friends and to meet new ones. We hope that you all learned something new and made great connections. Please stay tuned to this website for pictures and materials from the event, and don't hesitate to email with questions. All the best, Shannon

Hello, I paid for the event, but not able to make it. I am hoping you can post or email me the literature (i.e. slideshows, documents, etc) so I can read through the material being taught? Please let me know! Thanks Sean Lewett JL Tree Service Inc www.jltree.com

Shannon Wampler: Hi Sean, Sorry to hear that you couldn't make it. We will be posting all of the slideshows and materials over the next few weeks - check back under (what will be) the "SF VII Materials & Presentations" tab. If you could send me an email to saw2w@virg... [read more]

I am looking forward to sharing how continuous improvement (CI) tools can be used for creating successful change at the 2011 SWaMFest Thursday. Continuous improvement brings a wealth of tools to aid in change efforts. Given that I will only have two hours, I will not be able to share all of it. For those of you interested in learning more about continuous improvement, I've posted two files: continuous improvement glossary of terms and continuous ... [read more]

Hi all, I've attached the agenda for SWaMFest VII. You can also view it on google docs at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B-woZlbNlK6zMzc2YTNhZjgtNzY0MC00NmNlLTg5MDQtYTNmOTRkMTBiNjgy&hl=en. See you next week!

Visited the Hilton yesterday and everything is coming together nicely for a fantastic conference. The facility is extremely nice, and I think everyone will be very happy with food and beverage selections for the entire event. On another note, the speakers are working to finalize their informative presentations and I believe we've put together a diverse group of session topics. I just talked with Susan Schall who will be speaking Creating Successf... [read more]

Has everyone been watching the opportunities posted on the eVa VBO for the VASCUPP schools? JMU has several opportunities posted now including: Course Evaluation Software (closed 9/27), Art Lab Renovation (closes 9/21), Snow Removal & Equip (closes 9/14), and Imprinted T-Shirts (closes 9/5). You definately won't get award if you don't participate in the process! Check out other opportunities across the Commonwealth by going to http://www.eva.virg... [read more]

Just a thought as we conclude the initial round of interviews and identify common themes for the SWaM Best Practices Study. If you were asked to describe the biz in two, three, or four words - what would you say? This is even more difficult than creating an elevator speech. It is harder to say less than more, harder to write a paragraph instead of a page or chapter. Our Sacred Words: Targets (Moto), Tools (Tamashi), and Teams (Keiretsu). Targets:... [read more]

Hopefully they're registered for the SWaMFest seminar on Marketing & Social Media... via smallbiztrends.com: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/08/47-percent-smbs-still-not-using-social-media-oy.html

Delegate Mark Keam, representing Virginia's 35th House District, will be a featured speaker at the opening session of VASCUPP's SWaMFest VII on Thursday, September 15. As a freshman Delegate, Mark serves on the House Finance and on the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committees. Additionally, he was appointed by Speaker of the House Bill Howell to serve as a member of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, whi... [read more]

Thanx to Katie Weaver, Kathy Tomlin, and Nan Rowe for great interviews this week. Rich Baker and I appreciated the time and insights into the characteristics of the best SWaM's. Our project is to identify why the best are more successful at winning business, exceeding customer expectations during delivery, and gaining repeat business. We are looking forward to presenting our initial findindgs during SWaM Fest VII on the 14th. If you haven't regis... [read more]

This advice applies equally to whether you're attending a trade show (like the Vendor afFair) or exhibiting at one (like the upcoming DPS Procurement Forum). See you next month! http://www.skylinetradeshowtips.com/an-open-letter-to-the-sales-guys-staffing-our-trade-show-booth/ Shannon

I get a lot of emails and calls asking about the general "vibe" at SWaMFest. If this is your first time at the event, I hope that you'll find that it's a little bit different than some of the other state events you might have attended in the past. First, the Vendor afFair puts all of the work of exhibiting on the VASCUPP schools and sponsors - how great is that? It's a combination of a trade show and a networking reception, complete with a band a... [read more]

This year JMU will be bringing the following personnel, are you ready to meet them in person? Mary Helmick - Director of Procurement Katie Weaver - Manager, Admin & Technical Team Procurement (Supplier Diversity Manager, and acting VASCUPP SWaM Committee Chair) Jamie Claytor - Vendor / Buyer Coordinator Susan Mathias - Senior Buyer, Capital Construction Doug Chester - Senior Buyer, IT, Telecom, Police Equip, Office/AV LeeAnne Beatty-Smith - Contr... [read more]

Wow, it's hard to believe that SWaMFest VII is only 47 days away. Lots of work to still be done in order to bring all the vendors an informative event with lots of opportunity to market your business. Thanks to all the sponsors and speakers that have signed up to help us so far! We look forward to adding several more in the next few days.

