A Collaborative BY JULIE ADAMEN EFFORT THEN VENDORS, NOW BUSINESS PARTNERS I 'm a business partner. And like anyone who has seen the light, now I think all of us should use the term. Why? The term "vendor" indicates that we only have a product or service to sell, or vend, to a client. That is true; however, "business partner" serves to convey to managers and vendors that vendors are more than disposable assets. Quite the contrary. March 2015 21