She thought she had a good shot. L&M Pressworks already does printing for the city, the state and the Downtown Denver Partnership. She filled out the application for the DNC Vendor Directory and was sure to include the shop's status as female- owned and green-certified.
Yet so far, none of that effort has resulted in work.
"Since this convention is so green, we thought that was going to be the best way to go, but we haven't gotten anything out of it," Kulscar said about her Denver shop, which is Forest Stewardship Council-approved, uses soy-based inks and ensures its paper mills replant the trees they use. "We've run into a dead-end everywhere."The DNC Vendor Directory, an online listing, was created by the Democratic National Convention host committee to promote mostly local businesses that submit their information to be listed in anticipation of the convention Aug. 25-28. To date, the DNC Vendor Directory contains roughly 2,000 listings, though many businesses appear more than once because they're in multiple categories.
However, an e-mail survey by PoliticsWest.com, The Denver Post's political website, reveals only a handful of companies included on the list that have gotten work because of it and many with complaints, ranging from poor organization to lack of communication. Some vendors said they also feel they've been shut out by union requirements and other criteria.
The Democratic National Convention Committee refused to disclose how many contracts have been awarded for the convention or what portion went to Colorado companies. "That is not information we share with press," said Natalie Wyeth, spokeswoman for the DNCC.