Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 0:07

Welcome back to the Energy Beat podcast. I'm Jen Zaro, your host, and this episode is part two of our series on working with diverse suppliers in the clean energy space Jones, the head of procurement and supplier inclusion at Resource Innovations, and together we're going to talk through the procurement journey step by step and talk about things that small and diverse suppliers can do along the way to increase their chances of winning new business. Welcome to the podcast, Marvaline. Tell me a little bit about yourself and your own career journey and how you ended up in this role.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 0:44

So I have been in procurement for over oh goodness, it's scary to say almost 30 years. Started out at General Motors back in the 90s and worked with the locomotive group there and was in the procurement organization. Then I transitioned over to Exelon and I worked with Exelon for almost 20 years in the procurement organization, for all of that time managing various categories of spend spend and then more recently joined resource innovations as the head of procurement and supplier inclusion. And I've been here for almost three years now enjoying my time love it.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 1:37

Well, I think you're the perfect person to have this conversation with, given your background. I mean, you've worked at in the utility sector and you've worked for an OEM and now you're working in the energy services side of it. So excited to ask you all kinds of questions today. Well, let's start with pre-discovery. So before you even get started in RFP or, you know, looking at a solicitation, I imagine you have to figure out how to whittle down what to go after, because there are a lot of opportunities out there, and my first question is how do you find those opportunities? Where do you look?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 2:13

So there are a number of different places that you can look. Oftentimes some of the industry organizations will be advertising the various RFPs that are being offered by the utilities or some of the ICs, and then also being aware of what's going on in the industry, the timing that the various programs and the cadences that they're on. You know if they're bid out every three years or every four years. Being aware of that, and part of that is looking at the utilities websites and kind of understanding what they have going on.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 2:56

And then how do you go through that next step of really deciding what you're going to go after?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 3:02

So I would say the first step is determining whether or not the scope of work is within your core competency, you know. Is it something that you can do, and not only just do, but something that you can do well? Also, I would say can you manage the scope of work alone? If you can manage the scope of work alone, great. If you can't, how do you coordinate with other organizations to partner to potentially put together a proposal for the scope of work? And then the last thing I would probably say is is the juice worth the squeeze?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 3:36

And what I mean by that is, sometimes there may be opportunities that we think are really great, but once we dive in and start to investigate a little more, it might not truly align with what we're looking for. So it may. You may have to put in a little more effort to make things align and work, and on the backside, does that benefit you? And if it does great, on the backside does that benefit you? And if it does, great. But if it doesn't, you need to be able to determine that. Well, maybe that's an opportunity you want to pass on, because you don't want to put your organization in a situation where you do all this work, and either the budget isn't there or the acknowledgement isn't there. So you have to be mindful of those types of things.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 4:26

I hadn't thought about that. So that makes sense. So you're really looking at not only do you have the right skill sets and resources to tackle the topic in the RFP, but also how is this going to enhance the organization itself and your play to your skills and to your reputation? So that makes sense, absolutely yes. So when you're going out for business, looking for work through the RFP process, what kind of information do you generally research on these organizations that you're potentially going to do work with?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 5:00

First of all, you need to learn about the organization issuing the RFP, that is, first and foremost, understand where they are, their landscape. You know what their reach is. Secondly, probably why are they issuing not probably, but definitely why are they issuing the RFP? What is their current situation and what is their end goal? The reason why I say those things are important is because if it's an RFP for some type of a new program or a pilot program, well, oftentimes there isn't a baseline, so they're just kind of starting up and trying to fill their way through.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 5:38

But if it's an RFP for a mature program, then you need to know, okay, is it just the timing where they're issuing it, the cadence of every three years, every four years, or did they have a partner that didn't meet the goals? Was it successful? Was it not successful? So you want to understand those types of things about the RFP, or why they're issuing it, so you can prepare your proposal to address those issues where there may have been lack of innovation and things of that nature. You want to understand that so, again, you can make your proposal very interesting and inviting for them to want to take you on to the next steps.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 6:25

