Norton Small Business Fair To Feature One-on-One Counseling, Loan Applications on the Spot, and Contracting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) stood at President Obama's side in the Rose Garden this month as he signed the "Jumpstart Our Businesses and Startups" Act, which will be featured in discussions at her "Small Business Access to Capital and Business Opportunities Fair" this Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. The event is free of charge, open only to D.C. residents and D.C. small businesses, and seating is first-come, first-served. Advance registration is underway. E-mail nortonevents@mail.house.gov or call (202) 783-5065.

The Norton fair is focused on helping District small businesses gain a foothold in the nation's economic recovery.

Norton will introduce the small business of the year, Francis Lee Contracting, which has a won a major subcontract at the Department of Homeland Security construction site in Ward 8. Francis Lee Contracting Principal Brian J. Smith will be the featured speaker in the morning session. "The small business of the year provides real inspiration to the small business owners who attend our Small Business Fair. He is one of them, and is a proven success in doing what they are trying to accomplish," Norton said.

The morning plenary also features Small Business Administration (SBA) District Director Bridget Bean on the SBA's newest initiatives and opportunities, Herbert Mills, Stakeholder Liaison for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on the Small Business Tax Credit, and Tim Brady, Vice President of Commercial Lending for Congressional Bank, on budgeting and loan solutions.

Participants will receive one-on-one advice from federal government contracting officers, bank loan officers, and SBA specialists, and can apply for business loans on the spot. Federal agencies will bring some small business contracts that are available for competition.

In the afternoon, several workshops are available, covering the following:

-SBA programs to help start and grow business ventures

-Programs to help small businesses do business with the federal government

-How to finance your small business

-How to better use technology to increase your business presence

Published: April 18, 2012

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