Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that small business owners will have an opportunity in June to learn how to grow and support their businesses by partnering with USDA and other Federal Agencies. The North Carolina event supports the White House Initiative on Small Business Contracting.
Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan invited small businesses to participate in educational workshops and networking sessions in Durham, North Carolina on how to do business with USDA and other Federal agencies. Topics include acquisition needs and opportunities, prime contracting and subcontracting opportunities, and business development resources. Included in the sessions is an opportunity to meet one-on-one with USDA small business contracting specialists.
Merrigan noted that USDA is continuing to conduct a series of small business conferences to facilitate rural economic growth and increase small business contracting participation by enhancing the competitive posture of small farmer-owned cooperatives and small rural businesses to compete successfully for government and commercial contracts, both prime and subcontracts.
Pre-registration is preferred with onsite registration available. Please register by email osdbu.smallbizconf@dm.usda.gov by May 25, 2012. For further information please call 202-720-7117 or visit our website at www.usda.gov/osdbu
USDA purchases more than $5 billion dollars annually in goods and services essential to meeting the needs of our customers and the various missions of the agency. Approximately 60 percent of these dollars are spent on food commodities.
