February 2018 - In This Issue:
ABOUT US

The SBTDC/PTAC Program's purpose is to generate employment and improve the general economic condition of the state by assisting  North Carolina companies including those eligible for business development programs for local, state and federal government contracts. We provide procurement technical assistance by offering no-fee and confidential counseling on selling your products and/or services to the appropriate local, state or federal government agency.

THE TEAM
MARK MILLS
PTAC Program Director
919.600.6096


GEORGE GRIFFIN

PTAC Counselor 
Greensboro / Winston-Salem
336.256.9302


REBECCA BARBOUR

PTAC Counselor
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill
919.513.0623


SCOTT BARKER
PTAC Counselor 
Elizabeth City / Greenville / Wilmington
252.737.1369


DON CARMEN
PTAC Counselor 
Fayetteville / Pembroke
910.672.1352


RICHARD SPEIGHTS
PTAC Counselor 
Charlotte
704.687.0443


PAM RACER
PTAC Counselor 
Asheville / Hickory / Boone / Cullowhee
828.251.6025

ADDITIONAL SBTDC RESOURCES
ACCELERATE: A BLOG FOR CEOs OF MID-SIZED FIRMS
SBTDC's Strategy and Growth Services blog, Accelerate, helps CEOs of mid-sized companies make business and leadership improvements through helpful insight, resources, and tools.
Learn more »


TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION SERVICES
The SBTDC's Technology Commercialization Services team provides business counseling to small to mid-sized business owners, university researchers, and entrepreneurs looking to advance their innovations to the marketplace.
Learn more »


INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The SBTDC's International Business Development Specialists assists small and mid-sized businesses with export planning and exporting.
Learn more »
Director's Corner: 
Opportunities 2018
By Mark G. Mills, PTAC Program Director at North Carolina State University
MARCH 19 at the U.S. Cellular Center
87 Haywood Street | Asheville, NC 28801

The US Government alone spends more than $500 billion annually for various products and services, yet each year, thousands of contracts bypass small businesses that do not know about or understand how the government buys. Opportunities 2018 is your chance to learn how you can tap into this lucrative market. It is a regional biennial "reverse" trade show and conference.

MARKET FACE-TO-FACE
Market your products and services directly to over 50 federal, state, and local government agencies and large prime contractors in ONE day with ONE sales call.

LEARN NEW SKILLS
Attend series of seminars designed to provide the latest information on doing business with and selling products and services to the government.

MAKE CONNECTIONS
Networking with other small businesses while at Opportunities could lead to contracting partnerships.

For additional information please visit the Opportunities website http://www.sbtdc.org/events/opportunities

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) counselor hired at Western Carolina University
 
  
By Mark G. Mills, PTAC Program Director at North Carolina State University
Pamela Racer joined the North Carolina Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) as a Procurement Counselor in January.  Pam will be providing PTAC services to the 28 Western counties of North Carolina supporting the SBTDC offices in Asheville, Cullowhee, Hickory and Boone. 

Pam comes from Jacksonville Florida, where she worked for over 25 years supporting the Maritime Prepositioning Program on Blount Island for the United States Marine Corps.  Working as the Senior Program Planning and Control Analyst, her responsibilities included Contracts and Finance deliverables on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD) Prime Contractor. Serving as the liaison for the Defense Contract Auditing Agency, Pam was responsible for the submission and audit support relative to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) required by the DoD contract.  Pam has a Green Belt Certification in Process Improvement and Change Management.  She holds a Certification as an ISO 9002 Internal Auditor and has received training as a certified Facilitator/Auditor of Total Quality Management (TQM).  Pam has a Bachelor's of Business Administration from the University of North Florida majoring in Economics.  After honeymooning in Sylva over 34 years ago, she has recently moved to the Maggie Valley area and is looking forward to helping businesses in the Western North Carolina area grow.

Strategically Accessing Federal Government Contracts
 
 
 
By Richard Speights, PTAC Counselor at UNC-Charlotte
The Federal Government is the premiere marketplace for small and large businesses, annually awarding purchasing and contracting transactions (contracts, purchase orders, etc.) valued at over $500 billion. Although a large portion of those dollars are spent to buy big ticket items such as ships, airplanes, missiles, etc., multi-billions of dollars are spent on lower value items that are well within the reach of most small to medium size businesses. Procurement professionals representing federal agencies utilize a maze of rules and regulations to accomplish these purchases. Suppliers and contractors who are unaware of how to effectively navigate this maze often give up in frustration, losing out on numerous contracting opportunities. 

Read more 
Introduction to SBIR/STTR Funding for Innovative Technologies 
 
 
 
By John Ujvari, Statewide SBIR/Technology Commercialization at UNC-Chapel Hill
WEBINAR: February 20th 1 - 2PM

Join the SBTDC on February 20th at 1PM for a detailed overview of the SBIR / STTR federal R&D funding mechanisms for small businesses.

In this 45 minute webinar, we will help you to understand: 
  • Funding levels and phased process
  • Participating agencies
  • How to identify agency interests (solicitations)
  • Differences between SBIR/STTR
  • Important content to include in a proposal
  • Key points to increase competitiveness
Time will be available at the end of the session for Q&A

Speaker: John Ujvari, MBA - SBIR Program Specialist
 
There is no fee, but registration is required at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4788296561298052355

GSA - Federal Agencies "Purchaser" and "Landlord"
 
 
 
By Richard Speights, PTAC Counselor at UNC-Charlotte
GSA (General Services Administration) provides centralized procurement for the federal government, offering billions of dollars' worth of products, services, and facilities that federal agencies need to accomplish their mission of public service.  GSA's acquisition solutions supply federal agencies with cost-effective high-quality products and services from commercial vendors. GSA helps federal agencies build and acquire office space, products and other workspace services, and oversees the preservation of historic federal properties. Its policies covering travel, property and management practices promote efficient government operations.

Read more

SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT

5 West Hargett St., Suite 600
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.600.5998