So tell me, are there any unique pieces of information or topics for the efficiency or clean energy sector that new suppliers should be aware of when they go after one of these requests for proposals?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 6:40

So I guess each industry kind of has its own uniqueness. I would just encourage suppliers to be aware of the industry trends and align with those, to kind of stay safe. Definitely think outside of the box, but not so far that that box morphs into a rectangle. You know if that makes sense. You know if that makes sense. You want to keep in mind that this is a very tight niche industry and the person that you may see in one place or in one company could very well be in a different place the next time you see them. So you got to be mindful of the relationships that you create and in this industry I think that relationship piece is very important because it's such a tight niche industry.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 7:29

I would agree. Yeah, we definitely are a tight community and move around between different employers, so that makes sense.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 7:37

Yeah.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 7:45

So what about resources that you would recommend for small suppliers that might be helpful to them in their discovery efforts? Are there any tools out there that you prefer to work through to help you figure things out?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 7:52

I wouldn't say, tools per se. You know there's always organizational and industry type things that you can find out, but for me what I've seen that works best and what I would always suggest is like looking at company websites and kind of again understanding their landscape, what they're going on, looking at your competitor websites to see what they're doing, what they're going on Again with the industry organizations, those types of websites, anything that will just provide you information on the topic and the players that you may be competing against. You want to have that information available to you and also some of with the industry organizations. You know they are very good resources so you know, if you become members of those organizations, sometimes there are opportunities for sponsorships or things like that. That will help some of the smaller suppliers to you know, transition into bigger opportunities.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 9:03

You read my mind. There was a question I was going to ask you about how do you even build brand awareness for yourself if you're new to the industry or you've just launched your company? So tell me more about that. How would you, if you're brand new to the industry, how would you get your name out there and get some awareness with those who are issuing RFPs that you even exist?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 9:32

So typically, you know organizations like AESP. You all have your annual conferences and you all invite. You know all the different players, the utilities and the different implementation contractors. They're all there and those are the places that you, as a smaller organization, want to find yourself in. You want to be around those people who are the decision makers, the people who are actually going out and submitting bids. You know some of the larger implementation contractors submitting bids. You know some of the larger implementation contractors. Oftentimes, some of these conferences have meeting greets where you can, you know, meet the different companies, schedule time to talk with them and learn a little bit more about them. So I would definitely say putting yourself at those different conferences and events that will allow you to network with people who have relationships or ends already within the industry.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 10:35

You know that's a great plug for us. Yeah, I mean, we actually started creating new membership categories just for folks that were coming into the industry and weren't sure how to get started. So we now have a small business entry-level membership and an emerging business and even a sole proprietor. Just for that reason, we want to provide you all with the opportunity to get together and meet people and share information and share best practices. So I'm glad to hear that that is helping people Absolutely.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 11:11

And just like the you know the excuse me the DEI event that we had this year. You know the pre-conference event that is great for smaller suppliers, smaller, diverse suppliers who are interested in learning a little bit more about the industry. They get to hear from different types of speakers at different journeys within. You know their corporate life, so you know it's great that you all offer that, and you know some of the other organizations offer similar types of events. But the one that AESP offered this year I think was really, really great. It wasn't huge as it has been in the past, but the intimacy that we experienced and the conversations were very meaningful. So you know I want to plug that and hopefully we'll continue to do that for future conferences.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 12:06

Absolutely. Yeah, that's definitely the plan, all right. Well, one other question about the process of deciding what to go after. So do you look at sort of the records of how long it takes for an organization to get that RFP out the door and then turn around and make a decision as part of your factors in deciding whether or not to go after something?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 12:30

It starts off with is this part of your core competency? Can you manage it? And then, can you meet the timing of it? Sometimes there's a lot of time that they offer four to six weeks for the turnaround time for RFP proposal submission. Other times it may be two or three weeks. Sometimes that can be an indicator of certain things, but other times it's just they may be behind the ball, but you have to be able to establish that this works. Within your timing you can put together a proposal, and not only put together a proposal, but put together a winning proposal and a team that could potentially land you a contract.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 13:14

