The Lehigh Valley Meet the Buyers Expo is the signature event for LVEDC’s Local Sourcing and Business Diversity Council.

A Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) council is spreading the word about its efforts to provide growth opportunities for the region’s small businesses, particularly minority, veteran, and woman-owned companies.

The front of a new flier about the LVEDC Local Sourcing & Business Diversity Council.

The LVEDC Local Sourcing and Business Diversity Council has released a new double-sided, one-page flier emphasizing its mission to help small businesses in the Lehigh Valley, as well as spotlighting its signature event, the Lehigh Valley Meet the Buyers Expo.

“Our goal is to to assist in small business growth and development in the Lehigh Valley and to help connect these companies with education and training, networking opportunities, and support services available to help them grow,” said Michelle Landis, member of the council.

Click here to download a copy of the flier. Hard copies can be made available upon request.

The flier describes some of the specific ways the council helps companies, such as assisting in facilitating purchasing arrangements between local Lehigh Valley companies and larger buyers for products and services.

The council also provides provides information on loan programs and financial assistance; connects business with such agencies as the SBA and the Small Business Development Center at Lehigh University; and provides resources and advice on how to obtain minority, veteran, or woman-owned business certifications.

The flier also highlights the Meet the Buyers Expo, which drew more than 250 businesses in 2015, providing small businesses were able to meet face-to-face with government and private industry professionals to discuss procurement deals and business opportunities.

“This is such a successful venue for connecting our small-business sector with larger sourcing prospects,” Landis said. “The relationships we foster help us achieve our goal of providing growth opportunities for local small businesses.”

The the Buyers Expo is held every two years, and the next event will be held again on Oct. 18 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

The 2015 event included 70 buyers from more than 40 companies, including Some of the Lehigh Valley’s largest companies were among the buyers who attended the event at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, including B. Braun, Martin Guitar, Crayola, PPL, Lutron Electronics, Mack Trucks, Olympus, the St. Luke’s University Health Network, and UGI Utilities.

Seventy-two percent of buyers prefer to source locally, compared to just 10.8 percent who prefer to source globally, according to ThomasNet.

“The Expo gives small minority-owned businesses like myself the opportunity to introduce ourselves and our services to well-known companies in the area,” said Murtaza Jaffer, co-owner of EBC Printing in Trexlertown. “Getting that face-to-face interaction and the chance to set up meetings with purchasing agents for these companies is a great opportunity for us.”

The Meet the Buyers Expo is organized in coordination with the following partners: Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem, Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown, Lehigh University’s Small Business Development Center, LVEDC, Lehigh Valley Workforce Development Board, Manufacturers Resource Center, Nazareth-Bath Chamber of Commerce, and Slate Belt Area Chamber of Commerce.

The LVEDC Local Sourcing and Business Diversity Council flier was designed by Michelle Chrin.