Helping California small businesses improve their bottom line and increasing their ability to learn how to compete for a share of the government’s contracting dollars is truly a bipartisan issue. Nowhere was bipartisan support from our elected leaders more evident than at this year’s GovLink Conference.

Nathan Dietrich, Congress­woman Doris Matsui’s District Director, brought a message of support from her to the 375 who registered for this event stating, “Congresswoman Matsui has been an unrelenting supporter of small business as a job creator and economic engine for the region and the state.”

Likewise, Victor Arnold-Bik, Congressman Dan Lungren’s D.C. Chief of Staff, shared Lungren’s message, “Expanding the number of contractors who know how to connect with the government’s contracting officers’ means more competition and better products at better prices.”

Our GovLink Conference 2007 broke all of our previous conference records by attracting 375 registrants and 40 exhibitors, nearly half of which were federal government organizations. Thirty two of the GovLink Conference attendees took the tour of Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA). DMEA hosted the conference and their efforts to reach out to high-technology small business owners over the years have paid off. DMEA’s small business goal is 3 percent; the actual number of awards last year was 22.4 percent. Credit, in part, should go to Todd Norton, DMEA’s small business officer, who has worked closely with The Federal Technology Center (The FTC) since 1999 to achieve this success.

Participants, who came to network face-to-face with key government and prime contractor decision makers to learn about federal business op­portunities, had these things to say about their experience:
“I gained the nuts and bolts information that will help [our organization] determine the viability of working with gov­ernment agencies and/or grant projects.”
“I got the point of contact infor­mation for contracting officers and key people involved with procurements.”
“I learned the correct procedures to follow to obtain contracts with the Department of Homeland Security.”

Danny Merkley, Congressman Lungren's District Director; Alice Astafan, CEO, The FTC; Daniel Sturdivant II, Assistant to the Director for Outreach, Department of Homeland Security; and Victor Arnold-Bik, Congressman Lungren's Chief of Staff

Colonel Thomas C. Chapman, District Engineer, Sacramento U.S. Army Corps or Engineers