CT APEX Accelerator was thrilled to collaborate with Wondr Nation and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation their Tribal Entrepreneur Symposium. This is a new and exciting partnership that brought incredible opportunities to our community.

This free event at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center was packed with valuable insights and networking for entrepreneurs at every stage.

Our CT APEX team led a session on Government Contracting Readiness. And we were honored to have a special panel on “Doing Business with Tribal Government,” which was led by our state director, Marisol Herrera, and highlighted the new avenues for growth created by this collaboration.

The event wrapped up with a fantastic networking reception and resource fair, where it was inspiring to see so many local business owners connect and expand their networks!

Due to the overwhelming demand and positive feedback, we are excited to announce that we will be holding more "Doing Business with Tribal Government" trainings in 2026. Stay tuned for details!

What a treat to lead this exclusive event designed for small manufacturers! Our 2025 Panel Discussion with CT’s Leading DoD Primes was a tremendous success, thanks to the participation of our Small Business Liaison Officers (SBLOs) from: Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky Lockheed Martin & GKN Aerospace and the support from our resource partners from: Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (seCTer), CT Department of Veterans Affairs, SBA CT District Office, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), US Commercial Service International Trade Administration, CONNSTEP Inc., Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), ACM Aerospace Components Manufacturers Inc., CT Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and ManufactureCT.

The roundtable sessions provided invaluable face-to-face engagement, helping small manufacturers build meaningful relationships with prime contractors.

Key insights from the session included:

• Navigating the subcontracting process,
• Building relationships with DoD prime contractors
• & Positioning your business to secure government contracts

We also want to give a special shout out to our outstanding moderator, Paul Lavoie, Connecticut's previous Chief Manufacturing Officer, for expertly guiding such a dynamic and powerful discussion.

Thank you to all who participated, especially our small businesses.

To all the small business attendees: your enthusiasm was contagious, and it was fantastic to see so many of you taking advantage of the networking session to connect directly with the Primes and showcase your capabilities. Your preparation truly paid off! We hope you left feeling empowered, with new connections and practical strategies to help your businesses thrive. 

CT APEX is proud to support your growth in the defense supply chain!

It was incredibly exciting to celebrate the Navy’s 250th Birthday with Connecticut’s first-ever Navy Week Small Business Engagement Day at CT State Asnuntuck!

Our Featured Speakers brought invaluable insights for small businesses:

• Mr. James Pettway – Deputy Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Norfolk Naval Shipyard

spoke about Navigating Success: Charting Your Course to Doing Business with the DON

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• Lt. Cmdr. Ho Le – Executive Officer, USS Hartford

spoke about the Navy's History & Connecticut Roots

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• Regan Weiland – Program Analyst, Navy SBIR and Ishrat Nazmi - Business Development Manager, CT APEX

copresented Unlocking Innovation: Navy SBIR/STTR Opportunities for Small Businesses

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• Mary Bidwell – Director, Advanced Manufacturing Technology, CT State Asnuntuck

spoke about Advanced Manufacturing Training & Careers

We deeply appreciate the support of essential resource partners who joined forces to deliver critical support to attendees: seCTer, SBA CT District Office, Connecticut SBDC, and the Connecticut DAS.

What a success it was! Thank you to everyone who joined us at this landmark event, which showcased the powerful synergy between our small business community and the U.S. Navy!

The U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Connecticut District Office is dedicated to opening the doors of procurement. This December 3rd, 2025 in Hartford, the Connecticut Business Matchmaker will be taking place!

What To Expect:

• Engage in one-on-one matchmaking meetings with buyers from federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as prime contractors. This is your chance to get face time with the world's largest customer!
• Directly contribute to a stronger national and local supply chain.
• Gain valuable knowledge from a full day of training sessions facilitated by SBA employees, resource partners, and contracting experts to sharpen your procurement strategy.

Register today for this high-impact event designed to help CT businesses grow and thrive through making pivotal connections!

To maximize your attendance, reach out to your CT APEX counselor to help you prepare for this event!

Congratulations to these clients on their recent successes! We look forward to continuing to see you thrive in through government contracting!

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