Norfolk State University alumnus Devon Henry is scheduled to deliver the breakfast keynote address at the 2023 SWaMfest Nov. 1-2 in Richmond, Virginia. SWaMfest is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s premier networking, educational and professional development event for small, women-owned and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses. The event is sponsored by the Virginia Association of State College and University Purchasing Professionals (VASCUPP).
Henry ’00 is the CEO and President of Team Henry Enterprises LLC, a Richmond-based, Black-owned, small business enterprise founded in 2006. He is also the Rector of the Norfolk State University Board of Visitors. Initially, Team Henry Enterprises took on federal and state infrastructure projects that included stormwater management, roads, bridges and overall site development. As the years have passed, the company has expanded its services, including privately funded interior renovations, adaptive reuse of historic structures, and ground-up building construction. Recently, Team Henry has taken on several culturally significant projects, including the award-winning memorial to enslaved laborers at the University of Virginia and the removal of countless Confederate monuments.
Over the past 17 years, Team Henry Enterprises and Henry himself have received numerous awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year from the Metropolitan Business League; a listing on Bloomberg’s Businessweek Magazine’s IC 100 list of the fastest-growing inner city companies in the country; Fortune Magazine ranking of 13th in the country; Inc. Magazine as the ninth fastest growing African American owned company in the country; and American Express’s Government Contractor of the Year, among other honors.
Team Henry’s growth and community impact is one reason that Cornelius Hunt, VASCUPP Supplier DiversityAdvisory Committee Chair, who heard him speak in August, feels that Henry makes a great speaker. “In Devon Henry, we found the embodiment of our conference's core values: innovation, community engagement, and inspiringstories of achievement,” said Hunt.
“By choosing him as our keynote speaker, we aim to amplify the message that business, at its best, is a catalyst for both economic growth and social betterment. Devon's journey is a shining example of this duality, reminding us all that success is not only about profits but about purpose and positive change.”
For his part, Henry is grateful for the opportunity to be a keynote speaker for the event. “I sat in those same seats, and I still sit in those seats,” he said. “It is an honor to talk about where we came from in 2006 to where we are today in 2023.” Henry points to the resources and networks he developed from participating in events like SWaMfest as one of the advantages of attending the event.
Norfolk State University became a member of the Virginia Association of State College and University Purchasing Professionals in 2022. However, the history of attending the conference goes back further than that.
Attending SWaMfest allows for networking amongst the other VASCUPP schools and suppliers seeking to conduct business with the Commonwealth.