Norton Small Business Fair to Feature One-on-One Expert Advice and How-To Workshops

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Registrations from D.C. residents and business owners for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) 2013 Small Business Fair began pouring in within a couple of hours of being sent out earlier this week. Norton's annual Small Business Fair will take place on Tuesday, June 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 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. To be assured a place, D.C. business owners and residents are encouraged to submit the registration form (https://norton.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/norton-evo.house.gov/files/migrated/images/stories/pdf/smallbusinessfairparticipantpre-registrationform.pdf) via email to norton.events@mail.house.gov or fax it to (202) 408-9048.

The Norton fair is geared toward helping District small businesses and residents start, develop and grow small businesses in a recovering economy. Participants will receive one-on-one advice and counseling from bank loan officers, government small business procurement specialists, and Small Business Administration (SBA) specialists, on initiating the loan application process, writing a winning business plan, optimizing marketing strategies, hiring practices and understanding the E-verify program.

The fair begins with a one-hour plenary session featuring SBA District Director Antonio Bass, who will discuss specific ways the SBA can help D.C. residents and small business owners grow their businesses using SBA resources and programs. Norman H. Jones, Sr., owner of Capital Energy Group, our D.C. small business of the year, will speak on how he learned to succeed as a small business owner in the District of Columbia. In the afternoon, several workshops will take place, covering how to start a small business and how to win a federal contract. Other workshops will provide guidance and insight on tax credits that will become available through the Affordable Care Act, and financing opportunities for businesses.

The flyer for the fair can be viewed online at https://norton.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/norton-evo.house.gov/files/migrated/images/stories/pdf/smallbusinessfairflyer2013.pdf, and the invitation at https://norton.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/norton-evo.house.gov/files/migrated/images/stories/pdf/invitationtosmallbusinesses2013-official.pdf.

Published: May 15, 2013