The Cherokee Business Development Center and Sequoyah Fund will host a workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in the large conference room of the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex at 810 Acquoni Road in Cherokee to focus on accessing federal contracting opportunities for area small businesses.
Clark Fields, Government Procurement Counselor with the SBTDC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and Mike Arriola, Senior Area Manager for the U.S. Small Business Administration, will conduct “Doing Business with the Government.” The workshop is open to small business owners in Cherokee seeking to do business with the federal government. Workshop attendees will discover how to identify sales opportunities; evaluate federal and state solicitations for jobs; register a business; find assistance resources; understand the bid process; match a firm with the various SBA and other federal contracting preference programs to maximize a firm’s marketability; and tap into the SBA surety bond guaranty program.
“The federal government is the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services, and the Small Business Act targets 23 percent of contracting dollars to go to small businesses,” commented the SBA’s Arriola. “This workshop seeks to connect Cherokee small businesses with the tools they need to tap into those business opportunities.”
In addition to the Cherokee Business Development Center and Sequoyah Fund, the workshop is also sponsored by SCORE and the NC SBTDC. Lunch will be provided immediately following the workshop. Both are free of charge; however, attendees are required to register with the Business Development Center by phoning (828) 497-1666.
– Cherokee Business Development Center and Sequoyah Fund
