Feb 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leigh Cockram
Director of Marketing/Recruiting
Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation
276.403.5940
lcockram@yesmartinsville.com
Federal Procurement Conference Scheduled for February 28th
Martinsville, VA (February 15, 2008) – The Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation’s Office of Small and Minority Business Development is hosting a Federal Procurement Conference on Thursday, February 28th from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at Patrick Henry Community College in the J. Burness Frith Building. The event is free and will be tailored to small businesses (500 or less employees) and women, minority or veteran owned companies.
The EDC’s Office of Small and Minority Business Development has partnered with the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to organize this event for community businesses. Topics of discussion will include: contract types, set aside programs, GSA schedules, quality assurance, subcontracting, federal acquisition regulations, financially risky contract clauses, pricing methodology and veteran entrepreneurial programs. Federal agencies, who were encouraged to participate through Congressman Virgil Goode, Jr’s office, will include: the Defense Supply Center for both the Department of Defense and the U.S. Small Business Administration out of Richmond, VA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from Washington, DC, the VA Medical Center located in Salisbury, NC, the General Services Administration (GSA) out of Philadelphia, PA, the U.S. Coast Guard in Norfolk, VA, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs from Washington, DC and the U.S. Marine Corps in Quantico, VA.
This conference will be a “great opportunity for business owners to network with federal procurement officials just as they would those from the private sector. We are trying to match our local business talent with a new customer base – the federal government. Federal agencies are very approachable and want to do business with small businesses. There are billions of dollars in set-asides for small, minority, veteran owned companies and HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) concerns,” says Lisa Fultz, Director of the EDC’s Small and Minority Business Development Office. Fultz also says that “while we (citizens of Martinsville-Henry County) may not consider a company with 500 employees a small operation, the Small Business Association classifies any manufacturing operation with 500 or less employees as small. And, all of Martinsville and Henry County is designated as a HUBZone, so just about every company located here can participate in this conference.”
HUBZone certification, however, is needed in order to be more competitive with prime or subcontractors at the federal level. Assistance with HUBZone certification can be obtained through contacting Fultz at the Office of Small and Minority Business Development.
Charles Bradshaw, owner of Triangle Electric and who received assistance with his HUBZone certification through the EDC’s Office of Small and Minority Business Development, said this conference is “one of the greatest things that could happen in Martinsville-Henry County for businesses.” Bradshaw said he had “been trying to see federal agencies in Richmond and elsewhere and had not been successful in getting a meeting, but now the agencies are being brought to him.” Bradshaw thinks this conference could open opportunities for his business that he may not have had otherwise and that there will be opportunities for other industries in the area as well.
To register for the Federal Procurement Conference please visit www.YesMartinsville.com/smallbusiness or call us at 276-403-5940.
The mission of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation is to create new job opportunities and expand the tax base for the area. The organization strives to support and develop local industry, as well as market Martinsville-Henry County globally as an exceptional place to live, work and play.
The EDC is a public-private partnership between the City of Martinsville, Henry County, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG) and the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont.
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