Absolutely. And then I know sometimes it can be tempting to just say yes if you win that contract and figure out the rest later. But are there areas where you see small suppliers sometimes underestimate the resource commitments they'll have to make once they've won that work or are partnered with someone who's won the work?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 13:39

who's won the work. Yeah, so I don't want to say all the time, but I think it does happen a little more frequently than it probably should. Sometimes you know they're just so anxious to get their foot in the door and you know they bite off more than they can chew and unable to coordinate the resources or the required to support the contract. So you know, of course, if you get a contract and you're unable to actually meet the commitments of it, that's going to limit your business for future opportunities if you can't recover and then deliver. So I would definitely say you need to figure it out on the front end to make sure you can be successful later, because that is going to be the determining factor of how your business grows and how successful your business ultimately is.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 14:31

On the flip side of that, I have often seen the people issuing RFPs vastly underestimate the resource requirements for these jobs. Can you talk to that a little bit and how you might take steps to mitigate those impacts through the process?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 14:49

itself Absolutely. So you know sometimes the utilities, like you said, the utilities, like you said, underestimate the resources and you have to be able to pivot and you know that's part of where, when you're building your proposal, where contingency comes in, because there is always going to be something. Nothing ever goes 100% as planned. So mainly it's about being able to pivot and identify up front, when things do happen, how you're going to manage those to still be successful. You know it's unfortunate but it happens a little more than we intend with. You know scope they call it scope creep where you know things change and it wasn't expected, especially if it's more of a newer program or pilot, where they're still kind of feel their way and understanding. You know a lot of times they may have to make adjustments on the fly so that the program ultimately is successful, and so you have to be nimble enough to be able to pivot and again make the changes to accommodate whatever the changes need to be, the changes that need to be made.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 16:14

Any advice for having those conversations with the utility or the organization that is funding the work. Any experiential advice that you can offer for small suppliers.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 16:28

Know the supplier is going to be key in keeping those lines of communication open, asking them about previous programs that may be similar and how they were successful and how much change in pivoting took place there and how was it managed. So that way you know nothing is about reinventing the wheel. Everything that we're doing here has been done before. It's just trying to pull that information out and having them share it with you. Now, oftentimes they're not just going to give it to you. You have to ask you got to know what questions to ask again to set yourself up for success. Oftentimes they are willing to have those conversations because if they are looking and they're going to select you, they want you to be successful, because ultimately they end up being successful, and so just making sure those lines of communications remain open is going to be key.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 17:41

I completely agree that oftentimes I find it's the lack of communication and not the intention that causes the issues.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 17:50

Correct. I would definitely agree with that.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 17:55

So let's say you've been shortlisted for a project or a program. What are some common negotiating strategies you would recommend? That you see work well for small, diverse suppliers, perhaps more so than others who might be applying for the work.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 18:24

So knowing and understanding that you know contracts are often leveraging opportunities and using them as such, that is one of the key things.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 18:28

Oftentimes, smaller companies have the ability to pivot and to be nimble when things change and oftentimes that's valuable to the utilities because things are changing constantly. Valuable to the utilities because things are changing constantly and if you have to go through a lot of red tape or bureaucracy to have things changed or to adjust things, that can sometimes be a turnoff. So utilizing and being aware of your flexibility and making it known to the companies is, I think, a big plus. Also, establishing relationships with the influencers and decision makers to be shortlisted for future opportunities, building those networks and allies that are working for you. In situations and in conversations that you are not a part of but your company comes up because you've built that network and you built those relationships where they have confidence to say, hey, this company may be able to do this, let's reach out to them. So, but definitely, being nimble and being able to you know course, change fairly quickly, I think is something that is very valuable to many organizations.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 19:50

I love that. I think that's great advice for sure because, agreed, when you get, the bigger the organization is, the more difficult it might be to make those pivots. So, absolutely. And then trust is another big thing I hear a lot about from diverse suppliers and the value that they bring is, especially if they're looking for someone who is from the community or within the community or has strong ties or relationships with the community that the RFP is meant to serve. Do you want to speak to that a little bit, about the value of having someone kind of on the ground that has trust already built with the community?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 20:27

