Norton to Host Small Business Fair to Help D.C. Businesses Take Advantage of New Opportunities
Norton to Host Small Business Fair to Help D.C. Businesses Take Advantage of New Opportunities
April 21, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host her annual Access to Capital Fair on Tuesday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW. Under this year's theme, Finding Capital in the Nation's Capital, the Fair, open only to District residents and small businesses, will learn about new Small Business Administration initiatives (SBA), government procurement opportunities, developing a business strategy, and about economic resources in the Washington region.
The Congresswoman will welcome banks, credit unions, and federal agencies seeking contractors, as well as D.C. small businesses, many of whom have already signed up, at 9:00 a.m. in room 150A and 150B. She also will introduce her "D.C. Small Business of the Year" winner.
"Small businesses are the centerpiece of the federal government's strategy for jobs and economic growth," said Norton. "The only new funds now stimulating the economy, authorized as the last Congress closed, focus on small business, unemployment, and tax cuts for the middle class. We intend to see D.C. small businesses benefit from their location in the headquarter city of the agencies with jurisdiction over these new opportunities and funds."
Participants will also receive one-on-one advice and technical assistance from federal government contracting officers, such as the General Services Administration, bank loan officers, and SBA specialists, and can apply for business loans on the spot.
Leading off will be a plenary, with audience participation, with Region III SBA Administrator John Shoraka, who will discuss new SBA initiatives and give advice to help small businesses grow in a recession; SBA District Director Bridget Bean, who will provide information on contracting, financing, technical assistance, and on the Women's Business Center; and Department of Small and Local Business Development Acting Director Antonio Hunter, who will discuss how to develop District-based business enterprises using contract compliance, advocacy, and supportive legislation. Twenty minute workshops will follow, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and will cover, among others:
o How to Obtain Federal Contracts
o Ways to Protect Your Small Business
o Obtaining District Government Contracts
o How to Market Your Small Business to Lenders
o Computer Software to Help Businesses Attain Success
o Proposal Development and Production
o Communication, Marketing, and Branding
o Avenues to Finance Your Business
WHO: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Small Business Administration, D.C. Department of Contracting and Procurement, and Small Business Association officials
WHAT: Access to Capital Small Business Fair
WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Washington Convention Center, Room 150, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW