Sage Summit – NEW ORLEANS (July 27, 2015)- Sage , a leading provider of business management software and services to Small & Medium Businesses, today announced it has joined Supplier Connection , a consortium of 27 corporations aimed at driving small business growth by simplifying access to their combined global supply chain spend.
Supplier Connection simplifies and automates the application process (similar to a universal college application process) for a small business seeking to become a supplier to the group. Through a web-based portal, small businesses have the opportunity to present their goods and services to many large enterprises with the goal of winning contracts, expanding business and creating jobs.
“Sage is committed to helping Small & Medium Businesses succeed and is proud to be involved in a program that helps accelerate small business growth and jobs in the United States,” said Jodi Uecker, interim president of Sage North America.
Supplier Connection is maintained by IBM through a grant of more than $10 million from the IBM International Foundation. Supplier Connection is a free site that increases the ability of small businesses to gain access to the supply chain spending of large companies.
“For small businesses, this is a formula for growth, and it offers large companies access to a wider range of innovative products provided by small businesses," said Stanley S. Litow, IBM vice president of corporate citizenship and president of its foundation.
A recent report from the Center for an Urban Future found that becoming a corporate supplier significantly leads to revenue and job growth. Specifically the report revealed that within two years of winning a contract with a large company, small businesses doubled their workforce.
The Supplier Connection program is a free program for both small businesses and large businesses. In addition to its one-stop registration capabilities, the website enables small suppliers to learn from, collaborate with, and sell to one another so that they can become more competitive and successful in a bid with a large company.
About Supplier Connection: Supplier Connection is a web-based platform that makes it easy for small business to become recognized as potential suppliers to large companies and for large companies to identify small companies with which they would do business. To learn more about Supplier Connection, visit www.supplier-connection.net or follow the consortium on Twitter @suppliercon.