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County of Santa Clara Connects Businesses with Opportunity

a room full of people in chairs with a presenter at the front of the room in front of two large monitors.
September 6, 2024

The County of Santa Clara’s Vendor Outreach Program hosted the inaugural “2024 Contract Connect: Bridging Opportunities for Businesses” on August 27 in San José. The event brought together over 250 business owners from throughout Santa Clara County to learn how to better contract with government agencies.

Business owners engaged in policy discussions, heard presentations from industry leaders, obtained  resources and information at an exhibitor hall, and had one-on-one meetings to establish a business support network.  

“This event was a tremendous success because of the number of diverse businesses and the lasting connections that were made,” said Ky Le, County of Santa Clara Deputy County Executive. “Contract Connect is part of the County’s Vendor Outreach Program to enhance the economic vitality of the community while communicating fair and inclusive opportunities for businesses of all sizes and backgrounds.” 

Owners, contractors and other participants met with representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration, California Department of General Services, the County of Santa Clara, Valley Transportation Authority, the City of San José, and more. The event provided an opportunity for participants to build successful pathways for shared local, small, and diverse business communities.

Of the 252 attendees, 144 were minority business owners, 82 were women, nine were Veteran owned and five identified as LGBTQ+. 

The County plans to host similar events and do more outreach to build on the network and to give business owners the tools to contract with government agencies. Follow the County of Santa Clara on Facebook, X and LinkedIn to find out about more opportunities like 2024 Contract Connect.