Trending
The Connector, an event to help business owners navigate procurement and land contracts across government, healthcare, transportation and more, will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County.
YBI and the Youngstown/Warren Minority Business Assistance Center are presenting the gathering.
The Connector is built around a simple idea: business owners already know how to run their operations, and procurement is the path to landing contracts with schools, cities and state organizations to do that same work at scale. The event is designed for business owners looking to break into contracting or expand their existing supply chain reach, with guidance on navigating procurement systems across sectors including government, healthcare and transportation.
The day includes a panel discussion, breakout sessions and resource tables staffed by procurement representatives who can answer questions directly and outline next steps.
Participating organizations are expected to include the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Western Reserve Transit Authority, the Youngstown Innovation Hub, the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., Youngstown State University's APEX Accelerator, the Ohio Department of Development's Minority Business Development Division and the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District/Regional Sewer District.
The panel also will include small-business perspectives from Tynisa Roubideaux, founder and owner of Food with Purpose LLC, and Sherri Bova, president of MotherTrucker LLC, who will speak to what procurement looks like from a business owner's side of the table.
The Connector is free to attend. For more information or to register, visit https://TheConnector2026.eventbrite.com or contact the Minority Business Assistance Center at info@ybi.org.