Yeah, I think that's key. You know anything that's going to be successful. You know there has to be connections and it is very difficult to go into a community if you have no connections there, no relationships. So companies that have established those relationships within the community because they may have worked on something before or they you know deal with or work with some other CBOs that is huge because you know people in the community can identify with them. Maybe it's because they came and talked about other programs and other opportunities. So you want someone that the community trusts and oftentimes you know how to reach the community. Is that you know people respond sometimes to people who are very similar to them. So you got to keep that in mind as well. Is that you know if you have someone that has boots on the ground, you want them to go into the community and fit in. You know you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, like what are they doing here?

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 21:39

You know you want them to.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 21:41

Yeah, you want them to fit in and be comfortable, and people will tend to, or the community will tend to, open up a little more, and that's extremely valuable, because that is getting the community to buy into. Whatever it is is what is going to ultimately make the program successful.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 21:57

Yeah, I mean, if you don't have that trust, people are probably less likely to even talk to you when you start trying to promote the program. I would think, and I could see, you'd want someone who does fit into the community, maybe look like the community understands the community's needs and concerns. So I think that's so important to make a program successful.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 22:21

It is, and oftentimes people's experiences. As you're talking and you're to the different people, sometimes utilizing your own personal experience of growing up in a similar neighborhood and things of that nature that you can, you know, build a kinship with them, that helps as well, so you know those are all things that these utilities look for when you know they are trying to engage outreach partners and things of that nature.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 22:54

Yeah, I agree. I think that's the one piece that I'm constantly trying to hammer home with utilities that are issuing these RFPs, especially in communities that have been underserved the importance of building trust, the importance of making sure there is a shared lived experience with the people who are working in the field or doing the recruitment, just so that they have an understanding of what the real needs are of that community too. I would think.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 23:20

Yeah, definitely.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 23:22

So let's talk about partnerships. It's not uncommon to see a group of small suppliers get together to apply for funding or to submit a response to an RFP. I've seen this go great, and I've seen it go less than great, so let's talk about effective structures for negotiating with your partners in order to submit an application or a submission for an RFP.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 23:49

So first I would say they all need to agree on who is going to take the lead, and that starts with some type of a teaming agreement or something like that that they should already have in place before you know you start to partner with someone, kind of align. Okay, this is what our core competencies are for each of the parties and this is what we are going to bring together as a team. You know, to make one solid proposal, but you have to have one person take the lead and you got to trust them that the decisions that they make on behalf of the team you know that they're making the best decision. You know there's nothing worse than having too many cooks in the kitchen and they're all trying to make the same dish but they got different recipes. You know you want to kind of stay away from that.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 24:49

They got to decide on who will be driving up front and then you know, just kind of move accordingly as a team. And you know, if that invisible eye in team starts to rear his ugly head, unfortunately they'll be doomed and that will affect their credibility for future opportunity, whether or not they're working with each other or working alone. So you know you gotta be be mindful of that. But I would definitely say you have to draw on what is each organization, the best of each organization? What do they bring into the table, and kind of fall in line with that and then just allow that to drive them to success.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 25:36

I love that you've focused on teaming agreements. To me, that's a really critical component to these partnerships, whether they're a group of smaller businesses or a larger business that recruits a diverse supplier to go after funding that has a diverse supplier percentage contract requirement. I have definitely seen these relationships go wrong. Can we talk a little bit about that? So when a larger organization decides to team with a small supplier, a diverse supplier, whether it's a minority and women-owned business or just a small business from the region, how do we make sure to protect those smaller organizations, smaller companies, Once the work is won? How do we ensure that they are actually getting that work as a partner in these relationships?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 26:29

Again, I think that teaming agreement is going to be key where it sets the expectations. It says what each party is expected to do, the timing of it and holding each other accountable. So I too have heard of you know instances where a company, would you know, just slaps a partner's name on to help them get the business, they get the business and then they hear nothing from them after the contract is executed. But part of that is establishing the relationships with these companies prior. So I understand that it can't happen every time, but the goal is to have an idea of who your partners are or who you want to work with before an RFP already comes out.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 27:25

