VIOLET, LOUISIANA — May 23, 2022— The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is hosting a Small Business Certification Event on May 26 at 9 a.m. at the Louisiana International Terminal Community Connection Office, located at 6201A E. St. Bernard Hwy., Violet, LA 70092.

The event will feature representatives from statewide and regional agencies to provide information on SBE, DBE or SBA certifications, how to obtain them, and how to participate in the procurement process. Speakers include: Chanel Labat, Port NOLA Director of Procurement; Jo Ann Lawrence, U.S. Small Business Administration Deputy District Director Louisiana District Office; Tatiana Bruce, Louisiana Economic Development Senior Program Manager of Small Business Services; Lori Barthelemy, City of New Orleans Office of Supplier Diversity Director;

and Sonia Oliva, City of New Orleans Office of Supplier Diversity Certification Coordinator.

“The goal of this event is to assist vendors in this community become certified and gain more opportunities to work alongside the Port of New Orleans. The Port’s Procurement team is here to support vendors through this process and the entire procurement process,” said Labat.

Port NOLA’s Procurement team is dedicated to supporting buyers and users with the best procurement, negotiation, financial and informational resources, as well as providing qualified suppliers, service providers and vendors with open and fair access to contracting opportunities.

“We recognize the importance of showing pathways to entry for doing business with the Port and similar agencies,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of Port NOLA. “Our goal is to engage our local business community and equip them with the tools and information so that companies of all sizes have the opportunity to participate in the procurement process.”

Companies interested in doing business with the Port can join our vendor database on the Port website. The system is user-friendly and designed to allow users to view current and upcoming bid opportunities. Users must register and create an account to see complete project specifications and details. These users gain full access to current project specifications and they can opt to receive notifications regarding new opportunities that become available at Port NOLA.

For more information about doing business with Port NOLA or for information about the Small Business Certification event, visit the Procurement pages of the website here.