Supplier diversity program partnership shows results
A partnership with a minority-owned engineering firm that began as part of Vectren's supplier diversity program has resulted in two successful projects. For the first, Evansville-based Americas Engineers Inc. inspected locations and created specifications for hundreds of natural gas regulator stations in the Vectren South service territory. Earlier this year, the company was awarded the contract to manage the remodeling of the Vectren Wagner Operations Center.

"We kept in mind the overall cost as we provided engineering and design expertise for each project," said K.C. Jain, Americas Engineers owner. "Vectren's enthusiasm to do business with a variety of vendors provided us with a unique opportunity to showcase our ability on a grand scale."

Mark Sebree, manager of supplier diversity and small business liaison officer, described his first meeting with Jain.

"I was impressed with K.C.’s foresight to request smaller projects in the hopes of starting and establishing a long-term relationship with Vectren," Sebree said. "This was the first opportunity for the two companies to discuss ways that Americas Engineers could fulfill Vectren’s engineering project management needs."

Sebree hopes to continue productive associations with vendors like Americas Engineers.

"The supplier diversity program is successful because of the new and innovative perspectives that small, qualified businesses tend to offer," Sebree said. "Our collaboration with Americas Engineers has produced high quality work and significantly lower costs."

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Diversity Showcase
Vectren’s Diversity Showcase is designed to inform users about the latest Diversity events, announcements and opportunities at Vectren. Contact us if you are interested in attending  an upcoming Diversity event.

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