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Local small businesses and prime contractors speed date

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nMatch-making summit planned

by ow staff

On Aug. 7, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host the Metro to Crenshaw/LAX Small Business Matchmaking Summit designed to introduce South Los Angeles small businesses to prime construction contractors and small business service providers.

The event will be held at 4 p.m. at The Proud Bird, 11022 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles, and the deadline to register is Aug. . To register, visit www.metrosummitla.com.

Miriam Long, Diversity and Economic Development Department strategic business and career resources manager at Metro, explains: “This event is all about creating access. Entrepreneurs need to get in front of prime contractors and let them know all they have to offer.”

The summit will allow prime contractors and service providers to meet with women, small, disabled veteran and minority business owners through a series of seven-minute pitch meetings to discuss upcoming subcontracting opportunities on projects throughout Southern California, especially key Metro projects.

The Matchmaking Summit will also showcase women and minority owned businesses that have successfully obtained key subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors.

Additionally, the Matchmaking Summit will bring a vital coalition of service providers into direct dialogue with small business participants. These city and county service providers manage resources, bid opportunities and regulation programs that shape the way business gets done. “They will be a strong resource available at the Matchmaking Summit. And they will expedite all varieties of business certifications on-site,” according to JC Lacey, Crenshaw/LAX transit project business liaison and interim construction relations manager.

In addition to meeting other successful small business owners, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with top-tier prime contractors such as AECOM, Arcadis U.S. Inc., ARUP, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc., Clark Construction, Hensel Phelps, Kiewit, Skanska/Traylor: Regional Connector Constructors JV, Stantec, Swnerton and Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors.

Long says the Metro Matchmaking Summit is also about educating entrepreneurs: “The Summit will provide women, small, disabled veteran and minority owned businesses with crucial technical assistance and other vital resources.”

Metro staff will detail the broad range of economic support available to participants, including the Small Business Set-Aside Program. This program was created to comply with a mandate by the Federal Transit Administration and will enable eligible small business enterprises (SBEs) to compete for selected negotiated contracts, sealed bids and public projects that are valued from $3,000 to $5 million.

The Metro Small Business Set-Aside Program targets firms that have been certified by Metro as an SBE in the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at the time of bid or proposal submission.

SBE prime contractors must perform and manage at lest 30 percent of the total cost of the applicable contract(s) with their own workforce.

To find out about bidding opportunities, SBEs can review open bids posted on the website: atebb.metroet/ebb/.

To get certified as an SBE, contact the certification unit at (213) 922-2600 or at CertificationUnit@metro.net.

In addition small business owners attending the summit will hear presentations from organizations that are part of Metro’s Small Business Support Roundtable.

Local small businesses are encouraged to register today because Matchmaking Summit time slots are limited.

For questions and additional information, email info@metrosummitla.com, or call (310) 806-4855.

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