There are a lot of "associations" that hold themselves to be "experts" in government contracting. In many cases it's true; in others it's not true by any stretch of the imagination. And then you discover an association that embodies everything you want -- proactive, energetic, and populated with businesses that are looking to not only grow in the govcon arena, but are willing to put in the effort to make it happen.
We had the pleasure of recently meeting Ron Perry, the president of the National 8(a) Association. Ron's energy is contagious. He is really committed to helping companies grow and succeed. Since that's the mission of our company, we're looking forward to a long relationship with him and his organization.
Ron sent us information on the 2012 Winter Conference to be held February 7-8 at the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida and hosted by Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Registration starts on February 6. Based on everything we heard independent of Ron, this is definitely a must attend for 8(a) companies. It's not a huge conference so there will be a lot of opportunities to network and interact with the speakers.
Several government speakers are on the agenda including Lee Rosenberg, Director of Small Programs for the Missile Defense Agency; Sherry Baldwin, Director of Small Business Programs for the Defense Intelligence Agency; Glenn Delgado, NASA Associate Administrator of the Small Business Programs, Washington; Darryl Hariston, SBA Associate Administrator; John Klein, SBA Associate General Counsel for Procurement Law; Pamela Wilson of the Department of Treasury; and various industry experts and prime contractors. Also invited to participate are Karen Mills, SBA Administrator (keynote speaker); Kevin Boshears, OSDBU Director at DHS; Teresa Lewis, OSDBU Director at HHS; and Shepleigh Driskco, OSDBU Operations Director for the Department of State.
For more information, visit the National 8(a) Association's website.
