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Speed partnering event proves to be a big hit

Filed under Small Business Conferences & Events · Tagged with , , ,

February 23, 2011 by

The “Speed Partnering” event held at the Albany Civic Center on Feb. 22nd proved to be very popular with the 150 vendors who attended.

The concept for the event is based on “speed dating” where couples get together for 15 minutes to see if the “chemistry” is right.  In the instance of Speed Partnering, vendors are matched with buyers. 

119 business people registered in advance to attend, but event organizers allowed dozens more to participate on a walk-in basis.  Personnel from the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) organized and managed the event in conjunction with the City of Albany’s Small Business Procurement Program.

The big draw for the conference proved to be the buyers who came representing 11 local, state and federal government agencies, along with a half dozen resource partners.   

Government agencies included the City of Albany’s purchasing office, Dougherty County, Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the Sumter Youth Juvenile Justice office, the Georgia Dept. of Administrative Services (DOAS), the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the Marine Corps Logistics Command (MCLC), the Internal Revenue Service, the National Park Service, and the General Services Administration (GSA).   Buyers from these agencies met one-on-one with all vendors in attendance.

Resource partners who participated in the event included Albany’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Albany State University’s College of Business, Capitol City Bank, the Albany Chamber of Commerce, and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.  These entities distributed helpful information and other resources to businesses.

The Mayor of Albany Willie Adams welcomed everyone during the event’s opening session.  He was joined by Latoya Cutts, director of the City’s Community & Economic Development department.   Also on hand was Presidential appointee Meredith Lilly of the General Services Administration and Patricia Hanes of the Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Dept. of Commerce.   

Running concurrently with the Speed Partnering were four workshops conducted by Georgia Tech procurement counselors on topics including Business Communications, Responding to Bid Solicitations, Conducting Market Research, and the SBA’s New Woman-Owned Small Business Program. 

Albany’s news media covered the event closely.  Video news coverage can be viewed at at:

Clovia Hamilton, procurement counselor in GTPAC’s Albany office, was the principal organizer for the day.

“Speed Partnering” registration reminder and tips for Tuesday, Feb. 22

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February 20, 2011 by

We’re very excited about the Small Business Speed Partnering event in Albany on Tuesday, and we hope you’re excited, too!

As a reminder, the event is being held at the Albany Civic Center and begins with coffee and informal networking at 8:00 am.  The program begins at 9:00 am sharp. 

If you haven’t already pre-registered, please do by  going to http://tinyurl.com/4dvxlxj  and then hitting the “Sign Up” button.

You can see an advance copy of the agenda at:

http://www.albanysmallbiz.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Speed_Partnering_Final_Agenda_2_22_11.pdf

When you look at the agenda, you’ll see that there are two blocks of time during which you will be able to meet one-on-one with buyers representing any of 11 different government agencies.  (Marine Corps Logistics Command (MCLC) Albany; Georgia Department of Administrative Services (GSA); US Treasury Department, IRS; US Department of Interior, National Park Service; Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS); University System of Georgia; Georgia Department of Corrections; Dougherty County; SW Georgia Regional Airport; City of Albany Procurement Division; and Sumter Youth Juvenile Justice.) The “speed partnering” times are at 10:00 to 11:00 and 1:45 to 2:45.  You’ll have 15-minutes to have these meetings, so give some thought now to which agencies you’d liek to meet with.

To prepare for a speed partnering session, we recommend two things: 1) Bring copies of a short “capabilities statement” with you to hand-out, and 2) Be prepared to state exactly what you do and why you’re an expert at it (this is known as an “elevator speech.”

To help you prepare to do these two things, here are two short articles you can read:

We’re also conducting great workshops during the event.  Plan to attend these during the course of the day:

  • Business Communications, Elevator Pitches and Capability Statements
  • Reading and Responding to Bid Solicitations
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting
  • Conducting Government Market Research
  • SBA’s New Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Program

And, of course, you won’t want to miss addresses by Meredith Lilly, a Presidential-appointee and special assistant to the GSA regional administrator, as well as Patricia Hanes, Regional Director of the Atlanta National Enterprise Center, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), U.S. Department of Commerce.  They will be providing tips for greater success in both the government and commercial markets.

We think you’ll agree — the Albany Civic Center is THE PLACE TO BE on Tuesday, Feb. 22.  Plan to arrive at 8:00 am if you can to receive all the benefits of the day!

