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In-Brief

SBA, Engineers to host business matchmaking event

SBA 2013The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Puerto Rico Engineers and Land Surveyors will cosponsor the 9th annual Business Matchmaking Event to pair small firms with federal government agencies seeking vendors.

Kicking-off “Small Business Week” 2013 in Puerto Rico, the Matchmaking Event on May 14 is aimed at providing small business owners with the opportunity to market their firms’ products and services directly to procurement officials, helping increase their chances of business development through federal contracts.

“[More than] 300 business owners attended last year’s Matchmaking Event, one of the highest attendance figures we’ve seen,” said SBA Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands District Director Yvette T. Collazo. “By pairing these entrepreneurs with federal procurement officers, we’re not only helping our federal agencies meet their statutory contracting goals, but we’re promoting job creation and economic growth on the island.”

At the Matchmaking Event, small business owners in attendance will have the chance to hold 10-minute appointments with procurement officers of such federal agencies as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Rural Development State Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others. Dragados USA and the Puerto Rico Highway Authority will once again join the event to provide additional contracting opportunities to local firms.

“We want to help our members as they seek new job opportunities or as they refocus their careers toward self-employment and entrepreneurship, which is so crucial in these economic times we are facing,” said Ángel L. González-Carrasquillo, president of the professional trade group. “Local engineering and land surveying professionals are sought out locally and internationally due to their excellent training. This event we conduct annually with SBA is an excellent opportunity for our members and federal agencies alike.”

Educational sessions will take place, covering such topics as the 8(a) Business Development and Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone programs, Small Business Innovation Research, the Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business Program, and the Puerto Rico Government’s Set-Aside Program.

The event will take place at the Engineers and Land Surveyors’ Hato Rey headquarters starting at 8 a.m. To register free of charge, visit http://events.sba.gov and click on the map for Puerto Rico.

Author Details
Author Details
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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