TU holds second vendor fair for small businesses

By Hailey Ensor, Contributing Writer

On Tuesday Towson University held its second annual Vendor Fair meant to provide a space for small businesses to network and build connections with future partners.

Almost 50 vendors and 11 state agencies and procurement teams came out for the event, hosted by the Office of Partnerships & Outreach and the Procurement Department. The vendors were all small businesses, many of which were minority owned or veteran owned.

The event was a lunch, certification information panel and vendor fair. 

“The panel is really geared towards small business owners that don’t have a certification from the state for being a small business, minority owned business or veteran owned business as a public institution,” organizer Tess Heron, engagement and data manager at the Office of Partnerships & Outreach, said.

Towson holds the fair because the University System of Maryland, which Towson is a member of, has implemented certain standards that businesses must meet if they want to partner with USM colleges. On top of that, Towson’s procurement office implements strategies for targeting local, small and diverse businesses. 

The Maryland Department of Transportation, one of the guests of the panel and the fair, offers certifications for small businesses including the Minority Business Enterprise, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise.

“The panel is to help small business owners who don’t have one of those certifications to learn more about it, understand the benefits of why it would kind of help set them apart during the procurement process,” Heron said.

A wide variety of industries and small businesses were represented at the vendor fair, such as IT, supplies and equipment, maintenance services, novelty goods, apparel, and more. One of those is Creative Jestures, which is a small business that specializes in promotional product distribution. Creative Jestures has been a partner with Towson University for over 10 years.

“I’m a local vendor and they’ve been a great business partner,” owner Steve Silber said. “It’s been overwhelming to get to grow with the university.”

The vendor fair was helpful not just for those who have been in business with Towson for many years, but also those who are starting out partnerships.

Gary Royster, the CEO of Je Transporté Hauling & Trucking, made many connections through this one day of networking and is hoping to partner with Towson University as it tackles waste management.

“We all know that this is a global problem with waste,” Royster said. “The average person produces about three to four pounds of waste, so we know what a campus like there’s always, you know, a lot of waste, and we’re ready to help.”