Small Business Success Tips

In this episode, Neil McDonnell interviews Brent Owens, SBA Procurement Center Representative based at Hill Air Force Base in Utah supporting agencies spread across three states.Brent Owens (Hill Air Force Base) discusses purchasing trends for Air Force bases, regional training for small business and contracting officers, market research and the SBA's All Small Business Mentor-Protégé program.The Small Business Success Tips podcast is hosted by Neil McDonnell, Founder & Chair of the HUBZone Chamber of Commerce, President of SV Mac Pack, Inc., a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone certified firm. Neil is a small business mentor, coach and trainer committed to helping small businesses achieve their goals.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Alan Oakes offers perspective on the contract review process within USDA-FAM and how to seek small business opportunities within the agency.The Small Business Success Tips podcast is hosted by Neil McDonnell, Founder & Chair of the HUBZone Chamber of Commerce, President of SV Mac Pack, Inc., a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone certified firm specializing in training, scanning and records management. Neil is a small business mentor, coach and trainer that is committed to helping small businesses achieve their goals.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Dr Gary Heard, SBA, PCR Area III (Alabama)Dr. Gary Heard offers insights to SBA’s Certificates of Competency, CASL (Army’s Competition Advocates Shopping List), contracting officer review process and key prep required from small businesses.

SBA | Area V | Sally WaltonSally Walton (Albuquerque) offers powerful small business contracting strategies, clarifies the scope of agencies, and demystifies important regulations and limitations of sub-contracting for small business set asides.

SBA | Area III | Ken SilviaKenneth Silvia (Savannah), area wide PCR and CMR, provides insights on how contracting officers review market research, and offers specific technical suggestions and strategies for small business contractors

SBA | Area IV | Phil MacLeanPhil MacLean (OH) discusses important differences between OSDBUs, Small Business Specialists, and PCRs; procurement review; agency points of contact; researching historical awards, internal source lists, and subcontracting listings

SBA | Area V | Randy MarchiafavaRandy Marchiafava (New Orleans) discusses the many roles of PCRs, strategic approaches to government contracting, the power of FedBizOpps, and some lesser known SBA resources.

DAEDF | Lyle RoggowLyle Roggow (OK) discusses the critical support regional economic development organizations provide growing businesses including incubators and pivotal resources to help local entrepreneurs become successful.

Our guest in this episode is Rob Sanchious, the Founder and CEO of SHR Consulting Group. SHR, an 8(a) certified small business formed in 2012, supports many key federal agencies (primarily the DoD) as well as customers outside the federal space. Rob comes from a technical background, like many of us, and worked at CSC as an Engineer immediately prior to starting SHR. Under his leadership, SHR has grown significantly as recognized by his company being listed in the number three spot of the 2017 Washington Technology Fast 50, which ranks fast growing small businesses in the government market.Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firmParticipation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Our guest in this episode is Kevin Boshears from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He has served in various roles in his career such as Contracting Officer, Procurement Analyst, and OSDBU Director. Before becoming the Director of DHS's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization in 2003, he served as the OSDBU Director for Treasury.Kevin is a strong advocate of the contribution small businesses can make within the federal government, not only in his role at DHS, but also as part of SBA's Small Business Procurement Advisory Council. In that role he shares best practices in support of small businesses and basically advocates for our success. That makes him an excellent source of information and a perfect guest on this podcast.DHS Small Business Portal: https://www.dhs.gov/do-business-dhs/Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firm specializing in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint training and support.Partic

Our guest in this episode is Tom Rogers, a Procurement Center Representative with the US Small Business Administration. He is well qualified to talk with us today, but also has walked a bit in our shoes. Prior to joining the SBA, Tom worked as a Procurement Analyst with the Army Corps of Engineers and as a Contracting Specialist with the Army Contracting Command. Before getting into acquisition he served as a program manager, a faculty member in two higher-ED organizations, and as a development manager with a techy background equal to any of us IT folks. In his current role, Tom supports the Army Corp Mobile District, Air Force SOCONS, the Navy Surface Warfare Center, Tyndall AFB, Maxwell AFB as well as a few others.Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firm specializing in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint training and support.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Our guest in this episode is Joyce Thurmond from the Small Business Administration. She’s out of Atlanta, serving as the Area 3 Director. Joyce wears many hats, and one is as a Procurement Center Representative which basically is “An Advocate” and “A Resource” of small businesses within the federal government. While Joyce does have broad knowledge, her primary activities are in support of the CDC, Interior, Dobbins AFRC, GSA in Atlanta, and the VA Medical Center located in Decatur GA.Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firm specializing in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint training and support.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Our guest in this episode is Mae Mathieu, the Deputy for Small Business Programs with the Marine Corps for base Quantico. She has been supporting small businesses throughout her career and has extensive knowledge about what works and does not work. She shares some thoughts on how the Marine Corps is different from other customers you might sell to, and why you'll only become successful when you understand and embrace that difference. Mae also shares her thoughts on two key outreach tools, the business card and your Capabilities Statement.Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firm specializing in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint training and support.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Our guest in this episode is Janet Scott, the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization at the Department of Education. If we were hoping for someone with long and relevant experience to talk about doing business with the Department of Education, Janet delivers that solidly. She has served in the Department her entire career, and before becoming the OSDBU Director, she served as a contracting officer in various capacities.Thursday at 7:00 AM EST - new episodes releasedHosted by Neil McDonnell of SV Mac Pack, Inc. - a Veteran-Owned, HUBZone Certified firm specializing in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint training and support.Participation of guest or views expressed do not constitute an endorsement of any kind.

Our guest in this episode is Denise Benjamin Sirmons, the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).While Denise has a very impressive resume in addition to her current role, such as serving on the Board of Advisors for Bowie State University, serving previously in multiple roles throughout the EPA and as the Assistant General Counsel for Contracting at the SBA, what I found fit most with this podcast is that she has been a champion of small businesses her entire career. Most visibly when she wrote an article analyzing the need, challenges, and opportunities for increasing federal contracting with women-owned businesses. The Article offered possible opportunities for expanding federal contracting with women businesses, including suggesting the adoption of flexible, streamlined contracting tools to enable women-owned firms to penetrate the federal marketplace and realize their potential. What she advocated for women-owned small businesse