After eleven years in the department, Presley Palmer is in the corner office. He is the new Division Director of Purchasing and Contracting for the City of Seattle. And he has plans to put his stamp on it. That begins with a passion for impact, not numbers.
“I don’t want someone to shoot for a number because it makes them feel warm and cozy. It’s what can we dig out of those numbers, what did we really do? When I meet with people, especially people who look like me, it’s family, it’s not just a business. That’s my brother or sister I am trying to help. I want to put that kind of optics on the work we do. If you feel like it’s more than just a firm, you do more. It’s people and you look for where you can help out.”
As Director, Palmer is responsible for all purchasing and contacting. From the compliance team, to labor and equity, to public works, the purchasing and contracting team, and the administrative staff, “I determine which way the department moves forward in all aspects.”
That moving forward plan is as alliterative as Presley Palmer’s name – defined as diving deeply into disaggregated data. Palmer is looking forward to the results of a recent disparity study. “We do have goals, but again, when we look at those MWBE goals we want to look at minority businesses because a lot of them are white women businesses that get the majority of contracts within that space. I want to make sure we are helping minority businesses, and Black businesses.” Palmer says some things look good on the surface but when you take a closer look, you see you are missing the target. That’s tantamount to doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.
Presley Palmer encourages you to register in the Online Business Directory. It lets the City know what you and your firm have to offer “It’s truly a phone book.” In addition, he has an idea to streamline what can be a confusing process, by letting you know which City department is buying what.
Palmer says his department has ‘Tabor hours.’ There is someone from Purchasing and Contracting available everyday to help people do business with the City. On Fridays, Palmer, himself is at the Tabor Hub and he attends most membership meetings the last Saturday of each month.
Palmer grew up in Tucson and moved to Seattle in 1997, where he worked for the City in the IT warehouse. While he is not planning to move, he says people are more friendly in Arizona. “The interactions are different here. Sometimes you don’t know what’s really going on with people when they smile, what they really think.” In his spare time, Palmer likes concerts and going to Jazz Alley. And as for the name? The obstetrics nurse told Presley’s mother, he looked like Elvis.
