UMB Expands Local Business Reach

Partnership with Sweeten opens doors to minority business enterprises

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Baltimore, Maryland] – [June 11, 2024] – The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is partnering with Sweeten Enterprise, a leading software platform that fosters the growth of small, local, and minority businesses through inclusion in existing procurement processes, to help increase contracting with West Baltimore businesses. Under the agreement, Sweeten Enterprise will implement a repository of businesses, including minority business enterprises (MBEs) that it maintains, in the UMB Quantum Financial System. UMB individuals who are authorized to use the Quantum Financial System will be able to initiate the procurement process for acquiring goods and/or services from these companies. Sweeten Enterprise also will help UMB with MBE reporting, especially by providing information regarding subcontractor spending. Access to this repository of MBEs will further UMB’s goal of inclusivity by creating a more diverse and equitable environment for all businesses.

“UMB is committed to purchasing from a diverse set of businesses,” said Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, president of UMB. “This software provides a valuable tool for our ongoing DEI efforts, giving us the data and resources we need to make meaningful progress. We are excited to continue working with Sweeten Enterprise to build a more equitable and diverse future for UMB.”

In his role as the UMB’s second President’s Distinguished Scholar, Luke Cooper, JD, MBA, has a multipronged vision that includes “reimagining community engagement and local procurement in a way that puts additional skin in the game for the University and creates economic opportunities for the minority businesses that we all need to see thrive. Their growth equals our win!”

Key Benefits:

• Data-Driven Action: Sweeten Enterprise harnesses artificial intelligence and data analytics to provide UMB’s procurement team with actionable data to identify and hire qualified local minority and women-owned businesses.
• Tailored Intervention: Tailored tracking modules equip UMB with the tools to monitor and measure progress toward its diversity goals.
• Enhanced Communication: Configurable dashboards and community-building features foster transparent and collaborative conversations to advance UMB’s DEI impact.

Jean Brownhill, CEO of Sweeten Enterprise, commented, “We are honored to partner with UMB in their commitment to using innovative solutions like ours to help them find and work with local businesses. Their partnership with Sweeten Enterprise demonstrates the transformative power of our platform in higher education. We believe UMB’s leadership in this space serves as a beacon for other institutions seeking to create inclusive procurement environments.”

For more information, contact:

Alex Likowski, Asst. VP of Communications at UMB, alikowski@umaryland.edu 410-292-3925

Tamara Brown, Customer Success Manager tamara@sweetenenterprise.com 443-963-6911