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FEDS PREFER VET-OWNED FIRMS FOR CONTRACTS,
CONFERENCE ATTENDEES TOLD -- Veteran-owned
businesses could be king of the federal
contract heap,
if their owners have a direct focus.
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http://sundaygazettemail
.com/section/Business/200709057
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Feds prefer vet-owned firms for contracts,
conference attendees told
By Sarah K. Winn
Staff writer
Veteran-owned businesses could be king of the federal contract heap, if
their owners have a direct focus, two successful former-military
business owners said Wednesday.
“A lot of people think that the enemy of small business is big
business,” said veteran Craig Hartzell of Azimuth Inc. in Morgantown. “I
believe that the real enemy of small businesses in the start-up phase is
the fear of failure.”
Hartzell spoke on Wednesday during the 2007 Veterans Business Conference
at the National Guard Armory in Charleston. Sponsored by the U.S. Small
Business Administration and the West Virginia Small Business Development
Center, the conference is the first statewide event focusing on
entrepreneurial services and business opportunities specifically for
veterans.
Tyrone Lassiter, a compliance officer with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs Center for Veterans Enterprise, outlined services
offered through the center and at
www.vetbiz.gov .
The Web site includes a database of veteran-owned small businesses and
service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. These pages receive more than
4,500 visits each month from federal agencies, contractors and private
citizens, according to the Web site.
The database is also the sole source for all market research requested
through the Center for Veterans Enterprise and the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
Veterans with these vendor profiles can even upload video of themselves
for others to see, Lassiter said.
The Web site also offers resources for in-house business coaching and
training as well as loan opportunities specifically for veteran-owned
businesses.
For example, in June the SBA announced its Patriot Express program,
which includes low-interest loans (between 2.25 percent and 4.75 percent
over the prime interest rate), along with help with writing business
plans.
Patriot Express is open to veterans, reservists and National Guard
members, current spouses, the surviving spouses of service members who
die on active duty or spouses of veterans who die from a
service-connected disability.
“You deserve this program. It should have been in effect years ago,”
Lassiter said.
Lassiter also said the federal government is clamoring for veteran-owned
business. In 2004, President George W. Bush issued an executive order
that increased federal contracting and subcontracting opportunities for
service-disabled-veteran businesses.
The order said federal agencies must strive to award at least 3 percent
of their contracts to service-disabled-veteran businesses.
“Veterans are hot right now,” Lassiter said. “People want to do business
with you.”
So, how does a small start-up business get into the federal contracting
game? By a clear vision and teamwork, Lassiter said.
“You have to start targeting at the beginning of the fiscal year...you
have to team up to ride this huge thing called federal contracts. That’s
the key to success.”
In West Virginia, some veteran-owned businesses are already benefiting
from the federal contracting game.
Harry Siegel, founder and chief executive officer of HMS Technologies in
Martinsburg, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a
master’s degree in computer systems from the Naval Postgraduate School.
He founded HMS in 2003 and expects to have $20 million to $22 million in
sales this year.
He spoke to veteran-business owners in attendance, giving them key
start-up tips, such as developing a corporate mission statement,
branding and employee benefits.
For Siegel, his success came quick, thanks to a high moral compass and
teamwork, he said.
“Your honor is at stake every time you do a job,” he said. “When you do
business honestly with people, they will be honest with you.”
To contact staff writer Sarah K. Winn, use e-mail or call 348-5156.
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Larry Scott --
