Worcester event connects businesses with potential work opportunities

November 15, 2024 (WORCESTER, MA) – Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the operating partner for the MBTA Commuter Rail, hosted a diversity and procurement fair at the DCU Center in Worcester on Thursday. The fair connected over 60 disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) with potential opportunities for work with Keolis and other local businesses that participated in the fair.

“Keolis is committed to investing in the communities we serve,” said Abdellah Chajai, GM and CEO of Keolis. “Partnering with minority and women-owned businesses is a key part of our strategy. We’re proud to open this fair up to other local businesses looking to diversify their suppliers as well.”

“We appreciate Keolis selecting Worcester as this year’s host city for the Diversity in Procurement Fair. Worcester is a beautifully diverse city, and we understand it is critical for that diversity to be reflected in the City’s supplier relationships," said Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista. "My Administration is committed to ensuring that diverse vendors have equal opportunity to do business with the municipality and ensuring that equity is at the center of our purchasing and procurement process. We will continue to build connections with our local, women, and minority-owned businesses, and we look forward to finding new ways to collaborate with Keolis and the MBTA to highlight and connect people with our growing local supply chain.”

“We appreciate Keolis hosting this event and promoting the many diverse companies that they do business with,” said Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy Murray. “Moreover, it gives other diverse business owners the opportunity to learn how they might do business with Keolis as well as other state vendors and agencies. I enjoyed meeting with many of these business owners.”

Keolis hosted the fair in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Office of Diversity and Civil Rights along with the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council.

The third annual event included space for minority-owned businesses to exhibit their services, along with workshops about diversity in procurement and how to partner with Keolis.

Keolis Commuter Services has marked its tenth year operating and maintaining the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail system, the fifth largest commuter rail operation in North America. KCS is a subsidiary of Keolis North America (KNA), both headquartered in Boston, and employs approximately 2,400 people throughout the region. KCS and KNA are part of Keolis Group, an innovative global leader in transit services with more than a century of passenger transportation experience and operations in 13 countries.

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