Arkansas marks 1st annual APEX Accelerator Day by helping small businesses grow
Sept. 6, 2018
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- APEX AcceleratorS are Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
- Sept. 26 is first annual APEX Accelerator Day nationwide
- Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center is state’s APEX Accelerator
(480 words)
(Newsrooms – with file art here: https://flic.kr/p/28cE9Gm and https://flic.kr/p/28cE9RE)
LITTLE ROCK –The Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center will be celebrating the first annual APEX Accelerator Day on Sept. 26 by doing what it does best: helping small businesses grow through government contracting.
“APEX Accelerator” translates into Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, and for 33 years, APEX Accelerators have helped expand the number of small businesses that successfully compete for and win federal, state, and local government contracts. The Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center, or APAC, is Arkansas’ APEX Accelerator. APAC is operated by the Cooperative Extension Service as part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s community and economic development outreach.
“In Arkansas, APAC has helped 6,289 businesses obtain more than $1.2 billion in government contract work since 2001,” said Melanie Berman, APAC director. “And over the last program year, we’ve helped businesses obtain more than $122 million in contracts.
“We are very excited this year to be working closely with the Small Business Administration and the Little Rock Air Force Base to make our services more accessible to our state’s entrepreneurs,” she said.
APAC and its partners are hosting a workshop on Sept. 26 at LRAFB’s University Education Center, 1490 Vandenberg Blvd. in Jacksonville, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. The workshop will take small businesses through the process of preparing a bid and knowing what works and what’s required.
This September, APEX Accelerators from around the country are coming together for one special day to celebrate the success of the tens of thousands of small businesses who have benefitted from training and technical assistance delivered by their local APEX Accelerators.
There are 95 APEX Accelerators nationwide, with more than 300 offices staffed by some 600 professionals.
In 2017, the APEX Accelerator network served over 48,000 clients and helped them win over $20 billion in government contracts and subcontracts.
Featured among these activities is a national webinar, “Top Tips for Finding and Winning Government Contracts,” to be held at 2 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CDT. Presented by a panel of APEX Accelerator procurement experts, the live webinar will provide valuable insights and information to both newcomers and veteran government contractors.
“We want to spotlight the impact that APEX Accelerators are having across the country,” said Tiffany Scroggs, president of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers.
“By helping businesses, APEX Accelerators stimulate the creation of new jobs and economic growth in their communities,” she said, adding “and, just as importantly, APEX Accelerator clients often are new suppliers that provide products and services critically needed by the armed services and all units of government. Whether its connecting disaster or wildfire responders with agencies in times of crisis or helping train small contractors on new government requirements, APEX Accelerators are always there to help. The success stories of APEX Accelerator clients are as diverse as our country itself, and we’re glad for this opportunity to tell them,” she adds.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative
Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact APAC at apex@uada.edu, or 501-671-2361as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
About the APEX Accelerator Program
The Procurement Technical Assistance Program was authorized by Congress in 1985 in
an effort to expand the number of businesses capable of participating in the government
marketplace. Administered by the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency
(the program provides matching funds through cooperative agreements with state and
local governments and non-profit organizations to operate Procurement Technical Assistance
Centers for the purpose of providing procurement assistance to all businesses – particularly
small businesses – interested in participating in the government marketplace. Learn
more at https://www.napex.us/.
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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu