PGA of America, one of the world’s largest sports organizations, plans to expand vendor opportunities to smaller businesses around their tournament events next year in 2022. Typically, more prominent companies will dot the landscape with booths at competitions. The PGA of America is looking to change that by including new vendors alongside having local vendors support larger suppliers. The organization is looking to attract diverse and locally owned vendors to provide support for PGA events during the following three events in 2022:
- 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from May 17 to 22.
- 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan, from May 24 to 29.
- 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, from June 21 to 26.
PGA of America is asking for applications to participate in the VendorMatch program. Qualified companies can register through November 9, 2021, at PGAVendorInclusion.org to potentially interview with the larger, direct vendors (known as prime or Tier 1 vendors) for opportunities during any of the three Championships. They are looking for minority, female, LGBTQ+, disabled, veteran, and locally owned businesses to participate in this program to help the communities around these country clubs grow. Golf is an $80 billion-plus industry. These events draw a massive amount of tourism to the areas that host these events and generate substantial income for businesses in those areas.
Courtesy PGA
Sandy Cross, the organization’s Chief People Officer, commented on the possible partnerships saying, “we are excited to foster local entrepreneurship through PGA VendorMatch… PGA VendorMatch enhances our ability to provide an outstanding experience through our Championship operations. We look forward to extending this exciting initiative to vendors in support of our major Championships in 2022 while positively impacting the local economies in Oklahoma, Michigan, and Maryland.”
PGA encourages companies and individuals such as caterers, temporary housing, floral designers, transportation, electricians, equipment vendors, freight vendors, and laborers to participate in the program. One interesting thing to note is that they were also looking specifically for unskilled, non-union workers. These positions were for simple tasks like setting up tents and unloading trucks.
The PGA has been working tirelessly as of late to grow interest and generate more inclusivity in the game of golf. Through this program, the organization hopes to introduce the game to new audiences that may not be exposed to the game of golf otherwise. The inclusion of small businesses helps drive creativity and innovation in PGA’s pursuit to grow the game. Companies not located in these areas are also encouraged to add themselves to the PGA’s vast vendor database, as the Tours and competitions make their way around the country. This incredible program makes the PGA an incredibly strong advocator for small businesses across the United States.