Presidential appointee and regional director among gov’t officials you can meet on Feb. 22

Filed under Contracting News, Tips & Resources · Tagged with

February 19, 2011 by

Presidential appointee Meredith Lilly is among the large group of government officials gathering in Albany on Tuesday, Feb. 22 to explain their contracting opportunities to local businesses.  Ms. Lilly serves as special assistant to the Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA).  GSA is responsible for awarding the largest amount of federal contracting dollars, second only to the Department of Defense,.

“Speed Partnering for Small Businesses” is the title of the event being held at the Albany Civic Center from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. 

Patricia Hanes is the keynote luncheon speaker.  She is the regional director of the Atlanta National Enterprise Center, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), U.S. Department of Commerce.  Ms. Hanes is speaking about effective marketing and sales strategies to both the government and commercial sectors.

Overall, representatives from 12 local, state and federal government agencies will be represented at the event, and attendees at the event will have the opportunity to meet with each of them.

Concurrent workshops also are being conducted on  Business Communications, Bid Preparations, Conducting Market Research, and the Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting.

The event is free, and pre-registration is strongly encouraged.  Simply go to http://tinyurl.com/4dvxlxj to register and then hit the “Sign Up” button.

“Speed Dating” for businesses is theme for Albany event

Filed under Albany Small Business Training · Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 16, 2011 by

How would you like to have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a buyer in charge of purchasing for the State of Georgia?

How about the chance to meet with someone in charge of contracting from the University System of Georgia?

In addition, would you like to have the chance to describe your business capabilities to contracting representatives representing the City of Albany, the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the City of Albany, the Marine Corps Command, the IRS, the General Services Administration, and the federal departments of Commerce, Interior, and Juvenile Justice?

Well, you can have a chance to meet with all of these people by attending the “Albany Small Business Program Speed Partnering” event on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Albany Civic Center.

The event is free, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged.  Simply click here to register and then hit the “Sign Up” button.

Along with 15-minute one-on-one meetings with buyers and contracting officials, attendees will have a chance to attend briefings on each of these topics:

  • Business Communications, Elevator Pitches and Capability Statements
  • Reading and Responding to Bid Solicitations
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting
  • Government Market Research
  • SBA’s New Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification Program

The featured luncheon speaker for this very special day is Ms. Pat Hanes, Regional Director of the Atlanta National Enterprise Center with the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  She will be talking about what it takes to successfully sell within both the government and commercial sectors.

Feb. 22 event at Albany Civic Center is not to be missed!

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February 15, 2011 by

Ever heard of “speed dating” where couples are matched for short periods of time to see if the chemistry is right?

Well, through a unique event on February 22,  the same principle is being applied – except it involves matches between local businesses, government agncies, and prime contractors.

If you want the opportunity to meet with buyers from local, state and federal agencies, you can’t afford to miss this event!

On Tuesday, February 22nd, the Albany Civic Center is the place to put your best marketing techniques to work.  You’ll get a chance to meet with — and present your capabilities to — decision-makers and buyers from representatives of local, state, and federal government agencies, including the City of Albany, the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, the University System of Georgia, the state’s Dept. of Administrative Services, the Georgia Dept. of Corrections, the Albany Marine Corps Logistics Command, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, the General Services Administration, and the Dept. of Juvenile Justice — and more! 

Lunch will be provided, and featured speakers also will present on topics including Business Communications, Bid Preparations, Conducting Market Research, and the Do’s and Don’ts of Government Contracting.

This event also will provide special instruction for Albany-area small businesses interested in doing business with the City of Albany.

Coffee and informal networking begins at 8:00 am.  The day’s program begins at 9:00 am and runs until 3:00 pm.

This event is completely free, so register now!  Simply click here to register and then hit the “Sign Up” button.

Learn how to win contracts with the City! Attend our Feb. 9th small business orientation

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February 7, 2011 by

If you missed the City of Albany’s previous orientation sessions regarding its new Small Business Procurement Program, take heart!

There’s still time to register for the next orientation session — on Feb. 9, 2011. 

Registration is easy — just click here.

The orientation session — held from 10:00 am until noon — consists of a complete explanation of the City’s Small Business Procurement Program, the benefits of participating, and how to enroll. 

This event also provides special instruction for Albany and Dougherty County small businesses who are interested in doing business with the City of Albany and other units of government. 

All businesses are welcome to attend.