On Tuesday, Maryland’s small business owners flocked to the Hilton Inner Harbor for the Governor’s Minority and Small Business Outreach Summit. The summit is a conference for small businesses to partner with government agencies and contractors to secure more than $7 billion in available state contracts.
This year’s summit relocated from its previous location in Ellicott City’s Turf Valley, which previously required participants to be placed on a waiting list.
Earlier this year, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Assistant Secretary Tony Bridges announced that host agencies MDOT, the University System of Maryland (USM), and the Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) want the Summit to grow. said. But even for the larger venue, online registration was sold out.
Bridges said enrollment was more than 1,100 at the time of Tuesday’s 1:30 p.m. interview with The Baltimore Sun, but last year’s total enrollment was about 600 to 700. Ta.
He specifically pointed to this year’s loss of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as an opportunity for government subcontractors to come to the table, winning a $73 million contract from the Maryland Department of Transportation to replace the bridge. He noted that Kiewit was present at the meeting. A conference to speak to small and medium-sized businesses interested in procurement opportunities during the restructuring process.
Mr. Kiwit held a roundtable entitled “Reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” which, according to meeting schedule materials, was a “community meeting to learn about the project, meet the people responsible, and make sure this project is a good one.” It was an opportunity to gain understanding as to whether or not it would be possible. Perfect for your company. ”
Conference attendees were bullish on the economy and Gov. Wes Moore’s leadership, which had little negative impact on business.
“My impression is that Maryland is a great place for small businesses, and the governor really seems to be focused his entire governorship on helping small businesses grow,” said Vice President Lisa M. Tompkins. Mr. Brown said. Tenacity Solutions is based in Montgomery County and serves the fields of healthcare, technology, and business optimization.
Wanting to grow her business in Maryland, she attended the conference to learn how her business could better work with government, but also met with procurement officers, program managers, and more. Tompkins-Brown said she asked not only specific technical questions about the state’s procurement system, but also general strategic questions to better position her business for the future. Ta.
Obiajulu Ara, owner of three small businesses with more than 70 employees, also praised Moore’s leadership, saying: And he’s summed up everything he said in his campaign. ”
Arah said the event was beneficial because it gave him the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and vendors that he wouldn’t normally get to meet due to his work. Despite the controversial economy that some analysts believe gave Trump a victory in the presidential election, some Maryland business owners had no complaints.
According to the latest report released on November 13, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics rose 0.2% in October. The year-on-year increase rate was 2.6%.
The CPI is a common measure of inflation because it measures changes in commodity prices over time. The Associated Press called October’s numbers “the lowest since they first started surging more than three years ago.”
“I don’t know,” Ara said of the impact of inflation on Original Queen Limousine Service, OK Identification Services and K&T Security Services. “So gas prices are going up, grocery prices are going up. I’m 44 years old. Just like I’m not paying the same amount I paid when I was in my 20s, I’m not paying the same amount I paid when I was 30. there is no.”
“It doesn’t matter who’s in office. I believe in God and hard work. And if you do it and provide good customer service, no matter what party you run through, Democrat, Republican, Independent. You can also. It’s what you put in,” Ara said.
Similarly, Shireena Sachkral of tech company Uponbee, whose business with the government was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, came to the summit on Tuesday with hopes of growing it again. She was also optimistic about the economy.
“I think that’s fine,” Sackral told The Sun. “I don’t think Biden and Harris get enough credit for getting the economy back on track.”
But he added that while things may look rosy at the moment, he is concerned about the Trump administration’s approach, including tariffs and the president-elect’s signature mass deportation policies.
During his campaign, President Trump said he planned to impose tariffs on imports from China and other foreign countries to encourage investment in American companies.
Additionally, President Trump recently said on social media that he intends to use the military to assist in the mass deportation of U.S. illegal aliens and said he would enact this policy on his first day in office.
Pew Research Center estimates that there are 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States, based on the 2022 American Community Survey.
It is unclear whether top infrastructure projects will continue to receive federal support under the incoming Trump administration.
Asked about the possibility that federal funding for the contracts announced at the summit could disappear as the Trump administration takes office, Bridges said, “The important thing to remember is that we always have to do things state-wide. I think that’s the case,” he said.
“Regardless of where the funding comes from, we still have to do road and highway work. We need to make sure it’s in progress.”
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen recently expressed cautious optimism about federal funding for Maryland’s infrastructure projects that rely on federal funding, including the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement and Red Line construction. expressed.
After the Nov. 5 election, Moore promised to push back against the Trump administration if necessary, but also promised to try to find common ground. “Our goal of making this year Maryland’s decade hasn’t changed one bit,” he said.
Tompkins Brown, which has worked with the Maryland Health Care Cost Review Commission and the Maryland Health Care Commission, remained hopeful of Moore’s leadership.
“We want many of our state’s fundamental values to remain the same, and we think they will under Governor Moore, but we’ll have to see how the funding trickles down, perhaps in a different way. “No,” she said.
The state currently has a goal of 29% of state procurement going to certified minority businesses, according to the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Affairs website.
Tuesday’s conference featured five workshops focused on government contracting. The first track is aimed at business owners new to state government procurement and offers sessions explaining the eMMA online procurement system, how to become a certified minority business, and “How to be a good subcontractor.” did.
Workshops in other tracks included panel discussions on proposal and bid writing, public data mining techniques, access to procurement experts, and artificial intelligence.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or @rzbworks on X.
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