Strategic Procurement and Contracts

2025 Small Business Supplier Summit

Small Business Supplier Summit

The 2025 Brown University Small Business Supplier Summit will take place on Wednesday, June 18, at the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, 154 Angell Street, Providence, RI. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. for coffee, networking, and an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees and representatives from local business organizations dedicated to supporting Rhode Island’s small business community.

The Summit welcome will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by programming at 9:00 am featuring a keynote address by Catherine Candland, CEO of nextSource, who will share her journey of founding and growing a successful woman owned small business highlighting business success through community collaboration. Attendees will also hear from Keith W. Stokes,  Associate Director, State of Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, at the Rhode Island Department of Administration regarding Pathways to Small Business Opportunities in Rhode Island. The morning program will conclude with an engaging panel discussion highlighting success stories with perspectives from Brown and Small Business Suppliers.

Following the morning program, we invite you to attend the Small Business Supplier Showcase, beginning in the afternoon, where more than 30 local and small suppliers will present their goods and services. 

Registration is required for this free event and is open now at the link below in the Registration section of the event page. Seating for the morning program will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage early arrival to check in, enjoy refreshments, and secure a seat for the morning sessions.

The Small Business Supplier Summit is hosted by Brown’s Office of Strategic Procurement & Contracts in collaboration with campus and community partners under the auspices of the Department of Business Affairs, Auxiliary Services, and Real Estate. By bringing together a varied range of suppliers and stakeholders, the event aims to contribute to the economic empowerment of local businesses and facilitate their participation in the supply chain at Brown.

Brown’s Inaugural Small Business Supplier Summit - June 18, 2025

Location:  The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, 154 Angell St, Providence, RI 02906
 

Granoff Center

Attendee Registration

Run of Events

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome

Sarah Latham, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, Brown University

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Keynote - Business Success: Community Collaboration 

Catherine Candland, CEO nextSource

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Break

9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Pathways to Small Business Opportunities in Rhode Island

Keith W. Stokes,  Associate Director

State of Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (DEDI)

10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Panel - Success Stories: Perspectives from Brown and Small Business Suppliers

George A Barboza Jr., Vice President of Dining Programs, Brown University

Shirley X. Moore, Founder, Be Moore Interpreting

Moderated by: Wendy Wallace, Director of Civic Engagement, Brown University

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Lunch and Networking

12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Small Business Supplier Showcase

 

Small Business Supplier Showcase

The afternoon Small Business Supplier Showcase will spotlight over 30 local suppliers representing a range of industries. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with these small businesses at exhibitor tables, explore their goods and services, and discover new partnership opportunities. This showcase reflects Brown’s commitment to contributing to the economic empowerment of local businesses by fostering visibility, connection, and collaboration within our procurement ecosystem. Additional details regarding the businesses attending the showcase will be provided shortly.

Supplier industries include: Professional Services, Facilities Services, Research & Scientific, Supplies, Marketing & Production Services

Attendees who complete a Small Business Passport by engaging with suppliers will be entered into a random drawing for giveaways! 

Guest Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Catherine Candland

Catherine Candland is the CEO of nextSource, a workforce solutions company and a certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE). She is committed to helping enterprises access exceptional talent, enhance operating efficiencies, mitigate risks, leverage costs, and develop competitive advantages. Over three decades, Catherine has earned the trust of industry-leading clients in higher education, financial services, technology, and healthcare while founding and leading businesses recognized for their innovation, integrity, and ROI. She has been an active member of boards and advisory bodies in the not-for-profit and public sectors, including public and private higher education institutions, workforce development organizations, business and professional associations, and the Federal Reserve System. Catherine’s career is rooted in empowering others and creating a lasting impact. Her integrated approach ensures that businesses consistently deliver forward-thinking strategies that give talent management a competitive edge.

Distinguished Guest Speakers

Shirley Moore

There are many words one could use to describe Shirley X. Moore: bold, wise, loyal, and resourceful. Let’s not forget passionate, energetic, outspoken and hilarious. All can agree that Shirley’s drive has a whole lot of love in its center. Every day she gives her everything to make sure others don’t have to. That brings to mind yet another other word - tireless. If you’ve ever taken one of her entrepreneurial courses, you would know to add sanguine to the list.

Shirley was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where she spent her summers, and was raised in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Starting at the age of six, Shirley kept finding herself in the oddest (to her at the time) of predicaments: interpreting. Her services were requested by relatives, friends, and the friends of friends. It became a paid job and thus, an entrepreneur was born. Shirley now finds herself the proud founder of Be Moore Interpreting.

