Government Coins

Welcome to our newest episode of the Government Coins podcast! We are excited to have a special guest with us who has dedicated over 38 years of service to the City of Danbury, CT. He began his career in procurement after earning his Bachelor of Business Administration from Western Connecticut State University. He spent his early professional years as a buyer for Perkin-Elmer Corp. and Amphenol Corp. before making a lasting impact in the City of Danbury's Purchasing Department, where he has served for 25 years as the Purchasing Agent.

John Tigert currently serves as the Assistant Purchasing Manager for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia - the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to his work at the City of Virginia Beach, John also served as the Purchasing Services Manager for Dorchester County, South Carolina, and the Procurement Manager for St. Louis County, Missouri.

John has a Master's degree in Public Administration, and holds the NIGP-CPP, CPPO, and CPPB certifications from NIGP and the UPPCC, respectively. His areas of focus during his public procurement career have been on construction procurement, procurement process & policy development, and cooperative procurement.

John is currently an active member of the Virginia Association of Governmental Procurement (VAGP) and serves the membership of VAGP on the Board of Directors.

Dr. Cheryl Sutton has worked for over two decades advocating for the utilization of minority and diverse-owned businesses in the public and private sectors. She has mastered relationship building and uses this skill as a powerful conduit to provide resources and opportunities to minority firms throughout North Carolina.

Meet the Experts: Michael Greene & Lisa Goodman | Procurement Professionals

In this episode of the Government Coins podcast, we dive into the process of doing business with the City of Kirkland, Washington! Our host, ShaKeia Kegler-Gray, is joined by Jay, the Purchasing Agent for the City of Kirkland, who shares invaluable insights on how small and minority-owned businesses can effectively work with the city.

Jay Gewin is the Purchasing Agent for the City of Kirkland, WA. He has worked for the city for 10 years and serves a population of approximately 92,000. Kirkland recently launched an Equity in Procurement program to engage with minority- and women-owned businesses. Jay enjoys traveling, outdoor activities, and cheering for Seattle sports teams and the University of Washington.

Whether you're a local business owner, entrepreneur, or someone interested in public procurement, this episode is packed with actionable advice. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn how to navigate the city's purchasing processes and grow your business!

As senior supplier diversity manager, Jessica manages Brasfield & Gorrie’s efforts to champion inclusion through business opportunities with diverse suppliers and trade contractors. She conducts training and strategy sessions with preconstruction and project teams to establish project proposal strategies and coordinate outreach events. Jessica manages the EQUIP program, which was established in 2019 to provide industry education, meaningful networking, and access to upcoming project opportunities for our database of diverse suppliers and contractors.

William C. Randolph joined the federal government as a contract specialist in 1995 after graduating from college and enlisting in the United States Navy. During his federal career, William reached the highest level of civil service by being selected into the Senior Executive Service in 2009. In August 2016, William retired from the federal government with over 26 years of public service. After retirement, he joined an acquisition consulting firm as a Senior Consultant and Leadership Coach/Facilitator. In 2019, William founded THINK Acquisition, a government contracting firm, focused on increasing the individual and team effectiveness of all participants (government, industry, and academia) in the government contracting space in the areas of acquisition, contracting, program management, and leadership. He has to date consulted with over 20 government agencies and organizations and over 40 industry clients in the areas of acquisition strategy, program management, and strategic business development.

William is a decorated United States Navy veteran (1988-1993), a David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award winner, a Federal Executive Institute (FEI) graduate and the recipient of the Navy/Marine Corps Meritorious Civil Service medal – and now the founder of MicroMarket.co, an online marketplace for government micro-purchase services.

Les McGaugh currently serves as the Procurement Director for the City of Fayetteville.  Les brings innovation and strategic vision to his role, striving for efficiency and effectiveness in procurement processes. 

Shante’ is the catalyst for positive change consistently paving the way for success among diverse businesses in the construction sector partnering with Samet. With a decade-long tenure as an educator in the Durham public school system Shante’ passion for empowerment and palpable in every endeavor. Leveraging her teaching background, she infuses projects with a drive to up with other strategically guiding teams to meet MWE bid criteria and exceed HUB/MWBE goals, thereby nurturing growth within their teams and resumes alike. Drawing upon her intense project management, Shante's empathetically navigates the challenges faced by minority firms throughout the bidding process and on-site work. After helping others with their businesses, she finds time to nurture and grow her art business StrokesbySMS.

Nita Piano is a creative entrepreneur, she started her professional journey as a church musician at age 12, igniting her passion for music and prompting her to share it through piano instruction. Transitioning to the business domain in 2017, she boldly presented her services to government entities, later pivoting to support small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.