From left to right: Baruti Artharee, President of Coast Office Products; Darin Matthews, Metro's Procurement Officer; Angela Watkins, Metro's MWESB Program Coordinator; Abdul Rutherford, Executive Sales Manager of Coast Office Products
In a bid to help expand minority access to public-contracting opportunities, Metro officials announced today they have hired Coast Office Products to provide office supplies for the agency.
The minority-owned firm, based in northeast Portland, recently signed on with Office Depot and is one of only twelve minority-owned firms in the country selected for the corporation's Supplier Diversity Program.
The program utilizes a national network of independent minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, veteran-owned, and small business vendors in its nationally-recognized supply-chain network.
Darin Matthews, Metro's procurement officer, was instrumental in developing a contract that would allow Metro to utilize Coast Office Products through a national cooperative purchasing program.
Metro's contract with Coast Office Products, owned by Bernadette and Baruti Artharee, was effective Nov. 15. The contract is a one-year agreement with an option to renew annually.
Coast Office Products provides office supplies, office furniture, digital printing, a variety of office technology and promotional items.
For more information call Coast at 1-800-954-3566 or go to www.CoastOfficeProducts.com.
