The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an event to give local businesses the chance to interact with representatives from two major companies.
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Turner Construction Company’s (separate companies) Local Business Opportunity series is set for Tuesday, June 16, at the Columbia County Exhibition Center. It will provide business owners with the opportunity to meet directly with the procurement teams from both companies.
The companies are looking for partners who can provide large-scale site preparation:
- Sitework & Mass Grading: Bulk earthmoving, site clearing, excavation, and erosion control.
- Hauling & Logistics: Dump trucking, material transport, aggregate delivery, and site logistics.
- Concrete Firms: Ready-mix supply, foundations, flatwork, structural concrete, and formwork.
“The great part about this opportunity is to skip the corporate gatekeepers and speak face to face with the procurement teams,” Heath Taylor, president and CEO of the chamber, explained for ABD. “And Whiting-Turner & Turner Construction is known for prioritizing women and minority owned businesses to be able to work with.”
But Taylor added that this opportunity reaches beyond the traditional construction-related trades.
“I think that gets left out, but when you consider construction on this scale, you have your trades, which would be anything from dump trucks to concrete to structural work, earth clearing,” he said. “But then yes, event planners, coordinators, decorators, signage companies, caterers, food trucks, portable sanitation, fencing. Anything that would go into major construction.”
The benefits of this opportunity series extend beyond the immediate connections made during the event.
“If you are known for doing business with a company like Whiting-Turner and Turner Construction, that is certainly going to give you credibility with most any other company. If you’re good enough to work with them, you’re good enough to work with anybody else,” said Taylor. “Once you get that reputation with one of the large-scale industries, it just filters out to others; you are a known entity. And the work that they will be doing in the CSRA will last for the next 10 years, at a minimum.”
Both are seen as leaders in their industries and want to strengthen local partnerships. It will also develop their regional supply chain in anticipation of commercial and infrastructure projects.
Attendees will learn how to onboard their business to the company’s master vendor networks. Once registered, businesses will automatically receive new RFPs (Requests for Proposals) for all upcoming projects being coordinated by Whiting-Turner and Turner Construction.
“They are asking if you would bring copies of your capability statement, business cards, or any information relative to your experience in the field that you’re working in,” Taylor said.
The Columbia County Exhibition Center is at 212 Partnership Drive in Grovetown. That is off Interstate 20, exit 190. The opportunity series will be from 4-6 p.m. There is no charge to attend, but pre-registration is required.
More information and registration are at:
