Stennis Space Center Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Industry Day

On February 3, 2015, NASA’s Office of Small Business Programs concluded another successful Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Industry Day event hosted by the Stennis Space Center. 

      A look at SSC during the SDVOSB Industry Day

                         

Presenting NASA FY14 Small Business Prime Metrics

                                     

From the left: Robert S. Harris, SSC Procurement Officer receiving the Small Business Champion recognition, Robert E. Watts, SSC Small Business Specialist, receiving FY14 SBS of the Year and Stennis Space Center Director Dr. Richard Gilbrech

Networking with Gwen Johnson, Socioeconomic Business Programs Manager Parsons

With over 300 attendees at the INFINITY Space Center, the Industry Day offered numerous opportunities for SDVOSB owners and representatives to network with government procurement decision makers, other large and small businesses and current NASA prime contractors. Despite the event title, the attendees included more than two hundred representatives from not only Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, but also Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, Women-Owned Small Businesses, and HUBZone Businesses.

I look forward to the future where the relationships that were made at this event lead to contracts. We look forward to seeing you at our HUBZone Industry Day at Johnson Space Center on August 11, 2015.

Small Business Outreach

Reaching out to small businesses is one of the most important functions of the Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). I continue to stress the importance to small businesses of getting face-to-face interactions with small business specialists and decision makers at the multitude of events that take place throughout the country every year.

As part of the 2012-2013 NASA Small Business Improvement Plan, OSBP instituted an initiative focused on increasing outreach in the following low performing socioeconomic areas: Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Women-Owned, and Historically Underutilized Business Zones. Industry Days are one way we are meeting this goal. Attendees can expect active participation from the hosting Center’s SBSs, Technical Advisor(s), Technical Coordinator(s), and Office of the Chief Technologist representative. Of course, all companies are welcomed to attend as space provides. Upcoming Industry Days include: 

• Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Industry Day at Ames Resarch Center on February 5, 2013 - Register at http://arc022013.eventbrite.com

• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Industry Day at Goddard Space Flight Center on August 13, 2013

An updated calendar can always be found on our website, http://osbp.nasa.gov/calendar-osbp.html. For those who are unable to make it to industry events, OSBP produces a fantastic newsletter that can also be found on our website, at http://osbp.nasa.gov/newsletter.html. As always, the website also hosts a wealth of information that can help small businesses get the most out of their partnerships with NASA.