Hosts Workshop for Small, Minority, Women, and Veteran Business Owners
in Montgomery County
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs hosted its signature Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Workshop at the Silver Spring Civic Building. More than 130 small, minority, women, and veteran business owners attended the event. Governor’s citations were presented to three local outstanding female entrepreneurs.
“The Ready, Set, GROW! workshop is extremely unique,” said Jimmy Rhee, special secretary of the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs. “Participants are given the opportunity to meet buyers and learn what they are buying now, as well as what’s in the pipeline. That’s powerful information to a small business owner.”
The workshop, hosted in collaboration with Montgomery County’s Office of the County Executive, included insightful tips for navigating the procurement process and highlighted existing opportunities with city, county, and state agencies. Vendors had the opportunity to meet with 14 different purchasing units during the open networking session that followed the program. Six small business resource organizations also participated, connecting participants to managerial and financial resources.
“We were excited to partner with the State and host this procurement conference here in Montgomery County,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Montgomery County is home to some exciting and innovative businesses and this event gave them, and other businesses in the region, a chance to gather valuable information about business opportunities that could help to grow their companies. Diversifying our base of suppliers is good for the County and the State.”
Governor Larry Hogan proclaimed 2020 the Year of the Woman in Maryland. During the program, two women entrepreneurs were among the local businesses awarded a Governor’s Citation for their contributions to Maryland’s small business economy:
The Governor’s Office of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs conducts the Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Workshops at locations around the state. In 2020, this event is expected to visit Montgomery, Harford, Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, and Howard counties. For more information, visit: https://gomdsmallbiz.maryland.gov/Pages/Ready-Set-GROW.aspx.
