The Jan. 24, 2017 Industry Day — sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) — was a big hit with the 325 people who attended.
The Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) hosted the event at the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Conference Center in Atlanta. GTPAC is one of many programs that make up Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.
It is estimated that 250 small businesses participated in the day’s activities, which featured presentations on various federal, state and local government agencies’ contract opportunities to hundreds as well as individual appointments between hundreds of businesses, 49 buyers and 12 resource partners.
The buyers participating in the event included representatives of government agencies as well as prime contractors looking for subcontractors.
The keynote address of the day was delivered by Sharon Morrow, Mentor-Protégé Program Manager and Small Business Liaison for SBIR/STTR at the Army’s Office of Small Business Programs.
Other featured speakers included NCMA Atlanta Chapter president Christina Edwards; GTPAC program manager Joe Beaulieu; Georgia State University executive-in-residence Cassius Butts; and NCMA Atlanta small business chair and CDC small business manager Gwendolyn Miles.
Business tips were provided during the morning’s general session by Stacey Larson of CBS, Terri Denison of the SBA, Eugene Tinker of Certified Technical Experts, Prudence Howard of the VA, and Erv Koehler of GSA.
Copies of presentations which were made at the event can be downloaded here: Industry Day 01.24.2017
Information about upcoming contracting opportunities was presented by Jeff Napier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Angela Whitmore of the Atlanta Housing Authority, and Tony Ortiz of the FAA.
Three consecutive hours of “matchmaking”– appointments between buyers and sellers — were scheduled during the afternoon.
Government representatives from the VA, GSA, Clayton County, HUD, FAA, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and Georgia Tech’s MBDA Business Center staffed tables to meet with interested vendors.
In addition, many corporate buyers participated, including representatives from Booz Allen Hamilton, CBS, DB Consulting, IBM, ICF International, Georgia Power, LMI, Leidos, Northrop Grumman, RTI International, and Wyle Services.
Running concurrently with the matchmaking appointments was a presentation on how to do business in the government sector conducted by one of GTPAC’s counselors, Tom Larkin. Dozens of people attended this workshop as a productive way to spend their time while waiting for their appointments.
Scores of the small businesses in attendance also took advantage of this occasion to receive contract-related counseling from the entire team of GTPAC counselors and staff who came in from all parts of the state to support the event.
GTPAC representatives provided help to businesses on such topics as registration in the System for Award Management, certifications, and creating effective capabilities statements. GTPAC also helped out-of-state attendees connect with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) in their locale.
Attendees at the Industry Day used a special web site and a smartphone app to register for and check-in at the event — and keep track of their matchmaking appointments. The website and the app were developed by IVSN Group LLC. The leadership of NCMA’s Atlanta Chapter contracted with IVSN to manage registration and appointment-making for the complex Jan. 24th event. The app – called PTACGo! – can be downloaded free from Google Play (for Android devices) or Apple’s App Store (for iPhones). It allows users to see, and register for, small business events across the country on smart phones, tablets, laptops and PCs.
Adding support to the day, a four-person team from Rocky Top Event Management Services provided on-site management. Rocky Top provides management services to the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers.
Special thanks go out to CBS, Axiom Corporation, and Rumph and Associates for sponsoring the Industry Day’s breakfast refreshments.
Below are a few more photos from the active and successful day.
