11/15/2004
Vendors and contractors interested in doing business with the transit industry will have an opportunity to meet key industry representatives at the eighth annual Transit Symposium & Business Exchange. The symposium, co-sponsored by the Chicago Transit Authority along with the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Metra and Pace, will be held Tuesday, November 16 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 N. Michigan Ave., from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Transit Symposium & Business Exchange brings together vendors and contractors with the transit industry's leading suppliers, contractors, and purchasing representatives and officials from each of the Chicago area's major public transportation agencies.
This year, attendees will hear agency procurement forecasts for 2005; attend a business discussion with procurement administrators; visit vendor exhibits; and attend a networking buffet. Vendors and contractors will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with architects, engineers and professional service firms, such as Oracle Corporation, Turner Construction, Motorola and Kiewit Western Company, along with bonding and lending representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.
The symposium encourages companies, including disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) firms, to meet the procurement and DBE representatives from each agency. Vendors are able to explore partnerships that could broaden business opportunities in the public and private sectors. It also provides a forum for CTA, RTA, Metra and Pace to assist vendors in exploring the benefits of supplier diversity.
The CTA founded the symposium in 1994, which was originally the Strategic Alliance Initiative. As a result of the event's popularity, the RTA, Metra and Pace were invited to join the symposium and have served as co-sponsors for the past eight years.
To register for the eighth annual Transit Symposium & Business Exchange, call the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association at 312-666-5910 or visit www.haciaworks.org to register online. There is a $60 fee to register in advance. Registration on the day of the event is $70.
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