On Friday June 9, 2023, SUPRA Office Solutions Inc. (SUPRA), a University-wide Contracted Supplier for office supplies and EMSCO Scientific celebrated the grand opening of their new 70,000 square foot, $25 million-dollar, facility in the Parkside area of Philadelphia. This new building houses a state-of-the-art cryopreservation facility which can store products at minus 80-degree and minus 120-degree temperatures, along with offices, meeting rooms, and warehouse space that houses important medical supplies. It also offers a community room that is available for the surrounding neighborhood along with a rooftop deck that provides a beautiful view of Center City Philadelphia.
This new building, which is entirely Black-owned, has been the cause of celebration in Parkside. Building owners, Derrick Suswell, Ismail Shahid and Lin Thomas have been working to open this building since 2011 and its grand opening in June is now expected to make waves not only in their local community, but also spanning to impact regional and national medical communities. Jennifer Barnes, the Supplier Diversity and Sustainability Manager within the University of Pittsburgh’s Purchasing Services Department, had the opportunity to attend the grand opening event of this first ever Black-owned cryopreservation facility and was able to share how exciting the day was. Jennifer shared the following about her experience from the event,
"I'm so honored to have the opportunity to represent Pitt at this beautiful event. We don't often get to see the impact our purchasing decisions have on small or diverse businesses, and this was a beautiful example of what buying local, small, and diverse can have not only on a business, but on a community. The new facility is state of the art, and I'm thrilled that Pitt played a role in their growth."
The opening of this new facility owned by SUPRA and EMSCO follows a long and successful partnership between SUPRA and Pitt. SUPRA is certified as a Diverse Business Enterprise through the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council and the University’s contract with SUPRA has been a key element in supporting Pitt’s effort to create more spending with Black-owned businesses, and in particular, those that are located in PA or locally in Allegheny County. SUPRA, along with ODP Business Solutions, has also assisted in meeting the University's sustainability goals by supporting programs such as the K-cup Recycling Program, the Ink & Toner Recycling Program, and the Green Tote Program. Along with SUPRA’s constant aid in supporting the Plan for Pitt through these programs, the University-wide Contracted Supplier for office supplies and ODP Business Solutions also hosted an entire sustainability show in 2022 to showcase the latest and greatest in green office supplies and purchasing methods. Visit this page to learn more about this past event.
We are happy to celebrate this win for SUPRA and to be a part of their journey to this milestone. We look forward to more exciting news like this as members of our team from Purchasing Services and Strategic Sourcing, including Tom Youngs, Corey Cyphert, Jennifer Barnes, Michelle Smith, Melissa Andreychek, and Kevin Maloney (retired), have and continue to successfully build and negotiate Pitt’s SUPRA contract and business relationship!