Amgen recently hosted a generous meet & greet with this year’s entrepreneurs in the Minority Empowerment Program. Amgen is a founding sponsor of The Tampa Bay Chamber's MEP program, which is now in its third year. “When we think of the economic growth and development of a city, we think about large business and/or industry flooding a market. This program ensures that with big business also comes the promotion and growth of small businesses,” said Kassidy Johnson-Jacobs, Amgen’s Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs. “This type of growth can change a perspective, a family, a neighborhood, or an entire community. The Amgen mission is to serve patients, but the root of that phrase is 'to serve.' We are proud to serve the Tampa Bay community in this way!”
In 2023, the MEP class was comprised of 19 participants from 9 industries, including restaurant/catering, technology and health equity consulting, Spanish language services, cabinetry, and dumpster rentals. The September 21 luncheon at Amgen’s center in the Westshore business district helped MEP entrepreneurs connect with the businesses sponsoring them for the year-long program that includes Chamber membership. They also shared their stories, which were especially meaningful for Amgen employees. “Hosting members from the Minority Empowerment Program in September was the first time most of my team from Amgen had heard of the program,” explained Johnson-Jacobs.
Since 2021, Amgen has sponsored a total of 12 MEP entrepreneurs, each year sponsoring 4 local businesses. “Inviting them on-site to share their experiences and to host lunch was as much of a benefit to the Chamber members as it was for us,” said Johnson-Jacobs. “The work that MEP is doing to help small businesses in Tampa Bay succeed is incredible work.”
Amgen has been an active Chamber member since 2017, joining six years ago this month!
The biotechnology pioneer expanded its footprint in the Tampa Bay region three years ago, adding more than 33-thousand square feet of office space to it's Global Capability Center in the Westshore Business District - the same campus where MEP participants visited on September 21. The biotechnology company focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and patient quality-of-life.
In addition to Amgen, MEP sponsors in 2023 are AT&T, Bank of America , Bush-Ross, Florida Natural Gas, Moffitt Cancer Center, Regions Bank, Tampa Bay Food Trucks, Whiting-Turner, and business leaders Julian Waits, Sr. and Corey Thomas.
The Chamber is now accepting MEP applications for the next class.
Companies or individual business leaders interested in more information on sponsorship opportunities of the next round of MEP entrepreneurs, should contact Rosanne Versaggi.