April-June 2008 (Quarterly Newsletter)
Spotlight!
Employee Spotlight: Hope Sikora
Hope Sikora, MWBE/Vendor Relations Manager, has been with Pima County for more than 20 years. She is warm, caring, hard-working, talented, and one of the most considerate people I know. She truly cares about her work and the people she works with. I asked Hope some hard-hitting and in-depth questions:
Q: Please tell us how a Minority or Woman Owned Business can get certified.
A: A Minority or Woman-owned business whose primary location is in Pima County and is 51% or more minority or woman-owned can apply for certification with the City of Tucson. Information is available online at http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/eoo/MWBE/mwbe.html and they can also download the Certification Application at http://www.tucsonaz.gov/pdf/ucaapp.pdf
Q: What kinds of outreach programs does Pima County participate in?
A: Pima County sponsors and participates in events such as the Southern Arizona Procurement Fair, Minority Enterprise Development Week, Multi-Chamber Events and, most recently, the Business of Construction Courses. We work with the City of Tucson, ADOT, Davis Monthan, Raytheon, the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon Minority Supplier Development Council, AMCA and other organizations to find new methods to increase interest and opportunities for local vendors
Q: Who should someone call if they have a question about whether or not their business is MWBE certified or is eligible for certification?
A: The first thing that every vendor should do is to make certain that they are registered as a vendor with Pima County. They can register online at http://www.pima.gov/procure/venreg.htm . They can also contact our office and we can check the current status of their vendor registration. For information regarding the requirements for certification they can contact Dexter Ngai with the City of Tucson at (520) 791-4593. They can also contact Veronica Ruiz-Ronquillo at (520)740-8465 for information regarding the benefits that Pima County offers to certified MWBE vendors.
Q: Tell us about yourself. Where were you born?
A: Tachikawa Tokyo Japan. My father was in the United States Air Force and I was their special orient surprise. I was also born on my sister Kathy's 11th birthday.
Q: If you weren't the MWBE Manager, what career would you have chosen?
A: I love working for Pima County, however I have also loved to perform in musical theater. I had an opportunity to attend College in Las Vegas for the Performing Arts but chose to start a family in place of a musical career. I still perform whenever I have time.
Q: And now...I feel that I need to dig a bit deeper. Whose poster was on your wall when you were 15?
A: I was not allowed to hang posters in my room, however Andy Gibb was a favorite of mine and I still miss him to this day.
Thank you, Hope! Okay, but what's really more sad...Hope not being allowed to hang a single poster on her wall or my best friend, Debbie in 7th grade, wall-papering her entire bedroom with cut-out pictures from Tiger Beat Magazine of Bobby Sherman. If you have questions for Hope, you can reach her at hope.sikora@pima.gov. Next Spotlight: Terri McMahon, CCO for Design & Construction.
Previous Spotlights:
Nina Schatz
Brenda Wilson
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