SEED Quarterly spring 2023

From procurement to supporting small business, we’re invested in the success of our communities.

Learn how you can benefit from:

Contracting opportunities. Learn about opportunities to do business with SMUD! Visit our Solicitation Portal to learn more.
Clean energy options. Support cleaner air and reduce your carbon footprint by enrolling in Greenergy® for your business.
See more ways we can help

Don't hesitate to contact our team for assistance any time at SEED.Mgr@smud.org

Did you know we have rebates to help your business?

We offer a wide variety of incentives to encourage investing in building electrification and energy efficiency.

Visit our business rebates page to learn more.

Don't know where to start for your business? Connect with your Strategic Account Advisor.

You can also join the SMUD Contractor Network or find a contractor.

Supplier highlight: The Burgess Brothers

Burgess Brothers

This quarter’s Supplier Education and Economic Development (SEED) Program vendor spotlight turns to The Burgess Brothers! The twin brothers, Jonathan and Matthew, have been in business since 2012. Their family history dates back to 1849; the family has a rich history in California and was among the early pioneers. The brothers' business acumen comes from five generations of hardworking individuals who wanted to improve the quality of life for themselves and others.

“Our business has always been about rebuilding family legacy, while mentoring and motivating the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders. We have a great line of food and beverage products, a medically tailored meal program with culturally diverse meals, catering operations and food concession concepts that we've set up in professional sporting arenas, ball parks and stadiums.”

When asked about their participation as a SMUD SEED vendor they shared, “the SEED program has provided our business with more exposure and opportunity to reach people who we may have never encountered before.”

As a SEED vendor, some of the challenges they’ve encountered when bidding have been keeping up with the bid releases and making sure to meet the deadline. The brothers advised when bidding for SMUD contracts to, “Think outside of the box, consider remembering collaboration is better than competition.”

In addition to being a part of our SEED Program, the brothers have continued to expand their business by participating in the Inner-City Capital Connections (ICIC), a program designed to help business owners in under-resourced communities build capacity for sustainable growth and resiliency.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB)

At SMUD, while we’re busy working with our external partners making sure we promote an equitable and inclusive economy, our DEIB team is hard at work making sure they create an environment where our employees feel like they belong.

We have eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Throughout the first quarter, several engaged the organization with a range of events.

In January, Groups Reaching Across International Networks (GRAIN) helped the organization celebrate Lunar New Year with a traditional and festive lion dance.

GRAIN ERG Event

During Black History Month, our Black Employee Resource Group (BERG) honored SMUD’s African American pioneers and trailblazers. The individuals honored included Bishop Albert Galbraith, Pastor William Hunt Jr., Richard Harper and Don Hurdle—some of the earliest African American linemen, troubleshooters, dispatchers and foremen at SMUD—and current trailblazer, ERG Program Lead and a proud SEED ambassador, Courtney Beal, Senior DEIB Analyst.

BERG Event

Recently, our Women’s Employee Resource Group (WERG) helped kickoff Women’s History Month by celebrating International Women's Day.

This year’s theme is to: #EmbraceEquity

IWD Poster

How to do business with SMUD

Are you curious how contracting with SMUD could help your bottom line and grow your business? The SEED team is excited to bring you this in-person workshop.

May 23, 10 - 11:30 AM

SMUD Customer Service Center
6301 S Street Sacramento, CA 95817

Powered by SMUD

Networking in Sacramento. Capital Region Small Business Week brings together entrepreneurs, seasoned business owners and business experts from public and private entities from across the Greater Sacramento area to celebrate our region's entrepreneurial spirit.

With events spanning multiple days and multiple locations throughout the Sacramento area, you can build your professional network, get expert advice on the trickiest business topics and share your success with your fellow small business leaders.

Upcoming commercial workshops

Kitchen Electrification:

This educational course will cover the topic of sustainable food service, looking particularly at how all-electric kitchens, specifically induction cooking equipment, can transform commercial food service. High performance electric kitchens save a considerable amount of energy, compared to traditional gas kitchens. Eliminating combustion from the commercial kitchen also dramatically improves thermal comfort, indoor air quality and production. The course will delve into these topics and provide the audience with a real-world case study.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 9 - 10:30 AM

Learning objectives:

Participants will learn what induction cooking is, how and why it’s more efficient, and understand the operational differences of gas & electric equipment.
Participants will understand why electrification is an important step towards decarbonization.
Participants will learn about the health considerations of cooking with natural gas and how removing combustion improves indoor environmental quality.
Participants become familiar with a range of all-electric food service strategies and their implications on energy performance and carbon emissions.

Please register here

For questions, please email our Community Education & Technology Center at etcmail@smud.org.

See a list of all workshops

100% zero carbon by 2030