Again, building those relationships, communicating, because you know it's a little, it's harder to kind of give someone the shaft when you've built a relationship of trust with them, versus just reaching out and finding someone oh, they seem like they're good and you know we can pull them in to get the business and then they don't hear anything. There's no relationship there. It really was just, you know, a transaction. So we want those relationships to be more than transactional and I think that is what helps, when you can hold each other accountable and people talk. Again, we're a very small niche industry and companies talk and people don't want to often share those experiences because they don't want to jade themselves from other companies working with them. But there has to be ways that you build those relationships that will allow you to hold those partners accountable. And sometimes you know you have to go unconventional ways ensuring that they are held accountable. So you know a number of different ways to do it. But again, building the relationships on the front end and that trust is going to be key.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 28:50

I think that's really smart advice. I do see how that would work just making the effort to build those relationships out and build the trust early on. That way, when you get to that opportunity and you can work together, they know you're a reliable partner and that you'll come through for them.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 29:10

Exactly, and you know, again, oftentimes we have a lot of new pilot programs and things that are going on now, so there may be instances where you're engaging partners that you may have never worked with before because it's a new opportunity. But most of this, again, we are not reinventing the wheel here. You know what partners are out there. We have the different organizations that we can reach out to to research the partners, and it's good to just start doing that before, like an RFP comes up, so you have your arsenal ready when it comes up and you can pick and choose, okay, which partners you think you wanna work with, and that typically works very well when you have an established relationship.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 29:58

So build out your bench early, make sure you're building those relationships and building trust between each other before you even start to enter that RFP process.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 30:11

Absolutely absolutely.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 30:13

Well, one final area I want to discuss with you is understanding the value of getting certified as a minority-owned business. I know there are diversity, certification goals, in some cases with different RFPs. Can you give us an understanding of the why it's worth it to go get those certifications and then we can kind of dig into how and whether it's worth it or not? I know there are federal certifications you can get, as well as state and local certifications. So how do you wrap your brain around that?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 30:49

It isn't always an easy task. It can be very arduous and time consuming and a lot of times you know these smaller companies. They need to be out in the field and doing things to ensure that their company is bringing in the revenues that they need to continue to work. But when it comes to the certification, there is time that they will have to devote to it. But in the grand scheme of things, you know, it can be very helpful in many instances. Grand scheme of things, it can be very helpful in many instances.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 31:24

For example, many of these companies' utilities that we are trying to get business from. They have internal and external diversity goals that they must meet that they've committed to, and having a certification helps them meet that goal. So that is valuable to them. So not only are you competent and you can do the work, but you have this certification that is going to help them, on the back end, meet some other goals that they have committed to. So you can leverage that certification into something you know that they need and you're not just another proposal. You know that they need and you're not just another proposal. So if you have stellar performance and certification, you can almost write your own ticket, you know, once you've proven yourself, you've gone in and you've done great and on the contract program was, you know, successful, they'll keep coming back because they are creatures of habit and, like I said before, they are fairly risk averse. So when they find someone who does a good job, they just keep feeding them, going back.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 32:29

And, you know, as long as you keep doing a great job, you can kind of create a pipeline of work that will help to sustain your organization, of work that will help to sustain your organization. But that certification is, you know, helpful and in some cases I don't know that with you know everything that's kind of going on now with a lot of the different order executive orders that have been put in place. But there have been times where RFPs are issued solely for diverse partners and so but not just diverse partners, certified diverse partners. So that certification kind of in some instances may give you a leg up on other companies that may not have it and put you in a situation where you're considered I don't want to say only because you're diverse. That's a component of the evaluation criteria, you know you got to be able to do the job but it actually, you know, kind of sets you, aside from you, know some other companies that may not have that certification.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 33:43

You worked at the utility, so flipping the coin over. Are there any best practices that you've experienced related to requirements of those certifications? In other words, are there some certifications that make more sense than others for the work, or are there best practices in which certifications make the most sense that you've seen in your world?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 34:06

