SBA & ChicagoMSDC HELP YOU LAND
THE WORLD'S LARGEST CUSTOMER
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BY ROSALYN PUTMAN
he U.S. government is the world’s largest customer, but are you selling to them? If not, you may be missing out on a huge revenue opportunity. The U.S. federal government buys every item imaginable, from paper clips to armored tanks. And federal agencies are required to establish contracting goals, with at least 23 percent of all government spending targeted toward small businesses. ChicagoMSDC has a long history of partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help MBEs identify, access and finance government contracts.
The SBA works with federal agencies to ensure that these goals are met under specific categories, including small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and veteran-owned small businesses. The SBA, along with its resource partners, can help firms self-certify their companies in these categories.
8(a) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program is a nine-
SBA ILLINOIS DISTRICT STAFF: DISTRICT DIRECTOR ROBERT “BO” STEINER; BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST RON MILLER; LENDER RELATIONS SPECIALIST PAT PIORKOWSKI; SUPERVISORY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST MARK FERGUSON; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST PHYLLIS SHELTON; FORMER DEPUTY DISTRICT DIRECTOR RICK GARCIA; SUPERVISORY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST ROSALYN PUTMAN; DISTRICT SUPPORT ASSISTANT LENORE RODGERS; BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST DONALD PELLICO; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST STEPHEN KONKLE; PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST JESSICA MAYLE; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST CAROLE HARRIS; AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER SHEILA BARTOLOMEI. NOT PICTURED: SUPERVISORY LENDER RELATIONS SPECIALIST BOB ESQUIVEL, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SPECIALIST LOLITHA MCKINNEY, AND DISTRICT SUPPORT ASSISTANT LUZ RODRIGUEZ. 30 | ChicagoMSDC