Shirley has a hunch that Be Moore Interpreting will take over the world. As the team works its way there, she continues to ensure that her business grows while helping business owners and organizations of RI meet the needs of their customers. She feels blessed when customers share positive feedback and to know the exceptional service Be Moore provides is accessible to the very community that helped cultivate it. Shirley credits her family as being her rock, reason, source of love, and the greatest of supporters. Shirley’s eyes light up when she mentions her mother who took such great care of her son, Jordan, which allowed her to attend school on the weekends. Her goal was so palpable it came true exactly as she had envisioned - her son standing alongside his father, faces beaming, as she, in cap and gown, approached with diploma in hand. Shirley holds a Bachelor’s in Human Services and a Master’s in organizational management & leadership. She is a Wraparound Facilitator and the recipient of the Empowered Woman Award in 2021.

Shirley has built a home in Pawtucket, RI with her husband Ramel, their spunky son, their puppy Myra, and over 70 plant babies. She and Ramel are honored to be the pastors of the Fortified Life Church in Providence. While she loves to share the word of Jesus, travel the world, and motivate Latina entrepreneurs, there is no other place she’d rather spend her Sundays than falling asleep on the couch with Jordan by her side.

Griot, Historian, Intellectual, Convener, Public Policy Wonk, Father, Husband, and son of Rhode Island

In all of the various roles in his four decades of public service to Rhode Island, Keith W. Stokes is driven to create a community for all who call the Ocean State home. From elected city official in his beloved home of Newport to statewide office as a gubernatorial appointment on economic development to his service for the City of Providence, Stokes sought to braid public dollars with private development to foster a beloved community. Keith received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his formative graduate work at the University of Chicago. Woven into the formal education are the stories of a generation of ancestors whispering long shared stories of a time before the American Revolution and the lens to see the present.

Keith presently leads the State of Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. His past employment experiences include being the Director of the City of Providence Department of Business and Economic Development, the Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of Rhode Island, and the Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. He has also been an Advisor for Rhode Island with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on numerous local, regional, and national business and public boards, including Preservation Society for Newport County, Touro Synagogue Foundation, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission Historical Review Board, Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Quonset Development Corporation, Rhode Island Foundation, and the American Antiquarian Society. His current passion is borne of a heritage that extends before the republic and grounds his roots in the land of Rhode Island. From his father, the cerebral and equally physical baseball, and from his mother, a grounding in history and a curiosity to learn more about his African, Jewish, and Caribbean family roots.

He frequently appears on national historical programs, including C-SPAN, Fox News Legends & Lies, and Ted Talk. Recently, he was the lead researcher and author of “A Matter of Truth” publication for the examination and documentation of the role of the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island in supporting a “Separate and Unequal” existence for African heritage, Indigenous, and People of Color.

He is a 9th generation Rhode Islander and calls Newport home with his beloved wife, Theresa. He is the father of four children and an extended clan of pit bull dogs he rescues and nurtures.

Things You Should Know

Parking and shuttle services will be provided to Summit attendees at the Power Street Parking Garage, located at 111 Power Street. The entrance to the garage is located at the intersection of Power and Thayer Streets.  (Excluding Brown University Staff)

VIEW POWER STREET GARAGE MAP

Please leave extra time for parking! There is limited street parking adjacent to the Granoff Center.  A shuttle will be provided to the location and more details will be provided shortly.  

Information regarding local hotel accommodations can be found at the Brown University Visitor Accommodations webpage.

 Brown University Visitor Accommodations

Our Sponsors

 

Brown University proudly acknowledges the sponsors of the 2025 Small Business Supplier Summit for their generous support in championing local business growth and helping to strengthen opportunities for small businesses through this important campus and community initiative.

Coca Cola

nextSource

 

 

WB Mason

KONE

 

Additional sponsor information will be provided shortly

If you are interested in providing a sponsorship, there's still time to support the 2025 Small Business Supplier Summit.

Your sponsorship helps provide these businesses the opportunity to participate at no cost, ensuring broad access and representation. In return, your organization will benefit from networking with university and community leaders, enhanced brand visibility, and the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to supporting local economic development.

2025 Small Business Supplier Summit Sponsorship (Credit Card Payment)

To contribute as a sponsor via check and for more details please email the Brown Small Business Supplier Summit team at spcsuppliersummit@brown.edu