It's been a busy week! New sponsors added to the SWaMFest VII sponsor website include: Gold Sponsor: W.M. Jordan Company Silver Sponsors: Donley's Nielsen Builders, Inc Radio Communications of Virginia, Inc

From the UVa Procurement & Supplier Diversity Services blog: VASCUPP is pleased to announce the Platinum Sponsorship of SWaMFest VII by Skanska USA Building and Skanska USA Civil. Skanska is a leading international project development and construction company with extensive experience in construction management for government and higher education. SWaMFest VII will be the fifth straight year that Skanska has sponsored Virginia’s premier supplier ... [read more]

We've added a few new sponsors to our event website over the last two weeks: Gold Sponsors Balfour Beatty Construction Gilbane Building Company Silver Sponsors Clancy & Theys Construction Company Design 4 Future (who also designed our logo!) Virginia Business Systems You can read more about each sponsor on the website, and find links to their company websites. Now's the time to research where your leads might be with these firms for when you meet... [read more]

Are you a construction subcontractor? Virginia Tech and Skanska USA invite you to an information session for our latest project, HABB1 (Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building). Please see the details below: Date: June 29, 2011 Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm Location: The Inn at Virginia Tech, Cascade Room Please RSVP by june 27th to Carrol Farrier at carrol.farrier@skanska.com or call 540.231.6434 I hope to see you there and at SWaMFestVII! For info ... [read more]

Greetings to the SWaMFest community! Registration for SWaMFest VII is now open at http://bit.ly/Swamfest7. This year we're analyzing Currents of Change. How has the down economy affected small businesses, and how can these businesses adapt in order to not only stay afloat, but to thrive and succeed? Because we believe that success is where preparation and opportunity meet, we have once again developed a vibrant event program, including: * The Ven... [read more]

Saya "Sally" Behnam: Shannon, I am very happy to participate this year, and it was our pleasure to help you in designing the SWaMFestVII brand this year again. I have already forwarded your email to couple clients that I know. I am sure like each year everything will be ... [read more]

I am interested in knowing if any of the SWAM FEST attendants were able to utilize the information and landed any government contract over the course of last 12 months (either with the state or VASCUPP). I am looking for insights and tips. Also if you are a minority owned business and need an interesting marketing company on your side, give us a peek at appealculture.com. Best, Nabeel

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Nabeel Ahmed: Thanks Rebecca. I hope other organizations begin to do the same and take into consideration the statistics and facts on Minority Owned Business Owners. At a recent "women-owned" business symposium (Sponsored by Capitol One and Fairfax County Economic... [read more]

Shannon Wampler: You make some really important points here, Nabeel. 1) An aside: Aren't we in one or two of the same LinkedIn supplier diversity or MBE groups? I think some of the more active ones would be a great place to pose this issue to a more engaged group tha... [read more]

Nabeel Ahmed: Hi Shannon, Good to hear from you. Please see my comments below: Re: 1) I think that's a great idea and I need to find some time to engage more on those channels as well. You are right if there is more activity on those forums, maybe it will engage m... [read more]

Logo-The little wonders have caught everyone’s fancy, no matter you likes them or not but the thing which you cannot ignore is that in such a competitive crowd you cannot ignore the power of company logo designs. In order to get competitive advantage over others one should remember to do extensive research on the number of corporate logo designs service, the more research is done the more will be the depth added to your business logo. I was sea... [read more]

It looks like Renee' Jones' recent VASCUPP SWaM Dunk award was just one of many she's received lately for her stellar supplier diversity efforts! Check out the article here: https://partners.myskanska.com/Shared%20Documents/Diversity.pdf Go Renee!

One of the people I follow on Twitter posted this article today and I thought it was interesting. SWaM firms: Do you agree with this list? Supplier Diversity folks: Do you think your firm/university provides these to SWaM firms? http://blog.yourbusinessworks.com/what-do-mwbes-want-ignore-at-your-own-risk/ I was pleased to see that UVa Supplier Diversity's mission statement and our core values - straight talk and access to information - cover #1-3... [read more]

I've gotten a few questions lately about the materials from the event (powerpoint presentations, handouts where possible, etc). I know Mr. Hess promised his Customers seminar that they would instantly be on the web....but I am sadly not that technologically adept. Plus I had to take off the rest of the week to recover. And I returned to quite a bit of UVa Supplier Diversity work piled up this morning. THEREFORE, please be patient and I will work ... [read more]

Shannon Wampler: UPDATE: two presentations are now posted in the SF VI Materials & Presentations tab. More to come (plus pics!)

Nabeel Ahmed: Thank you!