Big Opportunities For Small Businesses
Small businesses make up the vast majority of businesses in Maine and are
an important driving force of our state’s economy. According to the U.S.
Small Business Administration (SBA), there were an estimated 151,000 small
businesses in Maine in 2006. Roughly 98-percent of all businesses in Maine
with employees are small businesses, and those small businesses employed more
than 61-percent of the state’s non-farm private sector workforce. As the
former New England Administrator of the SBA, I know that the contribution
these small businesses make to our state is important and indispensable. As
those companies look to expand their customer base and grow their business, it
is important for them to realize that the federal government is the world’s
largest marketplace.
Government agencies require a broad range of goods and services, from
construction projects to office products. The private sector’s efficiency and
innovation are essential to the mission of many government programs. As we
confront the challenges of the 21st Century, new needs and new opportunities
emerge. Language translation services are in great demand for the Department
of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the FBI. Our national
goal of greater energy independence has sharpened our focus on alternative
fuels and the need for businesses that develop and supply them.
In the first half of this year, the value of federal contracts to small
businesses in Maine exceeded $76 million. On an annual basis, that comes
close to rivaling our fabled lobster industry. This source of revenue helps
Maine's small business owners to grow their business, create new jobs, support
their communities, and conduct the research and development that is crucial to
their business and to our economy.
As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee, one of my priorities is to ensure that federal contracting meets
the needs of government, provides value to the taxpayers, and is conducted on
a level playing field.
Recently, I sponsored a Small Business Matchmaker Conference in South
Portland to help create federal contracting opportunities for Maine
businesses. The conference was a great success, drawing more than 450
attendees, making it the largest of its kind in New England. Small business
owners and employees were able to meet with prospective buyers from federal
agencies and prime contractors, which represented new business opportunities
from across the country. The conference was co-sponsored by the Department of
Defense Northeast Regional Council and was supported by the Maine Procurement
Technical Assistance Center, the General Services Administration, the SBA, and
the Small Business Development Centers.
Our goal was to match small businesses in Maine with potential customers
and clients in federal agencies as well as with prime contractors. The
matchmaker conference provided these small businesses with an efficient forum
to market their products and services because the potential buyers had come
together in one location at the same time.
Not only did this open the door for small firms to gain more business,
which could ultimately lead to increased jobs for Maine workers, but also it
gave federal agency representatives and prime contractors exposure to unique
businesses from Maine that could help them meet their required goals for small
business government contracts. By targeting specific agencies with needs that
matched the capabilities of Maine companies, this conference provided great
opportunities for small business owners to make the connections that can lead
to success.
Thanks to the technical assistance and training resources that
were part of the conference program, our small businesses had the opportunity
to learn how to navigate the rules and regulations of working with government
agencies, which can be strict and cumbersome. It helped them to understand
the interdependent relationship that exists between federal agencies, prime
contractors, and small businesses. This made our businesses more prepared to
enter into the government contracting arena, an important source of new
business opportunities.
The partnership between the public and private sectors is vital to our
nation and our state. It benefits small business owners, employees, the
federal government, and the American taxpayer. Federal contracts provide
Maine businesses with the opportunity to broaden their markets, increase local
jobs, and build the state’s economy. Events like the matchmaker conference
help small businesses in Maine to acquire the knowledge and build the
relationships that will enable them to seize the significant opportunities
that await them in the federal marketplace.
an important driving force of our state’s economy. According to the U.S.
Small Business Administration (SBA), there were an estimated 151,000 small
businesses in Maine in 2006. Roughly 98-percent of all businesses in Maine
with employees are small businesses, and those small businesses employed more
than 61-percent of the state’s non-farm private sector workforce. As the
former New England Administrator of the SBA, I know that the contribution
these small businesses make to our state is important and indispensable. As
those companies look to expand their customer base and grow their business, it
is important for them to realize that the federal government is the world’s
largest marketplace.
Government agencies require a broad range of goods and services, from
construction projects to office products. The private sector’s efficiency and
innovation are essential to the mission of many government programs. As we
confront the challenges of the 21st Century, new needs and new opportunities
emerge. Language translation services are in great demand for the Department
of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the FBI. Our national
goal of greater energy independence has sharpened our focus on alternative
fuels and the need for businesses that develop and supply them.
In the first half of this year, the value of federal contracts to small
businesses in Maine exceeded $76 million. On an annual basis, that comes
close to rivaling our fabled lobster industry. This source of revenue helps
Maine's small business owners to grow their business, create new jobs, support
their communities, and conduct the research and development that is crucial to
their business and to our economy.
As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Committee, one of my priorities is to ensure that federal contracting meets
the needs of government, provides value to the taxpayers, and is conducted on
a level playing field.
Recently, I sponsored a Small Business Matchmaker Conference in South
Portland to help create federal contracting opportunities for Maine
businesses. The conference was a great success, drawing more than 450
attendees, making it the largest of its kind in New England. Small business
owners and employees were able to meet with prospective buyers from federal
agencies and prime contractors, which represented new business opportunities
from across the country. The conference was co-sponsored by the Department of
Defense Northeast Regional Council and was supported by the Maine Procurement
Technical Assistance Center, the General Services Administration, the SBA, and
the Small Business Development Centers.
Our goal was to match small businesses in Maine with potential customers
and clients in federal agencies as well as with prime contractors. The
matchmaker conference provided these small businesses with an efficient forum
to market their products and services because the potential buyers had come
together in one location at the same time.
Not only did this open the door for small firms to gain more business,
which could ultimately lead to increased jobs for Maine workers, but also it
gave federal agency representatives and prime contractors exposure to unique
businesses from Maine that could help them meet their required goals for small
business government contracts. By targeting specific agencies with needs that
matched the capabilities of Maine companies, this conference provided great
opportunities for small business owners to make the connections that can lead
to success.
Thanks to the technical assistance and training resources that
were part of the conference program, our small businesses had the opportunity
to learn how to navigate the rules and regulations of working with government
agencies, which can be strict and cumbersome. It helped them to understand
the interdependent relationship that exists between federal agencies, prime
contractors, and small businesses. This made our businesses more prepared to
enter into the government contracting arena, an important source of new
business opportunities.
The partnership between the public and private sectors is vital to our
nation and our state. It benefits small business owners, employees, the
federal government, and the American taxpayer. Federal contracts provide
Maine businesses with the opportunity to broaden their markets, increase local
jobs, and build the state’s economy. Events like the matchmaker conference
help small businesses in Maine to acquire the knowledge and build the
relationships that will enable them to seize the significant opportunities
that await them in the federal marketplace.
