EVENT SCHEDULE

Day 1 | September 7, 2022

Check-in begins at 3:00 pm

Location: Grand Ballroom A,B,C 

4:00 – 4:05

Welcome Remarks

Emilia DiMenco, President and Chief Executive Officer | LinkedIn                                                                                                         

Sandra Rand, Acting WBDC Board Chair and Retired Director of Supplier Diversity, United Airlines, Inc.    

4:05 – 4:15

Economic Backdrop

Current economic landscape (e.g., inflation, interest rates, supply chain disruptions, labor shortage, and the recessionary forecast)l from the perspective of impact on women and minority business owners in the Midwest

Speaker

Dr. Kristen Broady, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago | LinkedIn                                               

4:15 – 5:00

Adjusting to New Economic and Business Realities

Moderator

Jennifer Schlott-Rouzan, Managing Director, Professional Development Commercial N.A., BMO Harris | LinkedIn     

WBE Panel

Ari Rodriguez Boog, CEO, Archifootprint, Inc. | LinkedIn                                          

Caren Schweitzer, Founder and President, Creative Resources | LinkedIn                                                                                                          

Rashi Arora Khosla, Founder and CEO, MARS Solution Group | LinkedIn

Location: Grand Ballroom E 

Gaining a Bidding Advantage by Developing Supplier and Workforce Diversity Plans

Learn how to increase opportunities for certified diverse firms and gain an advantage while bidding by developing supplier and workforce diversity plans for your business. Increasingly large private and public sector buyers are requiring their suppliers to create their own diversity initiatives. Rebecca Fyffe is the founder and CEO of the very successful company Landmark Pest Management, a WBE, and she has also become a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Rebecca will present actionable steps for developing supplier and workforce diversity plans to give suppliers a competitive edge while making the world a better place.

Presenter

Rebecca Fyffe, CEO, Landmark Pest Management | LinkedIn

Location: Grand Ballroom H   

Navigating Cybersecurity Entrance Requirements 

Cybersecurity requires collaboration between large private and public sector entities and their suppliers. To give your business more of an upper hand, this panel will address how to meet the levels of security and associated controls required of supply chain partners in the insurance, utilities, and retail industries. 

Moderator

Michelle Blaise, WBDC Board Member and Senior Vice President, Technical Services, ComEd | LinkedIn

Panel

Anna Maria Viti, President, The Viti Companies

LaJuan Miller, Senior Manager, Third Party Risk Management & Surveillance, Ameren      

Mike Nott, Director of Sourcing & Procurement, American Family Insurance | LinkedIn

Sara Schmidt, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, US Foods | LinkedIn      

Location: Grand Foyer

Day 2 | September 8, 2022

Corporate Partner representatives will kick off this virtual session with an insightful “worst practices” panel. Come learn how to avoid mistakes that can be deal-killers in your sales efforts. After the panel, you can visit industry break-out rooms to hear about upcoming opportunities at participating corporations. Closer to September 8th, you’ll receive the Zoom link for this session!

Currently Confirmed Corporate Participants

Abbott

Allete

Ameren

BMO Harris

bp

Capital One

Evergy

Ferrara Candy

Kellogg Company

Medtronic

New World Van Lines

True Value

Vistra

Vizient

This is the Midwest bracket for the first round in the national WBENC Pitch. Winners from the WBDC Midwest bracket will move on to the WBENC semi-finals in October. Closer to September 8th, you’ll receive the Zoom link for this session!

Hotel and Accommodations

Room Blocks

For those who wish to stay overnight at the Hyatt on September 7, we have a block of rooms available at a discounted rate of $153 per night. The deadline for booking a room within our block at the discounted rate is August 8, 2022. Please  VISIT THIS WEBSITE prior to August 8 to book your room at the discounted rate.

Parking

Self-park is available at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare for the discounted rate of $17/vehicle on September 7. To secure your discount, have your parking validated at registration on September 7. 

Transportation

The Hyatt is conveniently located less than a mile away from the Rosemont CTA Blue Line station.

The Hyatt offers complimentary shuttle service to and from O’Hare International Airport, running every 15 minutes from 4:00 am-midnight and every 30 minutes from midnight-4:00 am.