Saturday, July 15, 2017

It's More Than a Figet


Turning quickly on an axis Fidgets are clearly the hottest new promotional item around. Some of us have been fidgeting for years by taping the end of our pencil or jiggling our leg while sitting- apparently that was NOT fidgeting by modern standards. Nonetheless fidgets are everywhere! 

When we started the company Keith brought his experience with government contracts acquired from his many days in the environmental testing industry to our company profile. He wanted to make sure we were a woman owned company; yes I own the extra share. That is how we began our process to become a NC HUB company.

Since 2007 our company has held NC HUB status. What exactly does that mean?


HUB is defined in the dictionary as:

noun
  • 1. the central part of a wheel, rotating on or with the axle, and from which the spokes radiate. synonyms: pivot, axis, fulcrum, center, middle
  • 2. the effective center of an activity, region, or network: "the city has always been the financial hub of the country" synonyms: center, core, heart, middle, focus, ... more antonyms: periphery



What does HUB Status in North Carolina means-Historically Underutilized Business. 

How do you qualify?  The business needs to be owned by individuals that meet the criteria, apply and are accepted for certification hold that status. The certification must be maintained and renewed. . Qualifiers for HUB status would include minority owned, woman owned, veteran owned, disabled veteran owned and more. In the process of becoming certified, Promotional Partners learned you can only have 1 point of qualification when submitting any required paperwork by the organization you are partnering. For example, I qualify as a woman owner. However, if I was also disabled, veteran and African American I would not have 4 qualifications; only 1.

Who seeks HUB business partners? 

You might be surprised- government agencies, many corporate partners, WCPSS, RDU and many more. Interestingly we often find employees of larger corporations don't even realize HUB status partnering is one of their company goals. Similarly, we have diversity supplier partners! Our clients are often both surprised and pleased to find that we can also partner with diversity suppliers such as woman owned, minority owned, disabled veteran owned and more....that means more CHECK marks!  

What's the history? The HUB Office was created by Executive Order 150 April 20, 1999. The HUB Office was codified, established by law and provided operational funding during the 2001 Legislative Session.

The HUB Office was established to:
  • Increase the amount of goods and services acquired by state agencies from businesses owned and controlled by HUB firms;
  • Work towards eliminating barriers that reduce the participation of HUB firms in the marketplace, and in state government procurement and contracting;
  • Encourage purchasing officers and capital project coordinators within the state agencies, departments, universities and community colleges to identify and utilize HUB vendors, contractors and service providers;
  • Educate HUB firms on “How To Do Business” with the State of North Carolina; and
  • Provide resources for HUB firms.
·      What's their vision?

·         The HUB Office is an organization that advocates actions which increase opportunities for historically underutilized businesses and promotes diversity and inclusion in state government procurement and contracting.

    What's their mission?       


·         To promote economic opportunities for historically underutilized businesses in state government contracting and procurement that will foster their growth and profitability. 

    Now that you know what HUB status means? You've also seen how a fidget can become more than a toy, transforming into a marketing message. 

   By using the properties of the product to suggest that we are: 
 
       We are a HUB for effective marketing tools
        Our team SPINS products into gold! 
                   We help businesses get noticed
                         Focus attention on what matters
                              Branding is more than child's play 

     Check your company or organizations goals- you might learn that you too have a goal to partner with a HUB status provider!










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