So in my world a lot of times some of the more local or regional certifications align better with some of the smaller, more local companies. You know diverse companies. So no knock against any of the. You know larger, diverse certifying agencies. But sometimes, you know, city of Chicago's certification process may be a little more in line with a local Chicagoland company. You know what I'm saying. So I would say you know for each organization they would have to make that determination as to what makes sense for them. If you are only trying to get regional business in the Chicagoland area, in the Illinois area, where it may make sense to target getting certifications from that region, from the state of Illinois, city of Chicago, where if you're looking to broaden your horizons and get business in other areas, then one of the more nationally certified organizations may be one that you want to target. But again, that is specifically an individual. You know organization decision as to kind of how they want to move forward.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 35:28

That makes sense. So if the reasoning behind the requirement of the certification is more about local economic development, for instance, you would probably want a regional focus on that certification. Then Correct.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 35:43

And it's not to say that you know national ones aren't accepted, because they will be. But when you look at it from the level of effort that the organization has to kind of put in to obtain the certification, some of those regional ones may be a little more I don't want to say easier, but it just may be more conducive to helping them get the certification.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 36:13

Well, maybe correct me if I'm wrong, but maybe the processes might be less onerous as well. Yes, well, one final question, just given the recent changes we've seen from the federal administrative positioning on diversity, equity and inclusion, any advice out there for diverse suppliers and how how they might seek work in this environment, maybe at the state or local or utility level?

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 36:44

So what I can say, or what I've seen, is that in many cases, even though the federal executive orders have been mandated, a lot of organizations are holding fast to their commitments. So you see changes. When some of the organizations are dealing with federal dollars and they have to, you know now comply or pivot to, you know, make sure that they don't lose the funding in certain instances. But in other cases, where it's more local dollars supporting the programs and things of that nature, many of the organizations are again holding steadfast to their commitments and I don't foresee the commitments or the requirements going away. The commitments or the requirements going away, they may change in the percentages that are required, but I don't foresee it going away at all. You know they may also kind of pivot towards more locally supporting, you know, locally supported organizations or partners. But again, I believe they're going to maintain some level of required diversity commitment in their RFP requests.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 38:17

I think you're right. I think it's still the value proposition for bringing people from your local communities and regions to me is untouched, based on what we're seeing out there, because it is really about local economic development and trust and bringing the right people in to do the job that is going to lead to success.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 38:40

So I'm with you there for sure, and I mean, ultimately, whether or not we agree with it, it is the right thing to do. We know that oftentimes these smaller, diverse organizations don't get the opportunity, they don't get a seat at the table and, you know, mandating that we include them in these bigger opportunities again, it ensures, like you said, that local economic growth and commitment. It just is a recipe for success for these programs and we've seen that it does work. So it doesn't. You know, to change the recipe right now is not a smart thing to do. So you know, I'm really excited about everyone maintaining their commitments and doing what they're supposed to do and saying that you know, regardless of kind of what's going on in the bigger picture, this is what we're going to do. This is what we're going to continue to do, because it is about, you know, our communities and making sure that they have you know, all of the opportunities and success that the programs that we offer and bring into the communities. You know it's really all about that.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 40:08

Well, marvaline, thank you so much for your time today. This was such an important conversation for us to have, and I'm so excited with the work that you're doing at Resource Innovations and just excited to have you here today with me. So thank you.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 40:24

Thank you for having me. I enjoy talking about procurement diverse partners partners as in any case, but more so diverse partners. I'm always on board because they add so much value to the end goal that I want to make sure that I can do whatever I can to give them a little bit of support and, hey, knowledge that I have that may help them to grow their business and, you know, be successful.

Jennifer Szaro, AESP: 41:08

Thank you. Thank you for being part of our community too. I know a lot of people benefit from the work you're doing and from the information you're willing to impart on others, and so that's what makes this such a great community. So thank you.

Marvelene Jones, Resource Innovations: 41:21

Thank you.