November 15, 2023/Community Impact

Five Businesses Complete Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals Program that Supports Economic Opportunity for Local Suppliers

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Five local diverse businesses have completed the annual six-month mentorship program called the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Supplier Accelerator. This program, a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, aims to expand the knowledge and impact of local businesses headquartered in Northeast Ohio and owned by traditionally under-represented entrepreneurs, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, veterans and women.

The training program designed to support participants in growing their companies, and being competitive in the market, offered:

  • Business development coaching and navigation of the large corporate sourcing process.

  • One-on-one access to leaders and subject matter experts from Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

  • Networking opportunities with Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals decision makers and suppliers.

  • Multidisciplinary business review process that provides actionable feedback to develop and grow their business.

  • A $10,000 cash prize upon successful completion of the program.

Businesses that completed the 2023 program are listed below.

BridgePort Group, LLC (Cleveland)
Andre Bryan, Managing Partner
A logistics, supply chain management and warehouse management firm, BridgePort Group, LLC, specializes in vendor-managed inventory, management consulting and technical certification training.

Critical Ops, LLC (Westlake)
Chelsea Treboniak, Owner
Guiding companies through a business modernization process that targets the core of operations, Critical Ops, LLC, looks beyond operational efficiencies, to a modern system that helps clients gain a competitive advantage.

EduCare Medical Staffing (Woodmere)
Naushay Adams, CEO
EduCare Medical Staffing is a staffing agency that provides highly skilled medical professionals to assist customers with their needs. In addition to medical staffing, it provides CPR training and is a certified WebCheck fingerprint scanning location.

Hunter International Recruiting (Avon)
Gabrielle Christman, President & CEO
A STEM-focused workforce solutions partner, Hunter International Recruiting delivers talent for mid-size companies to large, Fortune 500 organizations, and government entities across the country.

R.L. Cole Enterprise (Warrensville Heights)
Rhoni Thompson, President
R.L. Cole Enterprise is a second-generation woman-owned trucking company that supplies and delivers limestone, gravel, mulch, sand and salt in Cuyahoga and the surrounding counties. The business also operates a Clean Fill Site in Cleveland.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

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