​Conference will be held in Harrisburg on Oct. 18

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that it will host a one-day conference, Pathways to PennDOT, designed to connect small, minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) with potential contracting opportunities at the department.

The conference will be held at the Best Western Premier Hotel and Conference Center Union Deposit at 800 East Park Drive in Harrisburg on Tuesday, October 18. Doors open at 7:30 AM, and the conference will be held from 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Registration is free.

"Small and diverse business are central to our communities, and our economy," said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. "I'm thrilled to host this conference and to help facilitate connecting these critical businesses to opportunities with PennDOT."

The conference is open to DBE firms, primes, contractors and industry leaders, and will cover such topics as DBE certification, the PennDOT prequalification process, branding strategies, and a panel discussion on best practices from current DBE's, among other sessions. Additionally, firms can learn how to participate in PennDOT's Mentor-Protégé program, which connects DBEs with prime contractors to gain and expand experience in the industry.

To learn more about Pathways to PennDOT or to register for the conference, visit PennDOT's website. Pre-registration closes on October 7.

Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.pa.gov/news or choose a region under "Regional Offices." Information about the state's infrastructure and results the department is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at www.penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

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MEDIA CONTACT:    Alexis Campbell, 717-783-8800 or alecampbel@pa.gov

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