Trihydro Attends National HUBZone Conference
Keith Marcott, Senior Vice President, of Trihydro in Laramie, Wyoming, attended the National HUBZone Conference in Washington, DC, September 7-9, 2011. The annual meeting of the HUBZone Contractors National Council attracted hundreds of HUBZone-certified small businesses from all over the country.
The HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) Program helps small businesses located in HUBZones (communities facing significant economic challenges) acquire federal contracts so that they can employ more individuals from HUBZone areas and help their communities develop. The HUBZone Program is the only federal contracting program that directly benefits communities and generates jobs where they are needed most.
Almost 40 federal agency and prime contractor contracting officers attended the event to meet privately with HUBZone-certified small businesses to develop partnerships to provide products and services needed by the federal government.
Marie Johns, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), addressed the conference. She closed her speech with the following message:
“My commitment to you today is this: We’ll continue to work with federal agencies to increase contracting opportunities for HUBZone firms. We’ll help businesses navigate the world of federal contracting, including finding new opportunities for HUBZone firms that are decertified. And we’ll do all this while rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.
“We’re counting on firms like yours to create the jobs America needs. I think the President said it best at a forum with business owners this past February:
‘You’re the anchors of our Main Streets, small businesses built by folks who live and work in the community and look out for one another that end up determining success or failure of cities and towns. They’re the cornerstones of America’s promise, the idea that if you’ve got a dream and you’ve got the work ethic to see it through, you can succeed. And when our small businesses do well, then America does well.’”
During the three-day conference, a variety of seminars and workshops provided information and strategies about issues important to small business contractors.
Conference participants also visited with their elected representatives in the U.S. Congress to explain how important the HUBZone Program is to their companies and their communities. Representatives Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland) and Reid Ribble (R-Wisconsin) addressed the group during a Capitol Hill reception.